by Sue Gilbert, MS
Babies are growing machines. In one year they will triple their birth weight and increase their length by 50 percent. To do that they need to eat, and they need to eat a lot, and they need to eat often.
Besides growing physically, they are also developing socially, emotionally, and cognitively. Food plays a role in all these areas.
Your little baby starts out as a floppy, tiny being with no head control, and gets his nourishment from reflexive sucking and who,by age one, will have turned into a solid little person, crawling with speed and determination, eating selectively, probably from your plate, and deliberately using a precise pincer grasp to feed themselves food they bite, chew and swallow.
Starting out with breastmilk or formula in the early months, offered to baby when he requests, and served in a supportive, loving environment lays the foundation. Following this up with a progressive addition of solid foods that add increasing texture and consistency will give your baby the important nutrients he need to grow plus the developmental stimulation necessary for oral and motor development.
Nutrient Needs of Infants
Newborn to four months: At this age, the best and only food for your little one should be mother's milk, formula, or a combination of the two. Each baby should be allowed to determine for himself just how much and how often he needs to eat. Some babies will eat every two hours, day and night, others will go for longer stretches. At this age, it is best to feed your baby on demand. He is much too young to know how to manipulate. All he knows is that he's hungry. When you feed him, he feels secure and learns to trust you.
Average, normal daily intake of formula for babies this young can be anywhere from 16 to 32 ounces. You needn't worry much about what specific nutrients your baby needs when they are breastfed or fed formula.
Four months to six months: A solid start: Sometime during these two months most babies are introduced to solid foods. Although breastmilk and formula continue to supply all their nutritional needs, adding some semi-solid foods is developmentally appropriate by around six months of age. Baby can control his head better and sit up alone, he can now mimic what he sees and may even have the beginning of a palmer grasp, bringing objects to his or her mouth. In fact, by six months, it seems like everything goes into your baby's mouth! To your delight and amusement, your baby also has an improved ability to communicate. Being able to communicate is important for starting solids. Now he can show his hunger by opening his mouth and leaning toward the spoon, and he can show his disinterest by leaning back and pushing away. Without these skills you could unintentionally force feed your baby.
The food you offer your baby must be both nutritionally and developmentally appropriate. It should offer the nutrients he needs with the consistency and texture that will help his eating skills. For this reason, an iron-fortified rice cereal (least likely to cause an allergic reaction), whose consistency you can change, is a good choice for a first food. By around four to six months, birth stores of iron are becoming depleted, and an outside source becomes necessary. Establishing baby on an iron-fortified cereal will help secure their iron status throughout infancy and toddlerhood, when it is most critical. Rice cereal mixed with breastmilk or formula also provides a good balance of calories, protein, carbohydrates and fat.
As you progress in the addition of solids in your baby's diet, keep in consideration three things: 1)Nutrient needs; 2)Developmental readiness; and 3)The potential for allergies/sensitivities.
Soon after adding an iron-rich rice cereal, the next most important nutrients to add are vitamins C and A. Offer a vitamin C-enriched fruit puree like applesauce, and a dark green or deep orange vegetable, such as pureed carrots or squash.
Adding foods, one at a time, with three days or more in between will help you detect any specific food allergies or sensitivities.
Begin at this stage to shaping these foods into a meal pattern. Have cereal and fruit at breakfast with the rest of the family. Pull the high chair up to the dinner table for baby to eat his cereal and vegetables while you enjoy your dinner and his company.
Nutrient requirements, birth to six months
Protein -- 13 grams
Iron -- 6 milligrams
Calcium -- 400 milligrams
Vitamin A -- 375 RE
Vitamin C -- 30 milligrams
Six to nine months -- chunkier chews: If starting solids now, begin slowly, offering pureed foods first (see above). If he has been eating solids, he is ready for, and needs, thicker, chunkier foods. Soft mashed, but not strained, food should be offered to him. When you offer finger foods, the shape of the food is important. Teething biscuits, toast, bagels and crackers are easiest for him to hold. (Do not offer if your baby is sensitive to wheat). By the end of this stage his grasp will be more digital and he'll be able to better manipulate little things like Cheerios and green peas.
Once your baby seems to be getting more and more of his nutrition from solids and less from breastmilk or formula, it becomes important to replace the nutrients they are no longer receiving from those liquids. Food to introduce now should offer some protein and calcium.
Nine to twelve months: Table transition: Baby now has a very precise pincer grasp. He can imitate those around him, he enjoys chewing. He is ready to help feed himself. He eats more protein-rich foods, such as tender, moist cooked lean meats, and chopped egg yolk. By the end of the first year, he should be able to eat most adult foods, assuming they are served at a texture and consistency he can swallow. Just watch for foods that she is allergic to, that may be a choking hazard, like peanuts, popcorn, whole grapes, hot dogs and raw carrots, and foods that are too thick or sticky to swallow, like peanut butter or overly thick cooked cereal. Avoid greasy foods. A good guideline to follow is "plain and simple." A food closest to its natural state is best.
Some babies insist on feeding themselves, in which case you'll need to be clever in picking appropriate finger foods that offers the right variety of nutrients. Remember to choose from all the food groups.
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