Baby Food Facts
Posted by Babies - 20/01/09 at 11:01 pmEvery newborn child deserves the best in life most importantly – nutrition. Subsequent to nearly three decades of research there is ample evidence to prove the fact that breastfeeding is better than bottle-feeding in the first few months of the newborn’s life. Breast milk contains antibodies which protect against infections including respiratory illness, gastroenteritis, ear infections and urinary infections. Also, it reduces the risk of childhood diabetes, leukemia and obesity among other benefits. Hence it is advisable to continue to breast feed exclusively for the first 6 months after birth and continue for a period of 2 years.
Baby food should be started at a time when the appetite of the child increases for breast milk or infant formula to suffice. Babies usually develop teeth around the time they are 8 months old and till then they should be given food which can be ingested without the need to chew. The best food to start the baby on is rice cereal mixed with warm water to make a paste. Fruits such as papaya, banana and sapota can be given a couple of weeks after starting on the rice cereal, in pureed form. Mashed vegetables like carrot, beetroot and beans can be started a month later. It is important for kids to start developing a taste palette to deal with the more complicated foods they will encounter in later months.
Care should be taken to sterilize the utensils used for feeding the baby before every feed. It is also imperative to have separate utensils only for the baby’s use.
