Feeding Newborns & Babies

  Feeding newborns and feeding babies of 6 months old can be a challenging task especially for the first time mum. For newborns and 6 months old babies, natural and fresh is best, which is mother's breast milk. However, when that is not available, then FORMULA FEEDING with the proper amount of Vitamins and minerals should be adequate to meet the daily nutritional requirements.

  For breastfeeding, mother and baby must be comfortable and relaxed. Allow baby to dictate feeding patterns and don't go by the clock of so many minutes each side. By allowing baby to set the pace, mother and baby will settle into a good routine.

  Enough milk for baby is when there are six or more wet nappies a day and baby is happy and growing. If there is a need to weigh the baby it is best to wait the full 24 hours as baby will have different intakes of milk each feed (Fallows 1994).

When to give Solid Foods?

  The First Solid Foods should be given After baby is 6 months old. Before then, they should obtain all the nutrition they require from mother's milk or formula.

What should be baby's first food?

  Fruit is a good choice as it is natural and easy to prepare for caregivers. Babies like the soft texture and it is all natural with nature's goodness.

Some examples are:

• mashed ripe bananas
• stewed apples

  Rice Cereal is the next good choice of baby food as it is more easily digested than wheat products. A smooth creamy texture can be made easily with water.

  Giving BABY'S FIRST SOLID FOODS is quite exciting and will be addressed more in the next section as well as the issue of FUSSY EATERS and FORMULA FEEDING.