All Entries in the "Baby Feeding" Category

Parents are advised to offer finger foods to their toddlers as doing so helps in developing coordination and motor skills in the kids. The practice of having finger foods automatically teaches a child how to eat on his own. Initially you might find that your little one is playing with the foods offered to them; do not interfere in what they are doing. Soon you will find your kid putting some of the finger food into their mouth. Below, we have discussed some beneficial finger food options that you can offer to your toddler. Fruits: You can offer all kinds of fruits to your toddler; however, the presentation of the fruits will vary. If you are offering hard fruits like pears and apples, you should cook them, especially if your little one is too young. Softer fruits like grapes can be cut into  [...]

Are you worried about the decreasing appetite of your baby? It’s quite natural. If the baby does not eat enough food, parents often feel worried as doing so may deprive the little one from all the required nutrients. The doctors however do not become concerned unless the growth of the baby is affected by his irregular eating habit. When the baby is taken to the pediatrician for regular checkups, he will check your baby’s body weight and growth. If the checkup reveals that the weight of your baby is lower than normal and he is having a lesser growth rate compared to his peers, the doctor will offer you some guidelines for increasing your baby’s appetite. The doctor will recommend diagnostic tests for detecting whether the baby is having any underlying medical problem; if detected, the  [...]

You must start feeding your baby solid foods when he is around 4-7 months old. Usually, the pediatricians suggest feeding your baby with rice cereal meant for the infants. This option is preferred as this cereal type is thin and can be digested easily by the babies. Below we have discussed the steps of introducing cereals to your baby’s diet: Step 1: Visit the office of the child’s pediatrician before including solids in your child’s diet. The doctor will tell you whether it is the right time of feeding you baby with cereals. The signs that reveal that the baby is ready for eating solids include: ability of holding the head up, decreased tongue-thrust reflexes and showing interest in the food you eat. A baby, who does not show up these symptoms, is not ready to eat cereals or any other  [...]

Mothers often struggle to take the decision of stopping breastfeeding. However, there are also some mothers who can get the baby weaned naturally. According to the World Health organization, breastfeeding a baby for the first two years of his or her life is enough. There can be personal reasons like health issues or professional concerns that may force a mother to stop breastfeeding before the baby reaches the age of 2 years. If you are finding it hard to stop breastfeeding, the tips provided below may help you. Never try to stop breastfeeding suddenly; it can act as a traumatic change for both your baby and you. Unless a medical condition is forcing you to stop breastfeeding immediately, the right process is weaning gradually.When a mother weans suddenly, there might be drastic changes in  [...]

Is your baby teething? If yes, then you must be having a tough time while breastfeeding him. Here are some tips for breastfeeding teething babies: Watch the baby closely when he is breastfeeding. He cannot drink and bite at a time; so if you watch him closely, you will surely know when he will nip you from his actions. Give your baby a teething blanket or a teething ring for chewing before you breastfeed him. This will allow the baby to chew enough before breastfeeding and he will not feel the urge of biting you. You must be aware of the baby’s biting patterns while being breastfed. If he generally bites during the initial phase of breastfeeding, the biting might indicate that he is trying to stimulate the lactation. On the other hand, biting after breastfeeding for a certain period of time  [...]

Technically speaking, there’s no particular food type that should be avoided by the breastfeeding moms. However, physicians suggest avoiding certain food types that may result in mild reactions; for instance, chocolate, cabbage, spicy foods, food items containing high levels of vitamin C etc. What will be the food the doctor will ask you to avoid depends on your health and sensitivity of the baby. If the mother takes high quantity of garlic, cabbage, chili etc, the baby might suffer from gastric discomforts. There is still no researching supporting the fact that adding these food types to the mother’s diet will harm the baby; however, mothers of different generations will agree with the fact that while breastfeeding one should stay away from these foods. If you have foods that are strongly  [...]

