Bringing up a baby
Birth - 6 months
From birth to 6 months all of the baby's nutritional needs can be met through breast milk. If mothers choose to change to bottle-feeding before the age of 6 months, Farleys Soya Formula is suitable. If baby is also receiving bottle feeds, mother will make less breast milk. The more baby breast-feeds, the more milk the new mother will produce. Feeding frequency should be as with breast-feeding - on demand. Left to themselves, bottle-fed babies consume little more than breast fed babies and are only slightly heavier.
6 months
Stage 1
At 6 months solid foods can be introduced but the weaning process should not be hurried if baby is content with breast milk alone. Pay attention to the signals baby gives out e.g. baby will probably be ready for solid food if they cry after breast-feedings or chew on the nipple. Even then, breastfeeding should be continued (alongside the introduction of solids) for as long as is comfortable for mother and baby.The best time to introduce solid foods to baby is just before breast or bottle-feeding. Starting solids is a very gradual process so be patient and go slowly. The classic 'first food' is mashed banana, which is very digestible, sweet and a good introduction to foods. Suitable first foods are baby rice or pureed vegetables. Fruits are usually introduced after vegetables in order to allow acceptance of vegetables before the sweet tastes of fruits is experienced. Other popular first foods are carrot, sweet potatoes, parsnip, apples, bananas and pears. When they have had enough babies will turn away their head, clamp their mouth shut or spit the food out! These are signs that they have had enough.
When introducing solids to baby offer one type of food only and then observe how well it is tolerated. Start with around 1-2 tsp of food and gradually increase up to 6 tsp. How is fed to baby depends entirely on how much they will eat. A rough guide might be a quarter of a very ripe mushy banana for a few days (or for a week) and the following week another soft fruit such as apple sauce. This gives the baby's digestive system time to get used to each new food before the introduction of additional ones. If two or more foods are introduced at the same time and baby has diarrhoea, colic or other digestive problems, it will be difficult to identify the culprit. The foods during this first stage should be bland with a smooth consistency.
If the baby is not interested the first few times solids are introduced it is advised to try again in another week. When baby is ready they will let you know. Baby might be hungry at any time of the day or night. Babies cannot tell the time but they know what they need.
Prepare cooked vegetables plainly, do not add salt, sugar or spices. Good introductory vegetables are parsnips, sweet potatoes, yams and carrots. Still start feeds with breast or bottle but now very gradually increase the amount of solid food given afterwards. Solids should only be given by spoon or hand and never added to a bottle of feed.
Typical feed for one day at stage 1
- 1st feed - breast or bottle
- 2nd feed - breast or bottle
- 3rd feed - 1-2 tsp baby rice mixed with 1 tbs milk from feed or 1-2 tsp unsweetened fruit puree
- 4th feed - breast or bottle
- 5th feed - breast or bottle
Stage 2:
Try and move gradually from solid food at one feed in the day to solid food at two and then three feeds. Follow baby's appetite and move at baby's pace.Avoid all baby foods that contain sugar or artificial sweeteners. Sugar contains no vitamins, minerals or protein and can lead to obesity, both now and later in the child's life. Sweetened foods also confuse and seduce the appetite tending to satisfy hunger quickly and displace healthful foods. Do not add salt to foods.
Typical feed for one day at stage 2:
- 1st feed - breast or bottle
- 2nd feed - breast or bottle followed by 1-2 tsp baby rice mixed with 1 tbs milk from feed or 1-2 tsp unsweetened fruit puree
- 3rd feed - breast or bottle followed by 1-2 tsp vegetable puree or 1-2 tsp pureed fruit
- 4th feed - breast or bottle followed by 1-2 tsp pureed fruit
- 5th feed - breast or bottle
