Infants And Healthy Feeding: Tips For Parents

The birth of a child is a great joy and responsibility for new parents. In the first month of a newborn, it is important to create optimal conditions for the growth and development of the child’s body. Taking care of a newborn baby during the first three months of life is about meeting the needs of food, rest, and walking. Parents need to learn how to properly perform procedures related to hygiene, and feeding so that the child grows up healthy and strong.

The birth of a child changes not only the life of the mother, but also that of the father. In the center of attention and all thoughts now becomes the baby. But the sleepless nights, baby crying, diapers, and parenting are offset by the happy smiles of the baby. Finally, in the future, all parental efforts will return a hundredfold.

Infant feeding in the first days of life

During the first months of life, the basic necessity for your baby is food. The best food for a baby is the mother’s breast milk. With milk, the baby gets the right nutrients in the right amounts for healthy growth, and proper development. Special protective antibodies, live bifidobacteria, transmitted with mother’s milk, help the child’s body to form its immune system, and promote proper digestion.

It is important to attach the baby to the mother’s breast within an hour after birth, and later when and how much the baby wants. Do not feed your baby from a bottle or in any other way, forming the need for breastfeeding only. If breastfeeding is not possible, you should consult a pediatrician. A specialist will help you choose baby formula for feeding. You may also visit https://sellformula.com/ for choosing the right formula milk for your little one.

A balanced diet is a key to long-lasting health

Rational nutrition – one of the main conditions for health and adults as well, its longevity, productive work. Nutrition must not only cover the energy expended by the child, but also provide the material necessary for the growth and development of all organs and body systems. It is studied that metabolic processes in children are much more intense than in adults.

After all, they move more and walk around, which also causes considerable energy expenditure. The food must be combined in the correct ratio of substances that make up the cells of the human body: protein, fat, carbohydrates, mineral salts, vitamins, and water.

Protein is a vital substance and is of particular importance in child nutrition. First, it is the basic plastic material for the construction of cells, tissues, and organs. They are also needed for the formation of enzymes, hormones, and hemoglobin in the blood, they form the compounds that provide immunity.

Proteins take part in the process of assimilation of fats, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. Especially important is their role in the absorption of vitamin C. Children’s food should take into account the quality of proteins.

In infant formula, protein from cow or goat milk is hydrolyzed to optimum levels. And in later life is the most valuable and useful for the growth of the child’s animal protein. Sufficient amounts of it are in meat, fish, milk, eggs, and others. The main sources of vegetable protein are bread and cereals.

Fats are a source of energy, they are necessary for the construction of cell membranes, they participate in metabolism, play the role of a reserve nutrient material, and provide the assimilation of many vitamins. Dairy fats (butter, cream, sour cream) are most easily absorbed by the body, pig, mutton, and beef fat is more difficult, so they are not recommended for use in the diet of preschool children. Excessive consumption of fat should be avoided because it can lead to obesity.

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy, and together with proteins and fats, they participate in metabolism. Most of the child’s diet consists of carbohydrates, the daily rate of carbohydrates is 4 times that of fat and protein.

Carbohydrates are contained in foods of vegetable origin – cereals, potatoes, vegetables, and fruit. Sugar, bread, honey, and candy are rich in carbohydrates. An excessive amount of carbohydrates is easily converted into fat and is often one of the causes of obesity, and an excess of sweets contributes to dental caries.

Minerals in baby formula are divided into macronutrients (calcium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine) and trace elements (fluorine, zinc, copper, iodine). Calcium and phosphorus salts play a special role in children’s nutrition as they form bone and dental tissues, form part of hormones, and play an active part in metabolic processes. Calcium is characterized by anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects.

And, of course, in the daily diet of a child must be vitamins. Vitamins play a role as catalysts in metabolic processes, they are necessary for the growth and development of cells and tissues. Vitamins are divided into 2 groups: fat-soluble (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble (C, B).

An interesting approach to feeding – your baby determines his portion

Do not forget: your child – has a unique individuality, he is not like the others, and therefore, you need an individual approach to his diet. Teach her to listen to the “voice” of his body, and trust it.

Let her decide for herself what to eat, when, how much, and what to give up. Let’s finally understand: everyone, including children, has a sense of hunger. Some people need a full three-course dinner to be full, while others may be satisfied with one tasty apple.

From birth, try to encourage your baby to have a positive attitude towards food. Gradually expand the range of dishes, and enrich its palate. Introducing a new dish, tell an interesting story, such as why potatoes used to be called the “ground apple”, and what it’s good for a person.

Remember: eating is not only a treat for the stomach, but also an aesthetic pleasure. This process can be accompanied by pleasant music. If you can not give all parents a single recipe as to how to feed a child correctly, perhaps it is possible to give an opinion that will be useful to all: be attentive to the child’s tastes, his preferences in food, and you will understand a lot about it!