The second you hear your first-born’s cry for the first time, all the pain you endured during labour magically disappears, and your heart is filled with immense joy at the sight of your baby after carrying the little one in your belly for 9 months. Now that the baby’s finally here, reality sinks in … and fear creeps in. What do I do now? How am I going to feed this bundle of perfection? Where do I begin?
Calm down and start enjoying your baby with a few simple tips and go with your maternal instincts. You will generally know what to do but the following guidelines will certainly help you through moments of uncertainty.
For a first-time mother, even holding the baby to the breast can be a struggle. How do I sit? How do I hold my baby? Is my baby comfortable? Am I doing something wrong?
Sit comfortably and relax. Get someone to hand you the baby. Hold the baby in the crook of your arm. Use your dominant arm. If you are left-handed, then hold the baby in your left hand.
Birth to 4 Months
Remember, babies are born with natural instincts. They can smell and hear their mothers from being in the womb for at least 9 months. As you bring the baby to your breast, gently stroke the corner of the baby’s mouth. This makes them turn their head and open their mouth to follow and root in the direction of the stroking. This is called the rooting reflex which lasts about 4 months. This guides the baby to find the breast to start latching and feeding.
What to feed
Babies who are breastfed exclusively for the first 4 months and partially after that have a reduced risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.
If for some reason, the mother is unable to produce milk, the baby can be fed formula until they are ready to take other forms of nutrition.
How much to feed?
Most newborns sleep through their first day. After that, they nurse every two to three hours up to eight to 12 times a day.
How much breast milk a baby needs differs from baby to baby and from month to month. A new born takes less than an ounce of breast milk per feeding and by the time they are a month old they can drink about 3 to 4 ounces per feed. They can feed up to eight times a day. This is about 24 to 28 ounces daily.
How to know if the baby is getting enough milk?
Trust your child. If the baby cries for more feeds, then give them extra. If your baby stops sucking or falls asleep at the breast, it is a sign that they are full.
Some newborns finish in five minutes while others may take up to 20 minutes or more on one or both breasts while older babies may take five to 10 minutes on each breast.
But, check your baby constantly. Is there weight loss? Is the urine dark coloured? Are there fewer than six wet diapers daily?
This would indicate that your baby isn’t getting enough breast milk or formula. You should start increasing either the amount of milk per feed or increase the number of feeds per day.
But, don’t worry. Often, there is a growth spurt around 2 to 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 3 months where you may need to feed your baby more often. This is called cluster feeding and it tells your body to produce more milk for your growing baby.
Feeding tip
Till about six months it is advisable to stick to breast milk or formula. Your baby’s digestive tract is still developing, so it is safer to stick to liquids and stay away from any form of solid food.
4 to 6 months
Most babies are ready to start on solid food between the ages of 4 and 6 months as a complement to breast feeding or formula feeding. But how would you know if your child is ready? You don’t want to rush into this phase. Watch out for some simple signs of readiness.
- There is a significant weight gain (generally double the birth weight). On average, Asian babies weigh about 3.26 kilograms (7.2 lb)
- Can stay in a sitting position
- Can hold their head steady
- Can coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at the food, pick it up and put it in their mouths
- Swallow food rather than spit it back
- Can close their mouth around a spoon
- Can move food from the front to the back of their mouth
What to feed
- Breast milk or formula
- Pureed vegetables (peas, spinach)
- Pureed fruits (apple, banana, papaya)
- Pureed meat (chicken, pork, beef)
- Semi-liquid, iron-fortified cereal made with oats or barley
- Small amounts of unsweetened yogurt (no cow’s milk until age 1)
How much per day
- Breastfeeding or formula: 4 to 6 feedings (breastfeeding, or 4- to 6-ounce bottles)
- When starting solids, begin with a very small amount of a single-ingredient pureed food (about 1 to 2 teaspoons).
- Gradually increase to 1 to 2 tablespoons. If you’re giving cereal, mix it with breast milk or formula so the consistency isn’t too thick.
Vegetarian diet
- Pureed home-made tofu
- Pureed paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
If the baby does not want to eat certain types of food, don’t force them. Picky eaters need more time, so you can mix and match foods and see which one the baby likes. A small scoop of yogurt to the pureed tofu changes the taste and the baby might take to it. There are no hard and fast rules here. Just try out various foods and make your choices.
