Newborn Feeding Stages

By: Bonita French

There has been much talk over the years about the best nutrition for a newborn baby; breast milk or formula? It will work for both babies and meet their needs, but breast milk is the preferred choice.
The body begins to make colostrum before actually producing milk and this is important to your new baby's health due to the abundance of antibodies found in this wonderful mixture. Breast milk is also the perfect food for your baby because it is natural and breastfeeding allows a wonderful time of bonding. Infants who are nursed develop more effective immune systems and suffer from fewer allergic reactions than their bottle-fed counterparts.
The FDA ensures that bottle-fed infants get the nourishment they require to grow properly. Formulas come in liquid, powder, or ready to feed. Ready to feed formulas costs more then the powders. Baby formulas should be consumed within forty-eight hours of mixing them and also should be refrigerated at all times. When mixing a baby formula you want to make sure that you measure correctly. If the mixture does not contain enough water, the baby may suffer from indigestion. Too much water can result in the baby not getting enough food.
Many think that giving a child solid foods will help them sleep. Those who stand behind you will want you to begin on the diet immediately. Before a baby is ready, it is not a good idea to feed them solid foods. Introducing solid foods to your baby is quite a fun experience, but usually occurs with the advice of your pediatrician, and normally occurs around 6 months of age with the introduction of cereals. Babies get all their nutritional needs met by breastmilk or formula for the first months of their lives. Your pediatrician will tell you when the time is right to add solid foods.
The very first solid food you give to a baby is cereal. Rice cereal is considered the best one to start with, of the different cereals out there. This cereal is easily digested by almost all babies. When you make the cereal, use either milk or formula to thin it. You never want to introduce more than one new food at a time. Introducing one food at a time will make it easier to know what is causing an allergic reaction or upset stomach. Once baby shows himself capable of eating the rice cereal, you may introduce others, such as oatmeal, to his diet.
It is always good to try new foods with your baby every 3 to 5 days and make sure you watch how they tolerate it. Healthy, pureed baby foods like fruits and vegetables make the perfect start. Its best to eat the veggies first, then add the fruit. You can add a bit of the fruit to the cereal.
Always follow Guidelines given by your pediatrician
A baby can sit without support and chew soft foods at 6-8 months old. Babies like soft fruits and finger foods the most because they can grab bits of mashed banana for themselves.
At this stage, almost all babies love both arrowroot crackers and baby toast. You can start using the chunky style baby foods at this time also.
When a baby is 8-12 months old you can begin to move into some new foods like meats and then egg yolks. Egg whites should not be used by your baby until later. Additionally, yogurts and cottage cheese can supplement your diet, adding more variety.
You should always encourage your baby to take an active role in food time, as it's all about bonding, playing and a learning experience for both mom and baby. Help your baby learn to use their spoon by giving them soft, easily eaten finger foods. Never feed your baby something it can't chew or crush with it's gums. Raisins and grapes should be excluded from your diet at this point.

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