Feeding yourself while feeding baby

This post is eighth in a series:

Note: While nursing, I wanted to make the experience as healthy for my baby as possible.  So I gathered this information regarding what I should be eating/doing while nursing, and general helpful info.

1) Breastfeed for as long as possible (min. 6 months).

2) Take probiotics (yogurt), DHA (300 mg), vitamin D (1000 IU), and a prenatal vitamin daily.

3) Avoid allergenic foods when baby is sick or on antibiotics.

4) Avoid genetically modified foods (GMOs).

5) Avoid artificial sweeteners.

6) Avoid foods (common in soups) with MSG – bad for developing brains.

7) Eat organic, especially diary.

Vegetarians: B12 (2.6 mcg/day); Ca (1000-1300 mg/day)

Everyone: vitamin D (1000 IU/day); DHA (300 mg/day); protein (71 g/day)

Storing pumped breastmilk –

• If will use within 10 hours, leave out on counter.


• If will use in >10 hours but < 8 days, refrigerate.


• If will use in >8 days – freeze (will keep 3-6 months).

Freezing breastmilk –

• 1-2 oz. quantities for newborns; 3-4 oz. quantities for older babies


• Thaw in fridge for 12 hours.  Warm in bowl of warm water.  Once thawed, use within 24 hours.


• If baby does not finish, can feed during next feeding if only a few hours later, but discard unused after that.


• Never refreeze.

If use formula, choose organic, and make sure the sugar source listed is lactose.

Same ole' lunch? Healthy Food Ideas for Baby

This post is seventh in a series:

Note:

It was important to me from the start to instill a love of fruits, veggies and whole grains in my baby, and avoid all things artificial, sugar and salt.  I really loved Dr. Greene's book Feeding Baby Green.  For times when I was in a rut or stumped on what I'd feed my baby for a meal, I kept this printout on hand.  (It also came in handy when making out my grocery list.)

Purees:

Puree lentils with brown rice – together they make a complete protein.

Puree cauliflower with veggies like spinach, carrots, asparagus or green beans.

Finger Foods:

½ of a banana slice

Steam or lightly grill green beans with olive oil and garlic.  Could also add sautéed mushrooms or roasted red peppers.

Steam broccoli, green beans or asparagus.  Can season with butter, garlic and herbs.

Slices of green, red, orange and yellow bell peppers with hummus, cottage cheese, or guacamole for dipping.

Quartered cherry tomatoes with hummus, cottage cheese, or guacamole for dipping.

Small pieces sautéed/steamed/grilled broccoli, peas, carrots, green beans (keep frozen on hand).

Applegate Farms Organic Hot Dogs – quarter lengthwise

Sweet potato fries

Diced mango

Pieces of string cheese

Diced kiwi

Diced carrot (soft-cooked)

Avocado slices

Grilled cheese sandwich torn into pieces

Diced seedless watermelon

Pieces of muffin

Diced strawberries

Mashed cooked beans

Pieces of whole-wheat pita

Shredded cheese

Pieces of veggie burger

Bite-sized pieces of cheese ravioli (or squash ravioli, etc.)

Whole-wheat waffles torn into pieces

Treasure trays:

Fill a compartmentalized tray/plate/muffin tin/ice cube tray with a dipping sauce (such as applesauce, yogurt, jam, pureed fruit/veggies, hummus or guacamole) and foods such as:

Steamed cubed sweet potatoes

Diced pears

Half slices bananas

Half slices soft-cooked carrots

Diced soft-cooked green beans

Shredded apple

Diced kiwi

Shredded carrot

Cubed cheese

Diced avocado

Diced peaches

Quartered grapes

Bite-sized pieces wheat toast

Cheerios

TIPS:

Always include 1 green veggie, a second veggie, a whole grain, a protein and a fruit.

Good green veggies: salad, broccoli, peas, green beans, spinach

Put baby in high chair and let feed self.

 

Beyond Finger Foods:

Salad with dressing on the side for dipping

Small burritos/quesadillas

Elbow macaroni in spaghetti sauce (easier than spaghetti noodles)

½ ear corn on the cob

 

Get creative at restaurants!

Sushi – like single-ingredient maki rolls with cucumber or avocado.

Mild, coconut-based curry soup or over rice.

Falafel dipped in tzatziki sauce.

Make faces on pancakes with cut-up fruits and on sandwiches with cut-up veggies.  Or cut them into shapes.

