Feeding babies for up to a year
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Milk of mother is the best food for the child, guaranteeing its harmonious development and growth. After all, it is in this milk that vitamins, useful substances are contained, and in the most that neither is naturally nor "live".
Breast milk fully ensures the correct and full nutrition of the baby during the first 6 months of life. This is the only type of food that you do not need to boil, mix or dilute, sterilize a bottle for it, or somehow handle it. It is enough only to observe elementary rules of hygiene and calmly give the baby a breast. As a result, the baby will be satisfied and satisfied, and Mom will have to spend a minimum of effort and time to feed him. And how important for the baby and for the mother is the moment of feeding, very intimate and touching, creating a strong bond between them!
The structure of breast milk includes essential amino acids - with their help, there is a proper development of the brain, vision, and they affect the growth of the child. The protein is perfectly digested; fats are easily and completely processed, help develop the nervous system and produce your own immunity. Carbohydrates are important - without them, minerals are poorly digested and normal functioning of the intestinal system is impossible; mineral substances, as well as vitamins and other components that form muscle tissue, bones and teeth, actively protect the child from stress, infection and other troubles.
A very important point, speaking in favor of breastfeeding: the baby sucks as much milk as he needs, and independently sets its own individual rate. With artificial feeding, he does not have such an opportunity. It turns out that he is being imposed a norm, which does not always correspond to his needs.
There are several rules for successful breastfeeding
During feeding, nothing and no one should distract you. There is nothing more important in the world at this moment than you and your child. Explain this to all household members, turn off the phone and for a while, abandon all problems.
During one feeding, only one breast is given. If it seems that the milk is not enough and the baby is malnourished, first make sure of this by conducting the control feeding under the supervision of the doctor, and then only perform the actions that will be necessary, again on the advice of the doctor.
The feeding time should not exceed 20 minutes. Otherwise, the child will get tired and just fall asleep, and later will fall asleep every time when the time comes to eat. Try not to let the baby sleep; if it does happen, carefully take the nipple out of the child's mouth and he will immediately wake up and start sucking again. To get enough, usually 10-15 minutes is enough. The remaining time the child does not eat so much, as satisfies his need for sucking. In any case, more than 20 minutes to keep it at the chest is not worth it, otherwise the nipple can be injured.
Advice to a young mother: We express!
The better the dissolution of the remaining milk, the more it will be for the next feeding and the better it will be in quality (and the baby will be much easier to eat). Massage movements with expressing perfectly knead the breast and prevent milk from stagnating, develop breast and ducts well, and prevent mastopathy.
Each time, at the end of feeding, raise the baby vertically so that he can regurgitate the swallowed air. You can put it on your chest tummy and hold it for a while or tilt a little to the right. If this simple procedure is neglected, air will linger in the ventricle and may cause distension, vomiting, or colic.
To establish a strict and rigid regime for the child, to feed and put him to bed by the hour or, conversely, to lead a natural life, to feed on demand, to carry the baby with him in his arms and even to sleep with him - every mother decides this problem by relating the child's needs and their capabilities.
It is impossible, and it is impossible to force to accept this or that method of education, as well as the method and the regime of feeding. If you think that compliance with the regime is the basis of education - endure the regime. If you prefer to feed your child when he wants to, it's your right. If every cry of a child is perceived as a signal to feed - first of all it is easy for yourself to provide a restless, sleepless and troublesome life. At the same time, one does not need to strive to strictly maintain the hours of feeding. Excessive adherence to principles is inappropriate here. Nothing terrible will happen if you feed your child a little earlier or a little later, next time everything will return to normal.
Our mothers followed the strict instructions of doctors and fed us the way they were prescribed by a doctor (at least that's what most people did). It was believed that a child can not know for himself how much milk to eat, how much time it takes for it and how often it should happen. Then came the turn of "free regime", and for him as many mothers, as well as many doctors. It was allowed to offer the baby a breast at first demand, that is, for every cry and crying. Although in fact, most often he needed attention, affection, communication or at least a change of diapers (diapers).
[Does the baby have enough milk?
What kind of mother does not care about this question! There are several indicators that give a positive response. First, weight gain. It is necessary to weigh it before and after feeding. If there is a home for children's weights, you can do it yourself, having previously received a recommendation from a doctor and then certainly notifying him about the results. Secondly, a good mood of the child after feeding, joyful and calm behavior. If you are still not sure that the baby is full, then before you independently introduce supplementation; always consult a pediatrician. Experiments with a small child are unacceptable, whatever goals you pursue. With a lack of milk to enhance lactation, try to strictly observe your own regimen, eat properly and fully, often go out in the fresh air and strictly follow the rules of feeding. Immediately before feeding, drink a cup of hot tea with milk (if there are no contraindications to milk), drink infusions of herbs that increase lactation. In the diet should necessarily be present fruits and vegetables in raw and cooked form, lean meat, dairy products, eggs, cereals.
There are cases when natural feeding is impossible. And then artificial dairy mixtures come to the rescue. First of all, consult a pediatrician - a pediatrician. He will help in a huge number of various mixtures, which are fully-available on sale, to find the product that your baby needs. If there is a choice where to buy a milk formula - in a store (specialized, pharmacy, special departments of baby food), in the market or in a stall, the choice can only be in favor of the store. No need to pursue cheapness, most likely the quality of the product will leave much to be desired, and saving on the health of the child is completely inappropriate. In extreme cases, if you have to use such a place of purchase, ask the seller for a certificate of quality. Now, any baby food is very strictly controlled and tested by different services more than once and quite regularly, which is confirmed by the relevant documents. If you review them and make sure that everything is in order, that's only then and buy. But at any place, check the expiration date, the integrity of the package, carefully read the recommendations. Instructions for use should be present on every box, jar, package, etc.
Breast milk fully ensures the correct and full development of the child during the first 6 months of life. But it grows, and with it the body's needs for a variety of useful substances (mineral salts, proteins, carbohydrates and fats) and vitamins, which alone can not afford the mother's milk.
In 6 months (not earlier!) Comes the time of introduction of complementary foods: juices, fruit and vegetable purees, cottage cheese, then different cereals, meat and bread. The consistency of food changes, becomes thicker and denser. This stimulates the work of the digestive system, gradually accustoms them to complex work.
As the child grows, the need for mineral substances (salts of iron, cobalt, copper, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, etc.) arises. Since minerals enter the body mainly with food of vegetable origin, the main products of complementary foods should be vegetables, fruits, cereals.