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Baby Feeding- What to Feed & How Much to Feed
In spite of the joys that motherhood offers, there are many aspects which can leave you baffled. Though it's said that there is no such thing as overfeeding a baby, there is indeed a thin line between underfeeding and overfeeding your child.
The good news is that we have it all covered here. From newborn baby feeding to feeding tips to knowing where to draw the line if you are indeed overfeeding or underfeeding your little princess or prince, read on to find out how to do it right.
Baby Feeding for the First Year
Among the many tasks that you will have to take on as a mother, the growth of your child into a strong and happy baby is probably the foremost on your agenda. Food that makes your baby healthier, stronger and happier is something to fuss about and let nobody tell you otherwise.
Nevertheless, quantity, what to feed as well as when to feed should be treated with utmost important too. This is why we have charted out a wise course of action for infant feeding which you can follow till your baby turns one.
Age- 0 to 4 Months-Old Baby
For babies up to 4 months of age, there are two; breastfeeding as well as formula feeding. While the jury is out on which one is a better alternative, let's cover the timings of each along with how much is required for growth.
What to Feed: Either breastmilk or formula.
How Much to Feed: For breastfed infants; 8 to 10 helpings or a on demand module of feeding. For formula fed kids, 6 to 8 helpings per day.
Feeding Tips: Mothers who choose breastfeeding are advised to make wise lifestyle choices seeing that whatever you eat or drink will pass on to your baby through the milk. Make sure that your kids are fed every 2-3 hours.
Formula fed kids are advised to be fed every 3-4 hours.
Mothers who choose breastfeeding should be prepared for on-demand feeding approach, especially during the first couple of months. Though it's no hard and fast rule, it is seen that babies who are breastfed need at least 8 to 10 helpings everyday to sate their appetite. Also, remember to feed your precious every couple of hours in order to keep them from deprivation of nutrition. Don't push the feeding to more than three hours in a day.
For mothers who have decided to go by formula, a word of caution would be that you are more at risk to overfeed your baby than mothers choosing baby milk feeding. Because formula feeding is slightly difficult to digest than breastmilk, make sure that you don't go beyond feeding your baby 6 to 8 times per day. Also, try and restrict mealtimes to every 3 to 4 hours each day.
However, as your baby grows older, he sleeps longer. In fact, by the time the third or fourth month arrives, it's seen that mealtimes will automatically come down, as breastfed infants will need only 6 to 8 servings of breastmilk. While formula fed infants will require only 5 to 6 servings a day, typically spread over 4 to 5 hours.
Age- 4 to 6 Months-Old Baby
This period of your baby's existence can prove to be a bit different. In fact, for many it could prove to be tricky as mothers would need to make a safe call on whether to introduce solid foods into the infant's diet or not.
What to Feed: Breastmilk and gradual transition to simple solid foods.
How Much to Feed: Significant decrease in breastmilk or formula, maybe 4-5 times a day.
Feeding Tips: Introduction of solid foods will be quite the transition, especially if your kid is fussy with food. Start with cereal and move on to strained fruits and vegetables.
For mothers who want to stick to breastfeeding, it's advisable not to feed your baby more than 6 times a day. As mentioned earlier, breastfeeding is more of an on demand meal so the number of servings for each infant will vary. As far as formula fed babies are concerned, it's advised not to serve food more than 5 times a day.
If you are foraying into solid foods for your baby, look for signs that your baby is indeed ready for the same. For starters, your sweetie should start taking interest in food as well as show some proper weight gain in order for them to start on solid foods. Other signs include sitting in a highchair and holding the heads up high.
As far as solid food choices are concerned, begin with grains. Oatmeal and iron fortified rice cereal are excellent choices to start with. Mixing in a spoon of dry cereal with your usual formula or breastmilk to feed your baby is a good way to go about it. Don't try mixing more than 5 to 6 teaspoons of either formula or breastmilk as it will be vert runny initially. Overtime, thicken the consistency by mixing less of the milk or the formula and more of the cereal to see how your baby reacts to it.
