Some parents may be tempted to give in to relatives, grandmothers and sometimes even their own mothers, who say "Give that baby some real food, she's starving!" or "Nursing that baby isn't enough to, he needs some real food". Remember that "real food" is breast milk and/or formula and these contain all the important nutrients that an infant needs to develop properly! Breast milk in particular, and/or formula, will be enough to sustain your baby's nutritional needs for up to age 1 year old!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
MY PARENT'S INSIST THAT MY BABY NEEDS "REAL FOOD".
WON'T MY BABY SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT IF WE START SOLIDS?
Some parents believe that if they start solids "early" then their infants will sleep through the night sooner. As your baby grows, his sleeping patterns as well as eating patterns change continually.
Around the time a few parents begin to offer solids early is just about the time that an infant may be sleeping for longer periods at a time. This is a natural progression as an infant ages and it oftentimes coincides with the addition of early solids. This coincidence perpetuates the dangerous myth that early offerings of solid foods will help an infant sleep "through the night".
To further this explanation, let us recall that between 6-8 months old, baby is often back to waking at night for a feeding. By this time baby should be eating solids and it appears that those solids are no longer helping baby sleep through the night. In reality, baby is hitting another growth spurt and may wake again during the night for more feedings regardless of eating solids! This really is "normal" and your baby may wake again during the night for more feedings regardless of eating solids!
The best advice when considering starting solid foods for your baby, "Watch the Baby - Not the Calendar!" This is true for both breastfed and formula fed infants.
MY FRIEND'S BABY STARTED SOLIDS EARLY - WHY SHOULDN'T MY BABY?
Many parents say that their own pediatricians or their friends' pediatricians have said that it's fine to start solids (typically cereal) at 4 months of age. It is still common for pediatricians to just say "start solid foods when your baby is 4 months old" because this has been the norm for many years. You will find that the vast majority of pediatricians are not experts in pediatric nutrition and many are not aware of their own governing body's guidelines!
The
This ensures optimal nutritional exposure and may stave off food allergies amongst other issues. Further studies have shown that an infant's gastrointestinal tract has not or may not have matured enough to properly digest/utilize solid foods until around 6-8 months old!
Studies show that babies are highly individual in developing a readiness for solid foods. One baby might seem to be ready for solids at 4 months, while another shows no signs of readiness until around 6 or 7 months. Just because your friend's baby may have begun eating solid foods at 4 months of age does not mean that your baby should.
**Please keep in mind that "outward" signs of being ready for solids do not mean that your baby's inner digestive system is mature and ready! You should thoroughly discuss starting your baby on solid foods with your baby's pediatrician.
If your pediatrician insists that you start your 4 month old infant on solids, ask him or her to explain the benefits of starting solids early. You might be surprised to hear the answer is not based on nutritional science!
And remember, you never HAVE to begin introducing complementary foods simply because your pediatrician has suggested that you do so! Only when you have thoroughly discussed the pros and cons of introducing solid foods with your pediatrician will you be able to have a better grasp of just when you should begin offering baby solid foods.
HOW WILL YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR BABY IS READY TO EAT SOLID FOODS?
How do you know if your baby is ready for solid foods? Your baby may be 3 months old or 4 months old when you start to feel she may need "something more" than formula or breast milk. Maybe she is beginning to awaken more often at night or eat more often than "usual" and you wonder if introducing solid foods may be what she needs.
A Growth Spurt May be Confused with a Readiness for Solid Foods
Please keep in mind that a growth spurt will occur between 3-4 months of age. Your baby may begin to wake more frequently at night for a feeding and/or may begin to eat non-stop (cluster feed) as she once did as a newborn. This growth spurt often accounts for the increased hunger in your baby and it should not be taken as a sign that your baby needs solid foods added to her diet!
Offer your baby more frequent nursing sessions and/or bottle feedings instead of solids; you will find that within a week or two, your baby is oftentimes over the growth spurt and back to feeding "as usual".
