Food plays the most important and crucial role in baby’s growth and overall wellbeing. Their food needs are different and hence require accurate attention. Consulting a good paediatrician or baby nutritionist for a toddler feeding guide is the appropriate thing to do. It ensures baby’s good health in the long run. Also, parents are required to equip themselves with knowledge on general eating habits of the toddler which are subject to change with age. To raise a healthy toddler, providing nutritionally balanced food in the right quantity is also essential. Nourishment is not about buying the right food and feeding it to baby in some way. Toddler meals should be designed with the right amount of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and other nutrients. There are many conventional baby food recipes available in the form of books and web pages. A bit of research can lead you to perfect, age-appropriate recipes. When it comes to babies, they are fussy and picky about food. Their preferences also change drastically. Therefore it requires a lot of patience, creativity and expertise to feed them.
Breastfeeding the infant has more health benefits compared to any other alternative. It provides greatest nutrition, protects them against infection and provides lifelong immunity to the child. For this reason, most mothers breastfeed their infants, at least for a first few months after birth. It also lowers the risk of ovarian and breast cancer in the mother. A few breastfeeding tips would be to sit in a comfortable position and bring the baby as close to the breast as possible. Use the support of pillows or cushions if required. Support your breast with your fingers and gently touch your baby’s lips until she opens them. There are guidelines that can come to your rescue in case of any difficulty or inconvenience. Take your kids into a bavarian restaurant to enjoy healthy foods.
Apart from breastfeeding, formula feeding is also a healthy choice and many opt for a combination of these two. This could be the only choice for babies with poor sucking reflex or for mothers not producing enough milk or under medication for some health reasons. Consult the baby’s doctor who can give you the right formula review and also chart the baby’s progress with it. It is highly important to maintain hygiene while bottle-feeding babies or it will open doors to a lot of infection and diseases and deteriorate baby’s health. Follow-up formulas can be given to babies once they start eating solid food. They contain calcium, iron and other necessary minerals that are mandatory for the baby’s effective growth.
Constipation in babies is common and occurs as a result of formula feeding, solid food feeding, dehydration or some medical disorder. It can cause discomfort and a loss of appetite. And hence should be treated carefully. If a newly born infant is constipated, the child’s regular paediatrician should be contacted immediately. It is natural for babies to become constipated after introduction to solid foods. In that case, the baby should be given enough water between meals. Feeding fibre rich fruits can also help in regular bowel movement. It is normal for a baby to get constipated now and then, but it is always advisable to get expert’s opinion before trying anything new.