As the weeks progress, introduce one new kind of food everyday to your baby. After cereal, try and introduce vegetables and fruits, preferably strained to see how your baby responds to it. Be cautious to not push too far and look out if your baby seems to be allergic to something.
Age - 6 to 8 Months Old Baby
If your baby has responded well to solid foods then ensure that your baby continues to get the taste of a variety of solid foods, either pureed or soft cooked and typically bland. Pureed vegetables and fruits can steadily be given in order to keep up with the baby's growing bodily needs. Team that up with more cereal servings per day, say up to 3 times a day for better effect.
What to Feed: Moving on from simple cereals and strained fruits and vegetables, to pureed and soft cooked foods.
How Much to Feed: Striking a balance between feeding breastmilk/ formula and solid foods.
Feeding Tips: Try one solid food at a time.
Nevertheless, mothers should also try and keep breastmilk or formula in the diet, though in lesser amounts. For babies being breastfed, it's advisable to restrict feedings to not more than 5 or 6 feedings a day. Since the intake of solid foods goes up, the number of feedings will go down. For formula fed babies, a couple of feedings per day would be sufficient for the same reasons cited above.
Age- 8 to 10 Months-Old Baby
By the 8th month of infant feeding. your baby's diet should include foods that have more combinations and textures. Juice for one thing can now be safely given to babies, restricting the amount to not more than a small cup. Fresh juices made out of pears, white grape or apples are excellent choices for both the nutritional values and taste factors.
What to Feed: Simple solid foods and foods with combination and textures such as juices.
How Much to Feed: For formula fed kids, one serving. For breastmilk fed infants, 2-3 servings.
Feeding Tips: If your baby is still dependent on breastmilk/ formula, you might want to be a little pushy with solid foods, as your child should already be teething.
Since the intake of solid foods will only keep increasing, mothers who have breastfed or chosen formula so far can safely decrease the amount of servings they offer their infants. Formula fed kids need only one serving per day, while breastmilk can be decreased up to 2 or 3 servings per day.
Age- 10 to 12 Months-Old Baby
And finally, the last crucial months before your kids turn the big 1! As your kids increasingly transition to solid foods, proud mothers can happily look for signs that ensure that your baby is growing older.
For one, your baby will suddenly feel the need to put whatever they find in their grasp into their mouths. As dangerous as it sounds, it sure is a positive sign that your baby is craving for varied foods now. Your baby will also make cute little chewing gestures, try and pick up whatever they find around them and turn objects around their hands. All such signs and more are reminders that your baby is growing up.
What to Feed: Besides what has been covered above, let's take a look at what you can feed your infants in the last couple of months till 12 months. One of the best things to offer them would be finger foods. Pieces of soft fruits such as bananas are usually very popular with kids of that age. Since your baby will also be teething, make sure that foods such as meat and proteins are pureed or mixed in a way that's easily chewble. Refrain from giving egg whites right away. Stick to yolks of eggs and cooked pasta and funny shaped cereals that are low in sugar. Continue giving enough portions, which are cut up in small pieces that are easy to chew and digest.
How Much to Feed Per Day: As covered earlier, the process of feeding your baby depends upon what period of growth we are looking at. For one, infants between ages 9 to 12 will still need to be breast fed or formula fed, but the servings must go down quite a bit. As babies will continue to rely on more solid foods, it will be seen that very soon mashed beans and milks products such as cheese and yoghurt will be preferred. For age groups before that, the comprehensive breakdown above can be easily followed to make sure that your kids are neither going hungry, nor overfed.
Feeding Tips: The most important thing to remember is that, your baby while growing up will always need food. However, the question will always remain how much and how many times a day. In so many ways, meal times for a kid are easier when they stick to breastmilk or formula.
