Entries Tagged 'baby food' ↓

Women have been breastfeeding for centuries, many without all of the knowledge, instruction and tools that mothers get today. In some cases; however, too much information can lead to a little breastfeeding paranoia.

There are so many wonderful reasons to breastfeed, that sometimes it seems like the ONLY option. In truth the only option is to do what is best for your baby and sometimes that means your breast needs a little help. Many new babies could benefit from supplemental feedings, but this is a scary proposition for new mothers who have heard too much about nipple confusion and how overall breastfeeding success is greatest when it is exclusive from the moment of birth. So, what to do when your baby needs to gain more weight and you are feeding/pumping with all your might and it is still not enough?

The folks at Medela developed the Supplemental Nursing System to give the baby what it needs without compromising future breastfeeding success. This particular one is geared for short-term use; however, there is another model that can be used as a long-term solution. Either formula or pumped breast milk can be placed into the container which is connected to a very small tube.  This tube is taped down to the mother’s breast so that the extra fluid drips into the baby’s mouth while he/she is already nursing. It is a great way to provide the nourishment your child needs without switching to a bottle before good breastfeeding habits have been developed.

You already know it is important to eat a well-balanced diet, but it is more important when you are pregnant. Remember now you are eating for two. Whatever you eat, the baby eats as well. In fact the baby actually takes your nourishments so you must eat enough for both of you. The healthier you eat the better it  is for the baby and you.

Never miss a meal while you are pregnant, especially breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and your baby has probably been waiting since  he/she woke up in the middle of the night. You may learn that if you wait so long before eating you start to feel sick, this is your body telling you to eat. Do it!

Make sure you are getting enough food you need daily.  It takes 4-6 servings of dairy a day for a healthy pregnancy, this include some cheeses, milk, yogurt.  This provides the baby with calcium which it’ll need to develop healthy growing bones. Adding extra calcium to your diet wouldn’t hurt you either, especially your teeth and bones.

Don’t forget about fruit and vegetable servings. Lots of green is a good choice, so are sweet potatoes.  Not only will you be giving your body what it needs but you’ll start to have more energy. Try laying off the sweets for a week and replace them with healthier items and you will feel better.

Foods to Avoid
Not all foods are safe during your pregnancy, there are a few things you should avoid eating:

-  unpasteurized  products- brie
-  Certain fish- exotic, shark, swordfish, anything high in mercury
-  Raw eggs
-  Undercooked meats- lunch meats. If you are buying a deli sandwich you can ask for them to eat the meat up a little.
-  Caffeine- soda, chocolate. If you find this difficult you can wean yourself off, but the less caffeine in your system the better it is for the baby.

If you are ever unsure of the foods you can eat you can ask your doctor for a list of items to avoid during pregnancy. They’ll be more than happy to share this with you. You may also learn that your stomach won’t handle certain foods that it would before. Some of those foods may include foods that contain grease, fast foods, meat, and certain foods that have a strong odor.

Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to cut out all the fun in your life, you can still treat yourself from time to time. Go out and get a frozen yogurt or a  smoothie. The baby will thank later because you have give her/him good nutrition. Who knows that you really enjoy eating healthier and continue it even after the pregnancy.

When new parents find that their baby may be getting to that age where solid foods should be introduced, a whole new list of panics start to form. There are so many questions that new parents have about when to give their child solid foods. Also, there is great concern on what they should or should not be starting their baby out on. There is probably a lot of advice coming in from friends and family, especially the grandparents, but how does a person know if they are getting the best advice.

Sure, maybe your parents gave you full hot dogs to chew on when you were a kid but that does not mean that it was safe. Back in the day, many people had their babies sitting on their lap in the front seat of a moving car. That was considered okay back then but that kind of behavior would land you in jail today. This type of example is a good reason why it is important to make sure that you are double-checking the suggestions you are given by your parents and other people. It is much better to be safe rather than sorry.

