Caring for a new baby is a tremendous responsibility. The health and nutrition of this growing child need to be addressed while careful care and consideration are taken to heart. So many children today face obesity in record numbers as well as medical issues primarily due to their diets. All of this can be avoided if more parents would promote a structured eating plan.
Of course babies from birth to four months are dependant upon breast milk or formula. Breast milk is far healthier because it builds the immune system as well as delivering every necessity your child needs for digestive care. Formula is plainly food without the biological benefits. But what about solid foods? Here’s a comprehensive break down that might shed a little light on this subject.
At four months old your baby is becoming more active. It is at this age that they are losing what pediatricians refer to as “tongue thrust” movement. This is a natural instinct that babies have to push debris and potentially hazardous things from their mouths. Most parents will notice it if they have tried to put baby food in a mouth that hasn’t yet lost this reflex… the tongue will force or push the food right out. This is an indication they are not yet ready for solid foods.
Always start with the smoother and runnier foods such as rice cereal that can be mixed with breast milk/formula or jar foods. The chunky foods are dangerous because of the potential choking hazards but also due to the fact that your baby’s digestive tract won’t be able to process the food and it can cause stomachaches and digestive problems.
At six months to a year you will see the changes in your child’s like and dislikes as well as what they can handle. A lot of the factors are weighed by individual growth for instance when the teeth come in and when the appetite increases. Due to the fact that all babies are not the same, these aspects are your indicators as to the right time to introduce more solids. Be sure that you introduce the types of foods you make for dinner so your child gets used to eating with the family and develops a strong liking to the foods you eat.
To ensure good healthy eating habits in your children, you need to make your diets to include all of the food groups while trying your best to avoid sugars, preservatives and salts. By leaving the junk foods such as; fast foods, candies, cookies, sodas etc. as ‘once in a while treats’ you can avoid most of the more common medical problems that kids face today. Be sure that you introduce the types of foods you make for dinner so your child gets used to eating with the family and develops a strong liking to the foods you eat.
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