The real task arrives when babies transition to solid foods. Beside allergies to certain food groups, small mistakes on your part such as undercooked protein or vegetables or complex foods can give rise to choking or indigestion. Also remember that your baby will not respond to every new food well. Make sure to try after a gap of a few days to see how it goes.
Things to Watch Out for to Ensure that you are not Underfeeding or Overfeeding your Baby
While it's commonly believed that there is no overfeeding a baby, chances are that you can just as easily underfeed or overfeed your baby. Read the following to know more.
1. Signs That Your Baby Wants to Eat More
Your baby will definitely cry and remain cranky. Signs such as restlessness, keeping the mouth open, sucking on things such as fingers and fists are all signs that your baby wants to eat more.
2. Signs That Your Baby May Have Enough Food
As a natural instinct, your baby will close it's mouth, turn away it's heads and plain reject your tries to feed then when they have had enough to eat.
Remember to follow your instinct when it comes to feeding your child, not to mention follow a routine to ensure that your child never goes hungry.
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Finger Food Recipes for Baby
5 Healthy Vegetable Purees for Baby
Best Fruit Purees for Babies Read more
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Guardian of 0 children
12 hours ago
Q. Can I check baby heartbeat in 9th week of pregancy?
Rashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 8 m old girl
11 hours ago
A. See that can only be monitored with a proper ultrasound or a machine which can check the heartbeat of the child otherwise there is no third way to figure it out further if you need to know more you can get a sonography done with your gynaecologist to have better clarity
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Chest Infection in Children - Reasons & Treatment
Infections are common in children, and you are sure to come across them as parents. Your child will definitely get some sort of infection at some point.
Chest infections are common in children and can be easily observed as it has many symptoms. They usually develop from a common cold or flu and can become serious if left untreated. In some cases, they can even developed into life-threatening diseases. So in this article, let us take a look at what chest infections are and how they can be diagnosed and treated.
Video: Chest Infection in Children - Causes, Symptoms & Remedies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMr2gTKGRew
What is Chest Infection?
Chest infections can be classified into two types; bronchitis and pneumonia. Both are common in children, as the immune system is still developing and they are more susceptible to infections at a young age. The chest infection usually starts out as a fever or a cold, but quickly develops if it is not kept under control. The difference between the two types is that the former is caused due to a virus, but bacteria are the cause of the latter. Pneumonia affects the sacs of air in the lungs, while bronchitis results in the inflammation of the mucous membrane present in the body. Both of these can lead to bouts of spasms, restricted breathing and cough in babies.
Causes of Chest Infection in Children
Chest infection can occur as a result of many factors, which may even work in tandem in some cases. These factors are:
Changes in the weather. If the temperature around the child fluctuates extremely, it can result in the baby contracting chest infections. Heat waves and cool winters can both cause chest infections, which is why they are more common during the monsoon season in India.
The strength of immunity. As the baby grows up, his immune system is still only developing- it is nowhere near its full strength. Therefore, it is easy for bacteria and viruses to infect the child and cause chest infections.
Bronchitis may be contracted if the child is exposed to smoke, particularly cigarette smoke, often. Pollution levels of the air around him have a telling effect on his health and can result in chest infections which stay for longer than usual.
In some cases, you might observe that your child gets infected around the same time every year. This usually means that he is allergic to something that is seasonal, like pollen of flowers. Therefore, the baby might contract chest infections due to his allergies.
Common cold. This occurs in the majority of children- a common cold develops into chest infections after some time. This happens because the cold leaves the body more vulnerable to attacks, as the immune system is weakened. Asthma also gets worse if the child contracts the cold.
