Tips for your baby’s diet - Pregnancy

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Tips for your baby’s diet

Your baby’s diet can be a bit tricky to manage at times, especially since you have to be so careful about what and how you feed him. So here are a few tips that should help you master your baby’s diet during his first year.

  • For your baby’s entire first year, breast milk and/or baby formula should be the cornerstone of your baby’s diet as they contain all of the nutrients he needs. This should also continue well into your baby’s second year.
  • NEVER feed your baby with cow’s milk during his first year. His digestive system is not yet capable of digesting cow’s milk.
  • Avoid all solid foods until your baby is at least 4 months old. Even then, you must first be sure that your baby has the motor skills he needs in order to be able eat from a spoon.

    baby waiting for her first meal

    Dinner time!

  • Before adding solid foods to your baby’s diet, make sure he can focus on a moving spoon and open his mouth as a response to the presence of the spoon as a stimulus. If your baby has trouble doing this, wait before adding solid foods to his diet. Remember, each baby develops at their own pace so don’t rush or force anything.
  • Do NOT feed your baby mashed or strained adult food. Always buy commercial baby foods as they have been approved as safe for your baby’s sensitive digestive system. You can also use a specialised cookbook if you prefer to prepare your own baby food, speak to your doctor for suggestions.
  • Be on the lookout for food allergies. This includes those that can be passed on via breastfeeding. The best way to do this is to give your baby small amounts of foods that are common allergens and see if he reacts badly to them. With breastfeeding, cut things out of your own diet one by one and see if that helps with any gastrointestinal problems your baby may be suffering with.

Don’t forget to checkout our diet timeline to help you out even more!

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