ed

1. Infant Feeding

2. Food Options
1-6 months breast milk or formula
 Ability to swallow solid food is not fully developed
 Digestive system immature
 Solids given too early may cause allergy or intolerance
problems
 Too much sodium too early can increase chance for high
blood pressure as an adult
 Too many calories can cause overweight babies

3. Food Options
6-12 months solid foods
 Introduce one type of food at a time
 Wait 4-5 days to introduce another
 Watch for allergies

4. Breastfeeding Benefits for Baby
 Promotes bonding with mother
 Soothes infant
 Contains chemicals that soothe and
endorphins that suppress pain.
 Decreases incidence and/or severity of
 Diarrhea
 Lower respiratory infection
 Ear infections
 Bacterial meningitis
 Botulism
 Asthma
 Urinary tract infection
 Good for brain development
 Some studies show breastfed babies
have a higher IQ than bottle fed
babies
 Over-feeding or force feeding is
impossible
 Decreases risk of obesity later in life
 Easily digested
 Helps jaw and teeth develop properly
 Breastfed babies use 60 times more
energy to get milk
 Decreases risk of breast cancer of female
babies
 25% lower risk
 Aids in development of infant’s immune
system
 Colostrum is high in protein and antibody
content. Antibodies protect the infant
from disease and boost the immune
system.
 Less likely to cause allergic reactions

5. Breastfeeding Benefits for Mom
 Earlier return to pre-pregnant
weight
 Mother uses 1000 extra calories
per day (pound equals 3500)
 Releases hormone oxytocin that
stimulates contraction of uterus,
and help with “baby blues”
 Promotes less bleeding after
birth
 Promotes improved bone
structure after birth
 Convenient and free
 Reduce risk of ovarian cancer
and premenopausal breast
cancer
 Environmental friendly
 Infants produce less offensive
bowel movements to change

6. Foods to avoid
Choking hazards
 Berries
 Small candy
 Raw carrots
 Whole kernel corn
 Grapes and raisins
 Hot dogs sliced in rounds (rounds should be quartered
 Pretzels
 Nuts and peanut butter
 Whole kernel cooked corn and popcorn

7. Foods to Avoid
Too much sugar
 Cake, in excess
 Candy, in excess
 Cookies, in excess

8. Foods to Avoid
Too much sodium
 Saltine crackers, in excess
Little or no nutritional value
 Artificially flavored fruit drinks
 Soft drinks
Hard to digest
 Yeast or unpasteurized yogurt

9. Foods to Avoid
Stimulants
 Coffee
 Tea
 Soft drinks with caffeine
 Cocoa (hot chocolate)
Depressant
 alcohol

10. Baby Food
Jar
 Look for pull date
 Listen/look for safety button
 Put food portion in bowl
 Don’t feed from jar
 Bacteria growth

11. Baby Food continued….
Food should be room temperature
Refrigerate unused portion
 Use within 2 days

12. Weaning
Taking the infant off the bottle or breast
Must be gradual
At one year-cow’s milk
Drop one feeding for 3-4 days, then another
Start 9-12 months, finish by 18 months

13. Spoon Feeding
Extrusion reflex until 16-18 weeks
 Tongue thrusts forward when touched
 Won’t open mouth when sees spoon until 5 months old
 May reject food if not offered by 8-9 months
 Babies don’t need more nutrients than breast milk or
formula until they are 13-15 lbs.
 Don’t have enzymes or saliva needed for digestion of solid
foods

14. Self Feeding
Finger foods