Symptoms of Chest Infection in Kids
There are a few symptoms of chest infections in kids, and they are quite obvious if the child is affected by it. These symptoms are:
Cough and fever which stays for a long time
Difficulty in breathing, accompanied by wheezing
Sleep interruptions
The rise in heartbeat rates
General loss of appetite, which may be accompanied by vomiting and nausea
Chest pain, which may also affect the abdomen
Side-Effects or Complications of Chest Infection
While chest infections themselves are nothing serious, parents will find themselves worrying about the health of their child and whether the condition will develop into something more serious. Bronchitis itself is not a serious condition- however, asthma and wheezing are. Pneumonia affects the child in some rare cases and will require medical attention. If your baby already has lung or heart conditions, it might be more difficult for him to get through bronchitis quickly.
How can Chest Infection be Treated?
The treatment for chest infection in children is fairly simple, and your child will most likely require within a short period of care. However, you should be wary so as to not let it fester into something more serious. You can follow home remedies and treatments and wait for your child to recover within a couple of weeks at most. The methods of treating chest infections are given below.
Give your child a lot of dairy products, like milk and butter so that his body gets the required strength to fight off the infection. It is also sure to help reduce the temperature of the body.
Medicines like paracetamol or ibuprofen in small doses can help reduce the fever and reduce the congestion in the chest. This can improve his breathing, too- although, make sure not to increase the dosage.
Using saline nasal drops, you can clear the stuffy nose and improve his breathing quickly. Also, always eat in an upright position so as to clear the nose.
Steam inhalation is another great way to reduce the stuffiness of the nose, and you can apply a bit of vapour rub on the inhaler for best results.
How to Prevent Chest Infection in a Child?
Recurrent chest infection in children is a serious problem, so you must do all you can to prevent chest infection in toddlers. Some tips to prevent it are given below.
You should maintain hygiene in and around the house so that the child does not come in contact with harmful bacteria as much as possible. Also, try to keep your child away from polluted air as much as possible.
Discard of the napkins and tissues which you used while the child was infected, so as to prevent recurrence.
Vaccination against flu can help reduce any secondary infections.
Keep your child away from anything that may cause the infection- this includes cigarette smoke and infected family members if any.
When to Consult a Doctor?
If the symptoms of the condition do not improve even after prolonged care, it would be best to consult the doctor. If he has difficulty in breathing, feels disoriented or coughs up blood-stained phlegm, it is a sign that he needs the care of a medical professional.
Chest infections are commonly treated right from home, as they usually subside after a couple of weeks. However, you have to consult the doctor if the symptoms do not go away even after prolonged care.
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Here are few tips for happy parenting which results in happy baby
Hiii to all mommies its my very first story and it's all about my parenting journey till now. My girl is 7 months old and these 7 months flew away like anything. Initially it was not easy at all I was unable to understand. Slowly started observing her. Then things were little better. I used to feed for all the crying then I used to check nappy, sleep. So this differentiation was done. Once in the night she cried very badly she hardly hardly slept in the nights first two months. Then started learning many things. Speak to mother's ask them how do they handle this. So my friend suggested to use night lamp alone in the nights asked to show the differentiation between day and night. It's not really easy to use night lamp alone initially, so was slowly slowly reducing. Later I found improvement in night sleep. So from the third month night sleep was better. But overall sleep was less. Then when she was 5, 5 and half months old I learnt about wake up window started following it strictly. Then her overall sleep was improved. But there were many mess up with her routine. Either of her nap would be disturbed. She doesn't sleep what the chart says and her weight is also not according to the chart. I have not worried for all these because she is active and happy baby. My pediatrician said we can catch up the weight. I have not forced her for anything till now for sleeping and eating. Started solids now I want her to see all the food and enjoy it. So mommy understand about your baby and go accordingly. Just go in a flow. Take help from your partner or family members when you are not able to. I take a quick nap when she miss her night sleep or when he rock the baby. Keep your mental health happily. Eat your favourite foods. Do all your favourite things whichever is possible. Not all the things possible like earlier. Stay happy and positive. Keep smiling take care of yourself and your little one. Happy parenting and happy motherhood. This definitely results to happy baby Read more
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Daughter-in-Law OR Alien? Indore Mom Shares 5 Things Many Indian Bahus Face Every Day
When we get married and enter a new family, we have mixed feelings. Emotions of love, new beginnings, togetherness. Emotions of apprehension and anxiety. But we do our best to settle into the new household and form a good bond with our new family members. But what really happens? Do we really become a part of the family? Kirti, a mom from Indore, has shared with us a brutally honest picture of an average day for an Indian daughter-in-law. It will hit you in the gut...