Source: www.nhs.uk
6 to 8 months
Signs of readiness for solid food
- Same as 4 to 6 months
What to feed
- Breast milk or formula, plus
- Pureed or strained fruits (banana, pear, apple, avocado)
- Pureed or strained vegetables (well-cooked carrots, spinach, sweet potato)
- Pureed or mashed meat (chicken, fish)
- Pureed or mashed tofu
- Small amounts of pureed or soft pasteurized cheese, cottage cheese, or unsweetened yogurt (no cow’s milk until age 1)
- Pureed or mashed legumes (black beans, chickpeas, edamame, fava beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, kidney beans)
- Iron-fortified cereal (oats, barley); small pieces of bread and crackers
How much per day
- Breastfeeding or formula: 3 to 5 feedings (breastfeeding, or 6- to 8-ounce bottles)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fruit, gradually increasing to 4 to 8 tablespoons
- 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetables, gradually increasing to 4 to 8 tablespoons
- 1 to 2 tablespoons grain products, gradually increasing to 2 to 4 tablespoons
- 1 to 2 tablespoons protein-rich foods, gradually increasing to 2 to 4 tablespoons
Feeding tips
- You can start adding a variety of foods as your baby gets comfortable with eating. You can increase the frequency of meals. By 8 months, it is normal for your baby to be eating one to two meals a day.
- Start with a teaspoon or two whenever you introduce a new food. Give your baby time to get used to the new flavours and textures.
Again, if they show signs of dislike, don’t force feed your baby. Try mixing and matching flavours.
8 to 12 months
Signs of readiness for solid and soft finger foods
- Same as 6 to 8 months
- Picks up objects with thumb and forefinger. This is the pincer grasp.
- Can transfer items from one hand to the other
- Moves jaw in a chewing motion
- Swallows food more easily
- No longer pushes food out of mouth with tongue
- Tries to use a spoon
What to feed
- Breast milk or formula, plus
- Soft pasteurized cheese, cottage cheese, and unsweetened yogurt
- Bite-size, soft-cooked vegetables (carrot, spinach, potato, sweet potato)
- Fruit mashed or cut into soft cubes or strips (bananas, peaches, pears, avocados, papaya)
- Finger foods (O-shaped cereal, small bits of scrambled eggs, well-cooked pieces of potato, well-cooked spiral pasta, teething crackers, well-cooked rice)
- Protein-rich foods (small bits of meat, poultry, boneless fish, tofu, and well-cooked beans, like lentils, split peas, chick peas, or black beans)
- Iron-fortified cereal and other grains (barley, wheat, oats, mixed cereals)
How much per day
- Breastfeeding or formula: 3 to 4 feedings (breastfeeding, or 7- to 8-ounce bottles)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup fruit
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup vegetables
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup grain products
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup protein-rich foods
Feeding tips
- By 8 months or so, babies often have three meals, and you may start adding snacks.
- Continue to offer a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein-rich foods. As your baby’s eating skills improve, gradually introduce more textures and soft finger foods.
- It is fine to serve your baby what the rest of the family is eating – just watch out for added sugars, which are not recommended for children under 2. Check the Nutrition Facts label on packaged foods and try to steer clear of foods that list 1 gram or more of ‘Added Sugars.’
1 year and above
By 1 year, most babies are ready to eat family foods. But, ensure that the complementary foods that you give your baby contain the required nutrients like protein, fats, calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C. You can refer to the Malaysian Food Guide Pyramid.
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk and dairy products should be given in the correct portions throughout the week so your baby gets the required nutrients. These foods are the main sources of iron and zinc.
Continue with milk and milk products which are rich sources of calcium and provide other essential nutrients.
At 12 months, your baby can sit with the rest of the family and share family foods!
Each child is unique and will develop at their own pace. The guidelines given will help new parents chart the feeding and nutritional needs of your baby. With each month, you will notice your child developing different needs. Provide the necessary nutrition for your baby and enjoy their developmental milestones.
It is not easy being a first-time parent but it is a rewarding and satisfying experience. Learning what to give your baby, how to feed them, when to give them food, and why they cry or spit out food are all part of the learning curve for both parent and child.
Theory helps but nothing can beat the sheer knowledge gained by being a hands-on parent.
Happy Parenting!
