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A child grows faster during the first few years of his life than at any other time. Thus, good nutrition is very important.
Milk is the child’s first food. It has a large amount of the nutrients needed during the first two years of life. The kind of milk or formula must be chosen with care.
Human milk is custom-made for the baby. It is clean and pure. It saves a lot of work. Nursing can also be a satisfying experience for both mother and baby. Human milk will usually supply enough of all the important nutrients during the first few months of life, except for vitamin D, fluoride and iron.
If a prepared formula, evaporated milk or homogenized whole milk is used, it will usually have vitamin D added to it. If not, the baby will need to be given vitamin D in addition to its regular milk.
The baby needs vitamin C early in life. Human milk and prepared formulas usually have good amounts of vitamin C. If the baby is being fed evaporated milk or cow’s milk formula, then vitamin C should be given in the form of drops. Otherwise a fresh, frozen or canned fruit juice that is naturally rich in vitamin C can be used.
A source of iron should also be added to the child’s diet. Some formulas already have iron added. If the baby is getting a formula that does not have iron, then the doctor may start the baby on iron drops. This is mostly done when the child is about one or two months old.
Solid foods may be added when the child is one to three months old. Slowly, other foods, such as egg yolk, strained meat and fish, are added. Be careful when choosing baby’s food. Store-bought strained foods vary widely. They vary in the amount of calories and other nutrients they contain. This is why many mothers decided to prepare their own baby food at home. At least they know what their babies are getting.
By the time baby is six months old, he or she will be taking some “table food.” When seven to nine months old, a baby is usually ready for foods that are chopped. By then, he or she will likely be on three meals a day.
Choose the foods for year baby carefully. Your baby will be happier and healthier if you do.
