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Showing posts from October, 2012

Starting Solid food for your baby

            My pediatrician advised me to breastfeed Neil till he was six months old. I didn't even feed him water till then. Initial breastmilk is watery and satisfies the babies thirst and later the breastmilk gets thicker and satisfies his hunger. So it is advised to let the baby drain out one breast before switching over to the other, else the baby might just get watery breastmilk and wont satiate his hunger. I introduced Neil to solid food when he was six months old, after his first Annaprashna ceremony, wherein he was fed some mashed rice sitting on his mama's lap.  Introducing your baby to solid food is an exciting experience both for the baby as well as parents.    You will know your baby is ready for solids when he or she can: Sit supported with good head and neck control Open his or her mouth when seeing a spoon Remove food from a spoon with lips and tongue Move food from front to back of tongue to swallow Use jaw control to munch up and down Use his or h

Foods to avoid for first one year of infant

Salt, There is no need to add salt to your baby's food in her first year. Babies need less than 1g of salt a day until they are 12 months old. Toddlers aged one to three years need less than 2g. Eating more than the recommended amount of salt can damage your baby's kidneys. Baby foods that come in a jar as they have loads of preservatives and why give baby stale food when you can easily make fresh and nutritious baby food at home for your baby Grains – it is best to wait 1-2 years to feed babies grains, as they do not have the enzymes to digest them Spinach, turnips, beets, carrots, collard greens, cabbage and broccoli ie is vegetables that are high in nitrates should not be given uncooked till 9 months. Foods which are too high in nitrates can affect your baby by causing what is known as "Blue Baby Disease". This occurs because babies cannot process high amounts of nitrates and as a result the oxygen level in their blood will diminish greatly. When