"Saas-bahu" fights may strike us as TV-serial-ish or an exaggeration. However, for many of us, it continues to be the reality. No matter how hard we try, some of us daughters-in-law are still treated as different and expected to meet unrealistic commitments. Even those of us who live separately or share cordial relations with our in-laws have come across friends and relatives struggling with "in-laws trouble". This interferes with our mental peace, our marital life and even in the way we bring up our children.
Kirti Sharma, a mom from Indore, shared with us her feelings about how daughters-in-law are treated in India. Sometimes it seems as if we think bahus are from a different species altogether - or aliens! Her story is hard-hitting but true! When a girl enters her new family, she is not aware of the fact that she has enrolled for an exam which is never ending. I wonder, when it comes to bahus, why does everyone start judging her? Being a daughter-in-law, you seem to become a different species!
1. The Bahu Must Be a Perfect Cook
Everyone - even the neighbours - are interested to see if you can do cooking and other household stuff. Be prepared for a difficult exam. If you are working, it's your fault. It does not matter how educated you are and how much you are earning. You have to be presentable all the times with a smile on your face. You should know not only cooking but all cuisines. You should know everything that exists in the world.
2. Don't Compare Yourself With Your Sister-in-Law
Even if your sister in law is almost of your age and she doesn't know household chores, it is okay for her. But not acceptable from you because you are a rare species! Similarly, if your married sister-in-law comes to visit her home, it is so nice because she misses her family. But at the same time, if this rare species (you) has thought about visiting her home, she needs reason and permission.
3. Bahus Must Never Argue or Answer Back
Every family member or relative can make fun of you or your choices. But you are not supposed to answer back. If you do, you are not a good bahu and you should get ready for worst results.
4. Going Out To Work Is a 'Party' For Bahus
If you are leaving for office, it must be realised by you that there are lots of stuff to be managed at home. It is just like you are getting ready and going out for a party. At the end of the day, everybody can be tired but you cannot. You should still have that smile on your face. No one will ask you about your day. And if you are at home by chance, you have to answer what you did for the full day. You may get a phone call from your married sister In-law to know why you were at home and what you did.
5. Bahus Must Consult The MIL For Everything
Finally, you have to consult your mother in law for every tiny thing. But she can fully ignore you in important family decisions. The daughter-in-law also wishes to be accepted as a family member and she also has the right to get desired love and respect. But this judgement for bahus keeps on moving like a clock.I believe these are some of the important reasons we have so many nuclear families, although no one can deny the benefits to be part of a joint family. I request everyone to please stop judging your bahu because she too is a normal human being. She is not from a different planet!
Kirti's story throws light on the problems many Indian daughters-in-law struggle with on a daily basis. They do their best to keep the family members happy but somehow, it is never enough. These problems are not restricted to those of us who live in joint families. Many of us have experienced excessive interference from our in-laws even when they live separately or in a different city. While it is good to be a close-knit family and be there for each other through thick and thin, this involvement should NEVER border on interference, judgement or plain criticism of everything the daughter-in-law does.
