With September and back to school season almost upon us, I thought I would take this month to cover infant and child nutrition. Click here to see my post on child nutrition.
BREAST IS BEST
There are a lot of factors that go into ensuring children are growing well and are properly nourished. In the first few months of life, breastmilk is all your baby needs. It provides the correct quantity and quality of important nutrients for your growing baby as well as immune protective compounds.
One nutrient that breastmilk lacks is vitamin D; as such, it is recommended that all breastfed infants take a daily vitamin D supplement of 400 IU.
MYTH OR FACT: Is food before one just for fun?
Have you ever heard that food before one is just for fun?
While food at any age should be fun, before a baby turns one year old food is essential! Around 6 months of age, the iron stores an infant is born with being to deplete. Iron is important for neuro-development and oxygen transport.
Breastmilk and formula do not have enough iron to meet a baby’s needs. As such, solid food needs to be introduced. Some developmental signs that appear around 6 months of age that indicate readiness for and safety of solid food introduction include good head control, ability to sit up and lean forward, and grasping of food to put in mouth.
INTRODUCTION TO SOLIDS: First foods
It should come as no surprise that iron-rich foods should be the focus when an infant begins transitioning to solid food.
Some examples of iron-rich foods include beef, chicken, fish, eggs, infant-fortified cereal, tofu, and legumes. To increase iron absorption from plant-based foods, pair them with foods rich in vitamin C such as peppers, guavas, broccoli, oranges, tomatoes, and kiwis.
Other foods to introduce around the 6 month mark are allergenic foods such as peanuts, milk, eggs, and seafood. Late introduction has been shown to increase the risk of developing an allergic reaction. Speak to a dietitian to learn how to safely introduce allergenic foods.
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