Nourishing tiny tummies with love from little bites to big growth
As a small creature baby depends on parents for their feed, feeding is one of the first ways babies learn trust safety and love. As they can’t feed themselves so its duty of parents or caregiver to know the feeding routine of baby.
Feeding is bonding
Babies associate nourishment with closeness, feeding time must be a moment of quiet and connection when you hold your baby make eye contact speak gently and respond gently.
Feeding supports brain and body development
At first year of growth baby’s brain is developing at a faster rate so proper nourishment is mandatory. Balanced nutrition is needed for following
- Cognitive development
- Immune system
- Healthy weight gain
- Emotional regulation
Milestone of early cognitive development
Cognitive development is how a baby learns to think, understand, remember and explore the world around them. From the very first day babies begin to absorb everything around them. In the first year baby will:
- Recognize familiar faces
- Track objects with their eyes
- Imitate sounds and facial expressions
- Begin to explore with hands and mouth
Role of nutrition in early cognitive development
Nourish the brain by feeding right, the food you give to your baby helps in shaping how they think, learn and grow. At birth baby’s brain is about 25% the size of adult brain at the age of 3 it reaches 80-90% of its adult volume.
To support the rapid development of brain it needs proper nourishment
- Energy: Babies do lot of activities like rolling crawl and sit for all these activities they need energy.
- Protein: Babies need proteins to grow muscles, in developing brain and grow body.
- Healthy fats: DHA & ARA supports brain structure and eye development
- Vitamins and minerals: These micronutrients support bone and muscle growth.
Doctor advice on feeding babies
Doctors’ advice that breast milk should be the primary source of nutrition for babies for the first six months after six months semi solid foods can be gradually introduced along with breastmilk. Some doctors only recommend breast milk from 0-6 months but in case when nursing mother is working or weak enough that she can’t produce milk than we can give formula milk also.
DOCTOR TIPS ON BREAST MILK: Even small amounts of breast milk offer protection. Never underestimate a few minutes of nursing.
Formula feeding when breast milk is not Possible
- Infant formula is a safe and nutritionally complete alternative.
- Always prepare formula with sterilized bottles and clean water.
- Follow instructions carefully to avoid under or over concentration.
Introduction of solid foods (around six month)
- Start with iron rich foods like mashed lentils, iron-fortified cereals.
- Introduce one new food at a time every 3-5 days to check allergies.
- Avoid salt, sugar, honey (before 1 year), and choking hazards
Feeding schedule by age
| Age | feeding frequency |
| 0 – 3 months | every 2-3 hours (8-12 times/day) |
| 3 – 6 months | every 3-4 hours |
| 6-12 months | 3 meals + 2 snacks + milk |
Hydration
- Babies under 6 months don’t need water if breastfed or formula fed adequately.
- After six, small sips months boiled and cooled water can be introduced.
final thought feeding is not only about food its love