Choose a color theme for each meal:

Red – tomatoes, red bell peppers, watermelon, strawberries

Orange – carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, cantaloupe

Yellow – yellow bell peppers, bananas, yellow tomatoes

Purple – beets, plums, berries

Dessert Ideas:

Berries

Pitted cherries

Pineapple sorbet (puree ripe pineapple and freeze)

Zucchini bread

Strawberry frozen yogurt

100% frozen fruit bars

Baked fruit with oats and brown sugar

Fruit and yogurt parfait

Healthy cookies/minimuffins

Fruit breads (wheat flour)

Graham crackers and wafer cookies (natural ingredients)

Feeding Baby - General Guidelines

This post is sixth in a series:

Always choose natural, organic, colorful foods.  Eating organic dairy and produce has shown to decrease toxic pesticide exposure from food an average of 97%.

If feed jarred food, choose organic with no sugar added.

Avoid snacks with more than 1 gram of sugar per 25 calories.

Avoid sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, malt syrup or maltose in the ingredients.

Avoid food dyes and artificial colors, as their effects are not known.

Avoid processed foods, added sugar and salt.

Use olive oil or organic canola oil; avoid corn syrup and hydrogenated (or partially) oils.

Baby should get 400 IU vitamin D/day.

Baby will be more likely to try things from six months until she’s walking, so take advantage and push a variety!

Pull baby’s high chair up to the counter so she can watch you make her foods.

Be a good role model!  Baby will want to eat what you eat!

Offer baby a food, let her see you eat and like it, and hopefully she’ll try.  If she rejects it, don’t push it, just offer another day (may take 6-16 times on average before a food is accepted).

Make your own baby food!  Nitrates are not a concern.  The AAP says to avoid homemade baby food until at least 3 months old, but shouldn’t be feeding solids by then anyway!

The primary source of nutrition for the first year is breastmilk/formula – this is mostly a time to introduce solids, but don’t rely on them.

Add omega-3s by adding ground flaxseed or wheat germ to foods (like oatmeal, applesauce, yogurt) once baby has tried a wide variety of foods.

Avoid juice until 1 year.

Never give an unhealthy food just so they eat something.  Be firm and keep trying healthy foods.

Good rule of thumb once baby has tried a variety of foods and is eating three meals a day: feed something green at every single lunch and supper, and feed 1 bright color at all 3 meals.

Use similar flavors to transition between similar foods (ex. add garlic and olive oil to pureed spinach and later also to whole spinach leaves).

Take a food baby likes, such as carrots, and mix it with a new vegetable to encourage it.

Main drink other than breastmilk should be water in a sippy cup.  Avoid juice until 1 year.

Let baby see the real food she’s eating (banana, avocado, etc.), not just the puree that looks nothing like the real deal.

Start each meal with veggies, then move on to fruits.

Give whole-grains.

Kids 3 and under should get 1 Tbsp. from each food group per year of age (at each meal).

Never push or coax foods – will make baby suspicious of them and reject them.  Take a food on your plate and nonchalantly transfer it to hers, without appearing to try to push it.

Have them point at foods, playing “Where’s the apple?  Where’s the broccoli?” etc.

Offer baby a variety of foods, tell her to try just one bite, if she doesn’t like doesn’t have to eat.

Avoid choking hazards under 4 years of age: nuts, seeds, popcorn, raw carrots, whole grapes, raw apples, whole sausage links/hot dogs, hard candy, large chunks of meat or hard foods, chewing gum, marshmallows, gummy/jelly/hard candy.

Until get molars and improve chewing skills, food chunks shouldn’t be larger than pinky fingernail.

Once baby is eating three times/day, offer 3 foods at every meal – one they’re sure to like and two that everyone else is eating (or you want them to eat).  Don’t give seconds of favorite until has tried other two (often takes many exposures before child will eat new food).

Don’t leave unhealthy foods in plain sight and restrict them – will make baby want them even more!

Let baby feel she has a choice – offer 2 or 3 healthy options (Do you want an apple or banana?  Do you want to drink your milk first or eat your cereal first?) and let her choose.

Never coax, bribe, or reward baby to eat something.  “If you eat your spinach you can have dessert” teaches her to value dessert over spinach.

If you’re eating something you know she doesn’t like, put it on her plate anyway.  Say it’s there to taste if she decides she wants to, and eventually she may.

Don’t make baby clean her plate, as it teaches her to overeat.  Just serve less, and save leftovers.

Don’t allow her to skip a meal and then get a snack.  She should get 3 meals/day and small snacks (not within 2 hours of a meal).  If she tries to immediately get a snack, say “lunch is over, you’ll have to wait for snack time now”.

Feeding Baby - 18 months

Fifth post in the series:

By 18 months baby is ready to “help” you make food or bring you things to put in food.  She’ll be a lot more eager to try what she’s helped with!

Grow cherry tomatoes and veggies in a garden that she can plant and help nurture.  Grown an indoor herb garden that she can harvest from and add to meals.

Visit orchards, farmer’s markets, pumpkin patches – places kids can see where food comes from!

As an alternative to water, can brew own jug of decaffeinated unsweetened tea (such as peppermint).

