Baby's Early Nutritional Needs

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[x]   Transcript: Knowing when, what, and how much to feed your baby is quite the parenting challenge! Until your infant reaches AT LEAST four months of age, she won't eat anything but formula, breast milk, or a combination of the two. If you're breastfeeding, your baby will be getting almost all of the nutrients she needs from your milk. The big exception to this rule, however, is bone-building Vitamin D. Only miniscule amounts of this essential vitamin are passed to your infant via nursing. For this reason, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends giving your breastfed baby 200 IUs of Vitamin D daily. Vitamin D is the only supplement a nursing baby should need, unless YOU avoid all animal products. Breastfeeding moms who follow a vegan diet can benefit their babies by taking a Vitamin B12 supplement. This vital nutrient prevents anemia and helps your infant's nervous system to develop. Good news for parents of formula-fed babies! As long as you're using an iron-fortified formula, like Emfamil or Similac, your infant will get ALL the nutrients and vitamins she needs from milk for her first four to six months. If, however, you're combining formula feeding with nursing, determine how much formula your baby drinks a day. If it's less than 17-ounces, your doctor will probably recommend giving your infant a daily Vitamin D supplement. Although some parents start their babies on solid food as early as 4 months, most wait until their infant is six months old. Iron-fortified rice cereal is a common introduction into the world of solids. In the next three to four months, offer a daily dose of three to nine tablespoons of this and other iron-fortified cereals. Additionally, serve up four to five tablespoons of both fruits and veggies a day. Stick to pureed or strained varieties, including sweet potato, squash, avocado, banana, pears, and peaches. And around your baby's eighth month, start offering small amounts of protein, like egg yolk, pureed meats, tofu, and mashed beans. Babies and toddlers should have 1/4 cup of non-dairy protein a day, from meat, egg yolk, tofu, and/or bean sources. Then, they should get an additional 1/4 to 1/3 cup of dairy, like cheese, yogurt, frozen yogurt, or cottage cheese. All the while, continue to give your baby 24 to 32 ounces of breast milk or formula , spaced out in three to five feedings daily. Eventually there will come a time when your baby will no longer take any breast milk or formula. For most babies, this happens around their first birthday. As your baby transitions to a solid diet, make sure she's getting all the vitamins and nutrients she needs each day by offering one serving EACH of fruit AND vegetables, four to six servings of grains, two to three servings of dairy and two servings of protein. But keep in mind that a toddler's serving are much different than your own! Here's a sample day in the life of a 12 to 18 month old. For breakfast, serve 1/3 a cup of iron-fortified cereal, three ounces of 100 percent fruit juice, and 1/3 cup cottage cheese. A good morning snack is 1/4 to 1/2 of a bagel, lightly toasted and cut into bite-sized pieces. For lunch, you may offer one egg, 1/4 cup of pasta, and 1/4 cup of cut fruit, like apples, bananas, or melon. For an afternoon snack, serve one ounce of cheese or two whole-grain crackers. A great dinner would include 1/2 a cup of milk; two one-inch cubes of meat or tofu, and 1/2 a cup of vegetables, like well-cooked carrots, peas, or squash. You don't have to consistently prepare special meals for your child, though. Many parents feed their toddlers the same food they eat, but perhaps with fewer spices, as a child's palettes are more sensitive than ours. This is perfectly fine as long as you keep pieces bite sized and your baby's daily nutritional needs in mind. Remember: If you have questions or concerns about your baby's diet now or in the future, make an appointment to speak to her pediatrician!

[x]   Bio:

Dr. Marleigh Moscatel practices Pediatrics in Croton on Hudson, New York. Credentials: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin U-Med & ScienceMD , Medicine , 1994 — 1998Honors in Pathology, Pharmacology, Physiology, Histology Activities and Societies: Alpha Omega Alpha (inducted in my 3rd year)University of California, Los AngelesBA , Psychology , 1991 — 1992 Activities and Societies: Golden Key National Honor Society, Magna Cum LaudeNorthwestern UniversityTheater, Pre-Med 1988 — 1990