So what is the appropriate age to introduce your baby to solid foods? Doctors say that you can begin to introduce your baby to solid foods anytime between four to six months depending on how quickly your baby becomes ready for it. Now on to the next concern. How do you know when your baby is ready for solid food? You first have to make sure that your baby has good head control. If you start to notice your baby doing a little chewing motion with his or her mouth then that is another sign.

You may also notice that your baby has suddenly an increased interest in the foods that you are eating. If you notice him or her trying to reach for your food then it is another sign that your baby is ready to try a little solid food of his or her own. Weight gain is another sign that your baby is ready to move on to the good stuff. It is said that your baby needs to have at least doubled his or her birth weight and be at least four months old.

Now that you are ready to introduce your baby to solid foods, do you start with the rice cereal or the steak? While that may seem like a funny question there are a lot of parents out there who truly have no clue what to start their baby on and this is generally because he or she is their first child. Rice cereal is the general rule of thumb. As your baby gets used to the idea of solid food you can add in things such as mashed potatoes and applesauce. These are foods that will be very easy for the baby to handle without too much of a risk of harm to the child.

Just take it slow and allow your baby to move at his or her own pace. If you find that your child is not ready right at four months of age, do not worry. Babies are different and he or she will eventually be getting their face covered with food before you know it.

by Amanda Isbitt

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hechuantimes blog
wildlife blog

Being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to stop breastfeeding your child. Long ago doctors believed it actually took nutrients away from the baby inside you, however that is not the case. Even today have people that believe this and they will argue with you the entire time. Only you can decide it. Don’t let someone else make that decision for you.

Reasons to Stop
A few reasons you might want to stop breastfeeding may be if you are feeling tired or maybe your child has started to bite. Sometimes your milk will just dry up, this is your body’s way of telling you to take a break.  Mastitis could play a big role in making you stop immediately as well. Mastitis is an infection in the breast when it isn’t expressed enough and gets engorged.

Stopping or Weaning
If you do plan on stopping because you are pregnant, make sure it is for the right reasons. If your baby has reached a certain age, it might be best. But never just yank it away from them.  Your child could wonder why it is being taken away. Wonder if they had done something or become discouraged about the new baby coming. Some children decide to wean themselves, which is a big help to you and you won’t feel so guilty about it. You can choose to do it cold turkey, or slowly wean him/her off. Cold turkey can have some bad results.  Try limiting his/her feeding times to certain hours and gradually take away more. Your child will quickly stop on his/her own and it won’t be a traumatic event.

Continuing to Feed
If you do plan on continuing to breastfeed while you are pregnant, talk with your doctor about it. Not all doctors will agree with your decision.  Sometimes he/she may see something in your health. Listen carefully and find out if it is a health reason or simply his/her own belief.  If it is the doctor’s belief, you can always seek out one that agrees with you.  Being pregnant hard enough at times, knows you have someone in your corner will only relieve the stress.  Don’t be surprised if your family and friends will probably give you all kind of advice on how to stop and what they’ve read. Nicely explain to them it is your decision and you’ll do what you think is best for your children. Try finding a support group in your area so you have someone to vent to or talk about these issues. Check out if there is a La Leche League near you or online that you can join.

Remember you’ll be able to safely breastfeed while pregnant if you take proper care of yourself and your body.

Besides being the optimal source of nutrition for your baby in her first year, nursing has obvious psychological benefits for both mother and baby. At birth, infants see only 12 to 15 inches, the distance between a nursing baby and its mother’s face. Studies have found that infants as young as 1 week prefer the smell of their own mother’s milk.

Many psychologists believe the nursing baby enjoys a sense of security from the warmth and presence of the mother, especially when there’s skin-to-skin contact during feeding. Parents of bottle-fed babies may be tempted to prop bottles in the baby’s mouth, with no human contact during feeding. But a nursing mother must cuddle her infant closely many times during the day. Nursing becomes more than a way to feed a baby; it’s a source of warmth and comfort.