Here are a few "signs" that may indicate your baby is ready for Solid Foods:
Loss of tongue-thrust reflex
- Ability to let you know she is full from a "meal" with signs such as turning away from the bottle or breast. This is important so that baby is able to self-regulate the amount of food being eaten. This helps stop baby from accidentally overeating as parents may continue to feed baby thinking that she is still hungry.
- Interest in your food (we tend to disagree with this one as when a baby reaches the age of 4-6 months, he is interested in putting everything in his mouth!)
- Frequently waking in the middle of the night when a solid sleeping pattern had been established. This may not be the best indicator that your baby is ready for solids! Please keep in mind that a growth spurt will occur between 3-4 months of age, 6-7 months of age and also 9-10 months of age. Baby may also be waking due to an illness or teething.
HOW TO START
- Choose a time when your baby's quiet and relaxed.
- Sit her in a semi upright position, either on your knee or in a high chair.
- Always use a spoon for feeding.
- Offer solids 15 or 20 minute following her milk (breast or formula).
- Introduce only one new food at a time, in small amounts. New foods should be introduced several days apart, so that if any allergic reactions occur you can identify the exact food.
- Initially, only start with one teaspoon of food and increase the amount according to her appetite.
- Offer foods separately rather than all mixed together, so that she can enjoy individual flavors.
- If your baby isn't interested in eating solids, wait a few weeks before trying again.
- Throw out any unused food on her plate. Don't reheat and offer at another time.
- NEVER force your child to eat when she doesn't want to.
- Don't add solids to your baby's bottle. Babies need to learn the difference between eating and drinking.
Written by Rowena Bennett
MYTHS LINKED WITH SOLIDS (BEFORE 6 MONTHS)
1. Solids will help a baby sleep through the night.
RARELY: Many parents are often anxious to start solids believing a full tummy will help a baby sleep through the night. However, this rarely helps. Early introduction of solids increases the risk of creating additional problems (as listed above) which could potentially further disturb your child's sleep... or health.
2. Solids will satisfy a hungry baby.
RARELY: Solid foods are often given at an early age in the hope of solving problems thought to be linked with hunger, such as irritable behavior, sleeplessness or a thriving baby who wants to breast or bottle feed more often than would be considered normal for her age.
Milk (breast or formula) provides a baby with all the necessary calories and nutrients needed for healthy growth up to 6 months of age. If increasing the amount of formula or number breast feeds offered, your baby is still not satisfied, then her behavior may be due to one of number of other possible causes which result in her looking for comfort from feeding.
3. If a baby has reflux solids will help.
TRUE & FALSE: Solids may reduce the amount of milk that comes up, but starting solids too soon could create additional problems for your baby. There are many more effective ways of reducing spitting up that don't involve the risks associated with early introduction of solids, as listed above. (See our article on Reflux for tips to reduce spitting up).
4. Solids are necessary if weight gain slows down
FALSE: Parents often become concerned when their little one's rate of growth slows. For a healthy thriving breast fed or formula fed baby a decrease in the amount of weight gained each week will occur naturally around the age of 5 - 6 months. For bigger babies, who were off to a very good start in the early months, this slowing of weekly gains can occur from around 3 months of age.
If you're concerned about your child's weight, discuss this with a doctor. Avoid starting solids too soon because solids can lead to a decrease the amount of milk (breast or formula) she drinks. Milk will provide more calories than solids at this age, so starting solids too soon could further affect her growth.
REASONS TO START NO LATER THAN 7 MONTHS
1. Need for additional iron
A healthy full term baby is born with a supply of iron stored in his/her liver. By around the age of 6 months this iron supply is starting to deplete and the need for additional iron from solid food becomes more important. Although breast milk and formula are still the most important food for a baby over 6 months of age, they do not always provide have enough iron for the second 6 months. Babies who are not given solids until much later may miss out and not grow as well as they should.
2. Development and learning
Food and the feeding process are a new experience for babies and are an important stage for their development. The act of chewing helps a child develop the muscles necessary for speech development.