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation all mothers should breastfeed their infants for the initial 6 months of their lives and neither any supplement or solid be offered during this time & continue to breastfeed all through the initial year of the infant’s life & past this time. It is quite improbable for exclusive breastfeeders to conceive. But, with increasing numbers of moms recognizing the benefits of continuing breastfeeding & innate weaning, many of them would be conceiving whilst they are breastfeeding their infant. A mom faced with deciding upon weaning or continuing breastfeeding while pregnant mostly has varied sentiments & might be receiving contradictory suggestions from buddies, kin & healthcare provider. The commonest worry is if breastfeeding  [...]

Since long health specialists have always favoured breastfeeding as the finest victual for infants replete with the requisite nutritional worth alongside staving any sicknesses, however the FDA has raised major concerns about a practice that has been gathering significant popularity. During a latest announcement, the Food and Drug Administration agency lately advised all parents to not have a casual approach towards getting feed for their infants from breast milk donations. This worry has surfaced as often breast milk donations are from moms who have not been screened thus augmenting the infant’s risk of developing some ailment or contaminations due to bacterial forms, medications or chemical presence in them. The FDA has written that it strongly advises against offering infants milk obtained  [...]

Your bundle of joy starts crying and it is feeding time as one senses milk dribble down. The problem is one at a jam-packed marketplace, shopping mall or restaurant. It is not obligatory to depart one’s location except if one feels greater content in being on their own in the breastfeeding relationship. Breastfeeding or nursing in public is officially permitted in the U.S., with most of the states have some kind of legal code imposing a female’s right to breastfeed her little one in public. Here are some great tips from veteran nursing mommas on how to breastfeed your baby in public. Buying Nursing Bibs One could opt for bibs or make one having mesh on the top for permitting easy breathing. The bib could be tied on to the mother’s neck which could help moms to nurse in public places while  [...]

Breastfeeding is a topic that all appear to be having their own opinions and pointers about. Although one could have picked a couple of tips from chums and relatives meaning to offer help and quite frequently, erroneous data gets circulated – at times even spanning quite a few generations. Several of these breastfeeding myths could dissuade a number of mothers from breastfeeding their little ones. Here are several prevalent breastfeeding myths for separating gristle from marrow and getting the real facts. Myth No.1- In case infants are feeding often then it is indicative of them not being able to get sufficient milk. Truth- As breast milk is easily assimilated; infants usually feel hungry in briefer time periods as compared to formula or bottle-fed infants. It is perfectly apposite for newborns  [...]

Unexpected situations of pregnancy can be confounding to mothers that are already breastfeeding. Unanticipated Pregnancies Occurring While You Are Breastfeeding In several cases where a woman is already breastfeeding an infant, an unplanned pregnancy can be shocking. In many of these types of situations, the mother may choose to terminate the pregnancy, simply because she is already overwhelmed taking care of one baby and certainly not ready to give birth to another. There are two different options for termination that are available for women that find themselves in this type of situation, and a great deal of consideration over which choice is best for their particular situation. The choices available are surgical abortions and medical abortions. In women who opt for a surgical abortion, they  [...]

Breastfeeding is beneficial for both the mother and the baby, though some extent of knowledge is necessary. New mothers must avoid feeling guilt pangs in case their breastfeeding experience is not perfect initially. Breastfeeding mentors and a number of pointers mentioned below could be helpful to all mothers in overcoming a number of prevalent breastfeeding glitches. The A-B-Cs of Breastfeeding A – Aware – Breastfeeding the baby at whatever time he/she appears to show hunger like makes noises when he/she sucks, moving paws close to the mouth, or baby turns in the direction of the breast. B- Being Patient – Patience is imperative as babies generally feed on both the breasts, taking about ten to twenty minutes on each one. C-Comfortable – Being as comfy as possible by propping the feet,  [...]

Frozen version of the breast milk supplies the baby with sixty percent greater immune fortification as compared to those obtained from formula feeding. Hence, if one could anticipate an imminent situation of not being able to pump on a daily basis, then one could commence freezing the milk three months prior to starting off at work. Frozen breast milk has been observed to have longevity of nearly fourteen days when preserved in the freezer compartment, where it would be exposed to recurrent bursts of tepid air. If one would store the milk in deep refrigeration for temperatures of zero degrees or lesser, the milk would last for nearly 6 months. Ten Pointers for pumping and storage Breast Milk There are ten prudent pointers that have been given by the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding  [...]