When the baby is being fed and nurtured in this way, it’s natural for her to fall asleep quickly. When you know how much she can consume in one feeding, try to gently nudge her awake if she falls asleep too soon. You can easily rouse her with a little tickle of the feet.  Otherwise, she’ll get hungry sooner and you’ll be feeding her more often.

Breast-feeding is good for new mothers as well as for their babies. There are no bottles to sterilize and no formula to buy, measure and mix. It may be easier for a nursing mother to lose the pounds of pregnancy as well, since nursing uses up extra calories. Lactation also stimulates the uterus to contract back to its original size.

A nursing mother is forced to get needed rest. She must sit down, put her feet up, and relax every few hours to nurse. Nursing at night is easy as well. No one has to stumble to the refrigerator for a bottle and warm it while the baby cries. If she’s lying down, a mother can doze while she nurses.

50. storing milk correctly
Once the formula is mixed and shaken, take the disc and ring off the bottle. Put the teat in upside down, but don’t let it dip in the milk empty some out if necessary. Reseal the disc and ring. Fill all the bootles and put the caps on. Store them in the fridge, ideally on a tray so they don’t fall over, and not inside the door. Do not store for long store for longer than 24 hours.

51. getting the bottle ready
For each feed, take the bottle from the fridge and turn the teat the right way up. Warm the bottle in warm water, or at least bring it up to room temperature. Never warm the bottle in a microwave oven because the milk may become dangerously hot.

52. giving bottle feed
The beauty of bottle feeding is that it allows mother some time off from the relentless feeding duties, and gives father and baby an ideal time to cuddle and bond together. Whoever is giving the bottle feed – parent, childminder, or grandparent – needs to hold her close and talk and smile at her. Put a bib on her. Lie her half-sitting, cradled in the crook of one arm, your hand supporting her buttocks and legs. Stoke her near cheek which should start the sucking reflex. Give her the teat.

53. when baby wont let go
When your baby has finished drinking the milk, pull the bottle firmly away. If she still wants to suck, offer her your clean little finger. However, if she doesn’t want to let go of the bottle, slide your little finger between her gums and alongside the teat. This will break the suction of the teat.

54. sleeping during a feed
If your baby dozes off during a feed, she may have wind which is making her feel full. Sit her more upright and burp her for a couple of minutes. Then offer her more milk. Remember to tilt the bottle at an angle so that the teat is full of milk, not air. She’ll decide when she’s had enough.

55.switching from breast to bottle
Even if you want to bottle feed, breast-feeding for at least two days will give your baby valuable antibodies to help fight infection. You can then switch from breast to bottle if you decide not to carry on. But if you start by bottle-feeding, you cannot then switch to breast feeds. If you do change over, give baby time to adjust. Replace a lunchtime, breast-feed with a bottle every third day. Moisten the teat with a few drops of breast milk to help. After three days later a third, then the night feed.

56. burping your baby
Allow your baby the chance to burp up any swallowed air, or “wind”. That wind may make her feel full. If she doesn’t burp after 30 seconds, don’t worry its still good for both of you to pause, relax, and slow down at a feed.

46. What you need to bottle feed
To ensure that bottle-feeding is a happy experience for you and your baby, you must be scrupulous about hygiene, and have everything you need-the formula milk, equipment, bibs, brushes, cleaner and sterilizers – ready in advance. Make sure you have enough bottles, teats and caps to make up feeds for a 24-hour period. To save time prepare all the feeds for 24 hours in one batch and store them in a refrigerator. Make up fresh feeds when you are down to two bottles of made-up feed in the refrigerator.

47. washing & sterilizing equipment
Milk is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, which could make your baby very ill, so you need to sterilize all bottles, teats, and caps by one of the methods shown here. But before sterilizing, all items must be washed out thoroughly using a bottle brush with warm water, liquid detergent, and then rinsed well. If you rub the inside of a teat with salt, the scraping action will remove any trapped milk traces from the teat. Then allow all rinsed items to drain on kitchen paper, not the draining board. Don’t warm the feed until you need it, or try to keep milk warm in a thermos. After a feed, discard any milk left in the bottle.