Baby shouldn’t watch TV until at least 2 years old.  Then, don’t allow her to watch TV commercials for food – it will make her want, and usually unhealthy.

Baby will master the spoon and begin to use the fork.  Let her experiment, even if messy!

Always eat meals together as a family, and pull baby’s high chair up to table with everyone else (tons of educational and social benefits have been proven).

Teach her ultimately to eat what the family is eating, not to have her own special meal.

Stock up on seasonal foods when they’re available, then you don’t see them again until next year.  Teaches her to look forward to yummy in season foods.

By 18 months she can digest beans well, so start including them more and in greater quantities.

Take her grocery shopping with you, but make sure she’s rested and fed; when she begs for things, allow her to choose one item.

Always keep a fruit bowl out in plain sight.

Don’t give shellfish before age 2.

By 18 months should not be relying on milk (breast or cow’s) for primary source of nutrition.

Choose organic ketchup with no high fructose corn syrup or chemicals.

By age 2:

Daily requirements haven’t changed except calorie intake goes up to 1000 calories.

Aim for:

2 ounces lean meat/beans

1 cup fruit

1 cup vegetables

3 ounces whole grains

2 cups organic whole milk

Continue multivitamins.

Introduce some sweets to teach to moderate (1 small piece of cake at a birthday party okay, every night is not).  Choose sweets with nutrients (see desserts below).

Strictly forbidding a food makes them want it more.  Don’t keep anything in the house you won’t let her have, and don’t forbid things you keep around, offer them in moderation.

Don’t keep junk food in house, don’t use as a reward, but don’t forbid it once child discovers it – okay if has occasional treat at birthday party, holiday celebration, etc.

By age 2 shoot for 3 – 8 oz. servings of milk per day.

Restrict access to the fridge – we control snacks.

Kids ages 2-8 need 2 hours of physical activity/day.

By age 2 can switch to 2% or skim milk.

Feeding Baby - One Year

Fourth post in the series:

During the first two years, a baby’s brain grows a lot.  A large proportion of the brain is fat, and much of this fat is in the form of the omega-3s DHA and EPA.  Once baby is off of breast milk or formula, aim to feed your little one 300 mg DHA per day.  And give your baby a full-fat diet, avoiding low-fat foods.  (Breast milk is almost half fat and can be rich in omega-3s if mom consumes them).

Once baby is no longer nursing (or it is not a large part of her diet) start on liquid multivitamin drops with at least 150 mg DHA and 400 IU vitamin D.

Historically babies nursed for 2-3 years, so by all means nurse as long as you both want to!

By now, baby can eat most foods – cut into a manageable size and wean off of jarred food.

Can start giving whole cow’s milk in a sippy cup (in addition to breastmilk if still nursing).

Even at 1 year, better to avoid juice, but if do give, should have a max of 4-6 oz/day until age 6, and a max of 8-12 oz/day after that.  Dilute with water.  Opt for whole fruit over fruit juice.

Offer good fats – salmon, egg yolk, avocado.  Avoid low-fat foods until age 2.

Watch serving sizes (we tend to overestimate portions).

Rinse canned fruits before serving (eliminates excess sugar).

Can introduce allergens – egg whites, cow’s milk, nut butters, soy, citrus, fish, honey.

One to three year olds should get 7 mg/day of iron, in the form of food or supplements (good iron-containing foods = iron-fortified cereal, tofu, prune juice, beans, green beans, peas, spinach, sweet potatoes, eggs, lentils, lean meat, and seafood).  May need supplements until eating extensive solid foods.

Make sure you eat together as a family – has tons of self-esteem benefits for children.  Restaurants are okay too – teaches kids food is special, how to behave in public, etc.

Nutritional requirements at 1 year:

* 900 calories

* 13 grams protein

* 500 mg calcium

* 35 grams fat

(For perspective, 2 cups of whole milk contains 300 calories, 16 g protein, 550 mg calcium, and 16 g fat).

Minimum daily intake at 1 year:

* 1.5 ounces lean meat or beans

* ¾ cup veggies

* 1 cup fruit

* 2 ounces whole grains

* 2 cups organic milk (not much more than that, or will replace other foods she needs):

Can break up into smaller servings (ex. 2 – 4 oz. glasses of milk instead of 1 - 8 oz.).