Some babies who are NOT given solids before 7 or 8 months (when they're reaching out and wanting to try things) may not be so willing to try new tastes and foods later on. After 9 or 10 months, babies who have not become comfortable with the process of eating solid foods may find it harder to learn these skills at this later age. So it's best not to wait too long.
3. Increased risk of diabetes
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that cereals introduced into the diets of babies before the age of 4 months or after the age of 7 months increase the risk of insulin-dependent diabetes in susceptible children.
REASONS TO NOT START BEFORE 4 MONTHS
Milk (breast or formula) is the most important food for young babies and provides all the calories and essential nutrients for healthy growth until 6 months of age.
1. Decrease in milk consumption (breast or formula)
Milk is more easily digested than solids. Because solid foods provide a sensation of fullness, this can interfere with the amount of milk (breast or formula) your baby will drink and she may not get as much milk as she needs for healthy growth.
Large amounts of solid foods can affect the nutritional balance of her diet. Starting solids too soon could potentially affect her overall weight gain, because solids will not satisfy her energy and growth needs in the same way that milk can.
Early introduction of solids can interfere with successful breast feeding! Because she feels full from solids, she's likely to drink less breast milk. As a result your breasts will make less milk. If then, enough breast milk is unavailable to her to satisfy her it will be tempting to give her even more solids to fill her, which in turn may mean she takes less breast milk and so on.
2. Increased risk of allergies
Because a baby's immune system is not fully developed, studies suggest the younger a child is exposed to a food the greater the potential risk of an allergic reaction to that food. It's difficult to predict which children are at risk. Certainly, children with a family history of allergies are at greater risk, but even those without a family history can also develop an allergy.
It's estimated somewhere between 8 - 10% of children are affected by either one or multiple food allergies. The majority of these children will outgrow their food allergy as their digestive and immune system mature, but for some it can become a life long condition and in rare situations it can be a life threatening condition.
3. Increased risk of diabetes
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that cereals introduced into the diets of babies before the age of 4 months or after the age of 7 months increase the risk of insulin-dependent diabetes in susceptible children.
4. Stomach and bowel discomfort
Babies less than 4 months of age have immature digestive systems, where their little tummies lack the necessary enzymes to adequately digest solid foods. Early exposure to solid food can result in stomach ache, gas, constipation or diarrhea.
Very young babies often lack the ability to recognize when they've had enough and this can potentially lead to over feeding, tummy distention and spitting up.
5. Increases work load of kidneys
A child's internal organs are growing and maturing even after birth. Solid foods make extra work for your baby's kidneys.
6. Risk of choking
No doubt you have experienced food going down the "wrong tube". This can happen to even experienced eaters. For a baby getting the food into the right tube can be a real challenge. Up until around the age of 4 months babies have an extrusion (tongue thrust) reflex that assists them with breast feeding. This reflex disappears around the age of 4 months. For some it's still present for a little longer.
While a baby still has the extrusion reflex, she lacks the coordination to move semi solid foods safely to the back of her throat before swallowing. This lack of coordination increases the risk of choking. Early choking experiences can make babies tense when faced with a spoonful of food. This tension can make the process of accepting food more difficult later on.
STARTING SOLIDS
When to start
You will find that there are many different opinions regarding the best time to start your baby on solid foods. Up until recently the recommended age to commence solids was 4 months. However, as a result of extensive research into this area, many health professionals and health agencies such as World Health Organization (WHO) and the
Although, some babies may benefit from solids earlier than 6 months, it's generally NOT recommended to commence solid foods before 4 months of age except in special circumstances. Your child's pediatrician will guide you regarding the need for early introduction to solids.
Signs of readiness
- Interest: Does your little one stare at every bite of food that goes from your plate into your mouth? Does she try to grab little pieces from your plate? Does she open her mouth when food approaches?
- Head support and control: Can she hold her head steady and sit with support?
- Extrusion (tongue thrust) reflex: Has she lost her extrusion reflex? This means she no longer automatically pushes solid foods out of her mouth with her tongue.
- Shows significant weight gain: Has she doubled her birth weight?
Friday, February 22, 2008
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