Amidst all this, some of us are really lucky to have loving in-laws who treat us as part of their family. When you share a strong bond with your in-laws, everything becomes simpler: settling into a new family, household chores, looking after the child, and ensuring that the kids grow up with love and affection from the grandparents.It is high time that people stop judging daughters-in-law and expecting them to be perfect or fulfil impossible commitments - just like, as Kirti said, members of a 'different species'! Sorry, we too are just ordinary human beings. Read more
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Cold Strawberry Gazpacho
Gazpacho is simply a soup made from raw vegetables and/or fruits and served cold; generally during summers. Strawberries are a wonderful choice for desserts. However, there's no need to limit their use. They can make good appetizers too! When in season, you can make this refreshing version of the classic Spanish chilled vegetable soup from the sweet, ruby-hued strawberries.
Serves
Preparation Time
Cooking Time
4 People
30 Minutes
00 Minutes
Ingredients
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
1/2 cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 medium red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
500 gms ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
1/2 tsp (teaspoon) minced garlic
1/2 tsp chopped thyme
3 tbsps (tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth
6 strawberries, sliced
Method
Step 1
Place all the vegetables - tomato, cucumber, and bell pepper in a food processor.
Step 2
Grind until finely chopped and transfer to a bowl.
Step 3
Pulse the halved strawberries in the processor until finely chopped.
Step 4
Add these chopped strawberries to the cucumber mixture and stir to combine.
Step 5
Separate 1 cup strawberry mixture and keep it aside for later use.
Step 6
Put rest of the mixture, garlic, and thyme to the food processor and puree it.
Step 7
Return mixture to the bowl; stir in olive oil, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and the reserved 1 cup strawberry mixture.
Step 8
Cover and chill 4 to 8 hours.
Step 9
Stir in broth.
Step 10
Garnish with sliced strawberries.
Nutritional Information
Serving Size 357.5 g
Calories
149
Calories from Fat
70
Total Fat
7.8 g 12%
Saturated Fat
1.0 g 5%
Trans Fat
0.0 g
Sodium
22 mg 1%
Potassium
699 mg 20%
Total Carbohydrates
21.2 g 7%
Dietary Fiber
4.8 g 19%
Sugars
11.3 g
Protein
3.1 g
Vitamin A
35%
Vitamin C
149%
Calcium
2%
Iron
9%
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet
Nutritional details are an estimate and should only be used as a guide for approximation.
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Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Father of a 6 yr 4 m old child
15 hours ago
Q. my son is now 7 yrs and and last 3 three days ,he is complaining that he had bad and negative thoughts and this is too hilarious that.
we r too worried ,pls suggest 🙏
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
15 hours ago
A. it is quite natural small babies will be having different moods different types of behaviour please continue to interact the baby engage activities like drawing painting even clay sculpture o k
Rashmi has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
12 hours ago
Q. Hi this is pooja I am 6 weeks 3 days pregnant n m 31 yrs old my doctor prescribed me this interjection called choriotec 5000 once a week for a month .. I have already took two times but now my lil scared so can u pls tell me anyone here is it safe to take more ??? It’s not harmful nah ??? Pls ans dr
Read moreRashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 8 m old girl
12 hours ago
A. Your doctor must have given it to you for a particular reason so I’m just going to advise you to follow what she says yet if you have a doubt or you’re scared about anything then why don’t you just prospect with your Dr as to what what purpose are you taking this and what is meant to be done in case you do not take the injection or you do not want to take
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
10 hours ago
Q. Mam last perioda mujhe 10 april ko aye the aur aj mene pregnancy test kiya hai to 1 line light ayi h to mujhe kya krna chahiye
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
9 hours ago
A. beta HCG test kare ok. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 7 months
8 hours ago
Q. can I eat egg daily?
now I am in 1st trimester
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
8 hours ago
A. yes you can eat egg daily even in first trimester. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Dr Vandan H Kumar has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
6 hours ago
Q. #asktheexperts
Which are the safe sites to hire japas in New Delhi (EDD July)
Dr Vandan H Kumar
Paediatrician
6 hours ago
A. you can always ask questions related to the health of child and mother in this section and it can bez either related to diet or food or vaccination or any type of medicine goingz on and given by your doctor.
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