 

FEEDING BABY QUICK GUIDE

1 year and up

protein	1.5 oz/day – choose 2	1 egg, ¼ C kidney/black beans, 1.5 tsp. peanut/nut butter, 2 thin slices turkey/ham, ¼ small chicken breast
dairy	2 servings/day – choose 2	8 oz. yogurt, 8 oz. whole milk, ½ C ricotta, 2 slices (1.5 oz.) cheese
grains	2 ounces/day – choose 2	½ whole-wheat English muffin, ½ C cooked oatmeal, ½ C cooked whole-wheat pasta, 1 slice whole-wheat bread, 5 whole grain crackers, whole-grain waffle
veggies	¾ C/day – choose 2	1/3 C carrots, 2 ½ broccoli florets, 3 cherry tomatoes (quartered), ¾ C raw or 1/3 C cooked spinach, ½ sweet potato
fruits	1 C/day – choose 2	4 oz. applesauce (unsweetened), ½ C grapes (quartered), ½ C banana/berries/apple/pear, ¼ C raisins

 

 

Feeding Baby: 9-10 months

Third post in the series:

Add finger foods to baby’s diet!  Good foods include (as baby is ready for them) wafer cookies/crackers and other bite-sized finger foods (crunchy toast, well-cooked pasta, Cheerios, bite-sized pancakes, grilled cheese, mac n’ cheese, small pieces of meat, diced fruit, diced cooked veggies, diced cheese), chunky jarred foods, boiled/mashed egg yolk, cottage cheese, and strawberries.

Start to add new flavors/spices (turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, rosemary, oregano, etc.).  Research indicates that if diverse flavors haven’t been introduced by age 1, a baby may prefer a more narrow bland diet when she grows up.

Cut foods into cubes or interesting shapes.

Good supplements include Brewer’s Yeast (1/2 – 1 tsp. / day) – adds protein and B vitamins, and flaxseed – adds omega-3’s.

Feeding Baby: 7-8 months

Second post in the series:

Once a wide variety of purees have been mastered, start to make the foods lumpier.  Research has indicated that feeding only pureed foods after 9 months will lead to a pickier eater.  Switch to coarsely mashed food, leave lumps in the blended food already feeding, and add broccoli, blueberries, mango, pineapple, spinach, cauliflower, and cucumber.

Once baby has mastered the coarser food, start soft/cooked table foods cut into tiny pieces (banana, squash, carrots, peas, potatoes, green beans, soft-cooked pasta, soft-cooked chopped veggies, soft diced fruit, mashed potato, beans/lentils).  Also add yogurt, wheat cereal, and cooked/mixed grains.

Work up to offering solids three times per day.

Don’t give dairy or corn under 9 months.

Give baby her own spoon.  Dip it in her food and let her try to get it into her mouth.  It will be messy, but this is how she learns!  To make sure she gets food, alternate bites between feeding with your spoon and letting her take a bit with her spoon.

Feeding Baby - 6 months

Perhaps you've already seen my series of Baby Fact Sheets - my age-by-age collection of information I found valuable when pouring over parenting resources while preparing for my own little one.

I made printable fact-sheets by age regarding feeding my baby as well.  So for those of you who enjoyed the printable "fact" sheets, get ready for the next series - here are their contemporaries!

A good rule of thumb is to wait until baby is at least 13 pounds and has doubled her birth weight before starting solids.

When start baby on solids, there’s no one way to do it.  However, one school of thought is that it’s better to give veggies before fruits (and start with green veggies) to encourage a taste for them.  A good recommended sequence: whole grains – veggies – fruits – meats.

When start baby on cereals, start on whole grains such as brown rice, oatmeal or barley mixed with breastmilk or formula.

When start on cereal, will eat a TINY bit.  Mix with breastmilk or formula, whatever baby’s eating.  I used Fresh Baby’s food trays (like ice cube trays but BPA free) and froze up 1 ounce cubes of breastmilk.  Then, just thaw a cube (= 1 ounce), add about ½  Tbsp. of cereal, and you’re ready to start.  Once is eating cereal readily, can up the amount (2 cubes or 2 ounces breastmilk and 1 Tbsp. cereal, etc.).

Other good starter foods: cooked/strained/pureed veggies and fruit (peaches, pears, apples, banana, apricot, avocado, plums, prunes, peas, green beans, winter squash, summer squash, carrots, sweet potatoes) mixed with breastmilk

Start by offering solids once/day.  Offer bites, pausing between each, until baby is no longer interested.  Don’t coax to eat more – quit when she’s finished.

One school of thought is to offer a food then wait a few days before offering another.  A second school of thought is that by changing up foods constantly, it will increase baby’s acceptance of new foods.  In other words, don’t wait between introducing new foods, but bombard baby with variety.

A baby’s brain triples its weight during the first year, and is 60 percent fat.  Give your baby a full-fat diet, avoiding low-fat foods.  Much of the brain’s fat is DHA and EPA, and breast milk is almost half fat and can be rich in these omega-3s if mom consumes them, so take your supplement!  (I use fish-free algal DHA supplements).

The literature is conflicting regarding iron; some pediatricians recommend supplements: 11 mg/day for 6-12 month olds.  Others (mine included) do not.