48. managing a bottle-feeding routine
Bottle feed your baby when he seems hungry, not by the clock. Newborn babies often need as many as seven to eight feeds a day, taking about 50 ml (2 fl oz) at each feed. So put at least this amount of feed into each of the six bottles to begin with. By six months you will be making up feeds of 200ml (7 fl oz). as a rough guide, your baby will require about 150 ml of milk per kilogram of body weight (or 2,5 fl oz per 1 lb) every 24 hours. Before you begin, check the flow from the teat (three should be several drops per second), and the heat of the milk (which ideally should be at room remperature). Try a few drops on your wrist first to make sure it is not too hot. After six months on infant formula, your baby  may need supplement of iron of vitamin D, or may need to be put on follow-on milk which has extra protein and vitamins. If in doubt, check with your surgery.

49. making up a powder formula
Infant powder formula usually comes as a powder in tins, which you mix up as needed. You will need to have a supply of made up bottles in the fridge ready to give as soon as they are needed. Make up the correct levels following the instructions on the tinexactly. You can do one bottle, or a batch of bottles, at a time, whichever is more convenient for you. With the measuring scoop from the formula pack, add loosely filled scoops to each measure of water as directed. Always start with fresh cold water from the mains, boiled, and cooled once. Never use mineral water. You can mix the formula directly into the bottle(s), or via a jug. Once poured, seal the bottle with the disk and ring, but not the teat, and shake well to mix.

Continue to Bottle Feeding 2

37. Getting comfortable
Breastfeeding is absolutely natural, but it still has to be learned. Much will depend on “reading” the signals your baby gives you. But you can make things far easier by getting settled for a breastfeeding session-which could last for an hour. Lying down is ideal for night-time feeds. For other sessions, seek good back support, such as sitting on a low chair with no arms, or lying up against a bed headstead with plenty of pillows behind you.

38. Guiding your baby to latch on
Once settled, take a deep breath and relax your shoulders. If in private, take off your top to make it easier for baby to “latch on”, that is to be correctly placed on your breast and sucking efficiently. Use your baby’s natural reflex to “root” (seek out) and to suck. If you or baby, take another deep breath and start again.

39. Managing your milk flow
Your baby doesn’t just suck. She “milk” the breast by pressing on your milk supply at the base of the areola (the coloured area around the nipple). Don’t worry about “supply”. Your baby’s sucking stimulates “demand”. However, when your milk comes in, your breast may become engorged and sore for a few days. This makes the nipple go flat so it is hard for baby to latch on. Try these steps to help baby latch on and quickly relieve any engorgement.

40. Changing over during a feed
Let your baby suck for at least 10 to 15 minutes on one breast at each feed. After you’ve burped her, or she has had a short nap, slip a finger between her jaws to break her suction and offer her the other breast. She may be hungry enough to drain this one, too, or she may just suck for comfort. In either case, let her suck till she falls fast asleep.

41. Coping with leaking breasts
Your breast may leak a lot between feeds in the early weeks. You cannot prevent this, but it will diminish as your breasts settle down and supply matches your baby’s demand. To cope with this problem – and protect your cloches – wear disposable or fabric – washable breast pads inside your bra. These will absorb some of the dripping. Change the pads frequently, as wetness near your skin may make your sore.

42. Soothing sore nipples
Sore, red nipples usually result from your baby not latching on properly. Check that she takes the whole nipple and areola area into her mouth, and that her temples and ears are moving (that is, her jaw muscles are working hard). Cracked nipples give you shooting pains during feeding, but don’t stop feeds, as you may become engorged and make the problem worse.

43. Expressing milk by hand
Expressing your own milk means you can freeze it (for up to one mouth) and someone else can give it to your baby – which allows you greater freedom and flexibility. It is an easy and painless process. Help the flow of milk  by applying a warm flannel first.

