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Maintaining a healthy diet will play an important role in your child's growth and development. Therefore, after the first 6 months of breastfeeding, it is necessary to pay attention to the nutrients and fully supplement the baby when starting solid foods.
1. Breastfeeding and its benefits
Breast milk is the perfect source of nutrition for your baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and then continued breastfeeding until 12 months of age or beyond. This will provide your baby with the ideal amount of nutrition, while supporting her growth and development.
Although breast milk is the best source of nutrition for babies, babies still need extra vitamin D (starting at birth) and iron (starting at 4 months) from supplements.
Breastfeeding is good for both mother and baby. Breast milk is a good source of nutrition for the baby and is easily absorbed. As your baby grows, your breast milk will change to meet your baby's nutritional needs. Besides, breastfeeding can also help mothers and babies fight some diseases such as:
Benefits for the baby: Breastfed babies have a lower risk of diseases: asthma, obesity, type diabetes 1, severe lower respiratory illness, acute otitis media (ear infection), sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), gastrointestinal infection (diarrhea or vomiting), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) ) - characteristics in premature babies. Benefits for the mother: Breastfeeding mothers also have a lower risk of diseases such as: breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure.
Sữa mẹ giúp bé giảm nguy cơ béo phì
2. Nutrition practice for infants
Eat at what time and how much depends on the needs of each baby. Here are some things to know about how much and how often to breastfeed during the first days, weeks and months of life:
First day Your baby's tummy is very small at this point. At this point your baby doesn't need much milk with each feeding. Baby's feeding frequency is about 1-3 hours. Regular feeding also helps to increase milk supply as well as practice the habit of sucking and swallowing.
Breastfeeding exclusively for the first 6 months, so the first days should not give baby formula or formula milk. If you're concerned about meeting your baby's needs, talk to a professional for nutritional advice.
The first week and first month As your baby grows, his belly will also grow. At this time, the baby's need for food will increase. During the first few weeks or months, the time between feedings starts to get longer and on average every 2-4 hours your baby wants to eat. However, some babies may feed more frequently and the interval between meals may be shorter.
How often your baby eats may vary depending on the time of day. Some meals can be long or short and babies will often show their fullness with satisfaction and sleepiness after eating. At this point, your baby can breastfeed about 8-12 times/24 hours.
6 to 12 months When your baby is 6 months old at this time, she will continue to breastfeed on demand and she will begin to learn to eat complementary foods. In case, when the baby starts to get used to complementary foods, maybe the baby will drink less milk, then the mother should note that the baby should be breastfed before the complementary meals to help maintain the baby's need for breast milk. ensure. Because breast milk is an extremely important source of nutrition for babies even after they have started to eat complementary foods.
When the baby starts to eat solid food, let's practice for the baby to get used to foods gradually. Let your baby start eating from liquid to solid, and use a variety of foods to provide all the essential nutrients according to the recommended needs. In addition, mothers should perform coloring with food to create nutritious bowls of flour/porridge to stimulate children to eat better.
12 to 24 months At this stage the number of feeds per day will vary. Some babies only breastfeed before going to bed or in the morning, while others are breastfed, making up the majority of their daily diet. At this time, the baby has also grown and developed more, so in addition to maintaining breast-feeding for the baby to have enough quantity and quality of nutrients, the mother needs to pay attention to the complementary diet for the baby. Combining both breastfeeding and complementary feeding will provide enough nutrients for your baby to help him grow and develop well.
Bé nên tập ăn dặm khi đã 6-12 tháng tuổi
3. Some signs that the baby is full or hungry
Baby will signal hunger or fullness using sounds and movements. Crying is often a late sign of hunger. Understanding your baby's cues is important because it allows you to know how often your baby is eating. Here are some signs your baby shows when full and hungry (for babies up to 6 months):
Signs your baby wants to feed or is hungry are usually: Bringing hand to mouth, turning head towards mother or breast , grimacing, smacking lips or licking everything, clenching fists,... When the baby is full: The baby will stop eating by itself, turn away from the mother or the mother's nipple, the baby's hands begin to relax. For babies aged 6 to 24 months:
Baby is hungry if he: Places or points to food, opens his mouth when being fed, gets excited when he sees food, uses hand movements or makes sounds. Babies with a full stomach will push food away from them, do not open their mouths when being fed, and turn their heads away from food. Let your baby decide how much to eat according to his or her needs. Do not force or pressure your baby to eat. In case, worried about the baby eating less can see the doctor for advice and find the optimal solution.
For children to be healthy and develop well, it is necessary to have a nutritious diet in terms of quantity and quality balance. If children are not provided with adequate and balanced nutrients, it will lead to diseases of excess or lack of nutrients, which adversely affect the comprehensive development of children in terms of physical, mental and motor skills.
Children who do not eat properly are at risk of micro-mineral deficiency causing anorexia, growth retardation, malabsorption,... If they notice the above signs, parents should supplement their children with products. The supplement contains lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well.
Parents can learn more:
Signs of zinc deficiency in children
Micronutrient deficiency and failure to gain weight in children
Please regularly visit Vinmec.com website and update useful information to take care of your child. Take care of the baby and the whole family.
References: cdc.gov, who.int
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