44. Expressing milk by pump
Expressing with a purpose-made pump can work far quicker and be less tiring than hand expressing. Choose a “syringe”-type pump where the outer cylinder converts into a bottle. First soften your breast with warm water and massage them as if expressing by hand. The feeling an your milk ducts should be like your baby’s jaws.

45. First-year feeding routines
How long should a feed last? How many feeds should I give my baby in 24 hours? Can I tell when she is going to be hungry? Such question are all part of the emotional and practical worries of feeding a baby in the first year. Bear in mind the following tips when planning a feeding routine.
BREAST FEEDING TIPS:

• Always feed your baby as often as she seems hungry. And give her as much as the wants
• For the fist month at least, do not try to establish an inflexible routine.
• If you started off in the first two weeks by feeding your newborn 10 times in 24 hours, this should be reduced to eight feeds, then six, after a further six weeks.
• By two months expect to be feeding about every four hours.
• By three months plans for five feeds a day plus two night feeds.
• By four no five months plan for four feeds a day plus some solids.
• By six months your routine should be two breast-feeds a day: early morning and bedtime.
• By nine months you should be beginning a bedtime feed only.
• If you both want to, you can continue to breast-feed well into your baby’s second

Home-made baby foods for newborns and toddlers are bit by bit ahead keep in against commercially manufactured baby foods because mothers are now sensitive of the inherent wellbeing and relating to diet cost of household baby foods. extra and extra parents who are concerned about I beg your pardon? their children eat make a payment to the immense popularity of home-grown baby food.

It is relatively stress-free and regular to brew your own baby food in the kitchen. It is moreover identical economical. Nutritionally, family baby rations is supplementary wholesome and healthier for the reason that it has no additives, extenders or preservatives.

Making your own baby cooking does not need steep equipment, in statement on the whole of the tools you force essential are doubtless in your kitchen by now like a untainted pot, sieve, blender and cooking processor. At a minimum, you can get started making your own household baby groceries along with a strainer, fork and a sterile pot. Foods similar bananas, carrots, potatoes, apples and squash necessitate single a fork for mashing.

Almost all foods, raw or cooked, can be pureed with a blender. make it to indeed to detach tough peels and seeds on or after vegetables and fruits rather than joining together or they determination be minced along with the foodstuff which is beyond doubt not a good idea.

cleanliness and cleanliness must be a priority when making home-produced baby foods as bacteria can effortlessly upset your baby’s digestive system. compel to inevitable with the aim of even your hands and the cooking utensils you use in preparing your baby’s food are clean and extremely clean. Do not fail to remember to rinse your hands and equipment in the midst of hot, lathered water, bath painstakingly and consent to to air dry.

The finest way to heat home-grown baby chow is by steaming in buy to preserve vitamins and natural resources in foods. set foods or vegetables in a steam basket or sieve on top of boiling hose and bake in the steam. an extra opportunity is to microwave them as they cook briefly in very little water.

though boiling is an acceptable cooking logic this domino effect in the harm of round about nutrients; if you allow to boil various foods, be inevitable to use merely a small amount of water. It is top to put aside the gumbo to insipid the pureed provisions to eating consistency.

It is unwise to add seasoning to your homemade baby food in view of the fact that babies do not have a inclination for brackish or sweet tastes. specially since studies suggest with the intention of feeding babies too a large amount sodium can trigger high blood force soon after in life.

One drawback of household foods is that they spoil extra effortlessly than the profit-making variety. It is therefore vital with the aim of domestic baby foods are old up at once or frozen for expectations use. The longest you can storehouse them in the refrigerator is 2 to 3 days in imitation of which they must be discarded.

However, you can cook them in not inconsiderable batches and freeze them in single quota zip clasp bags or containers for soon use. You can thaw frozen baby foods by heating them in a bend boiler or in the microwave but on no account liquefy them at extent high temperature as it may spoil.

The best thing is that family baby fare is several era tastier than any profitable product. Since you and I enjoy a nice meal, there’s no reason babies have to pass the time several years before having a good meal of their own!