Breast milk is the best and only nutrition naturally created for a newborn baby. It is a complex of all the necessary nutrients in the right quality and quantity, ensuring the baby’s good growth and proper development. Breast milk is a mother’s continued care and protection from the sometimes aggressive environment.
Mom’s support, such as breastfeeding, will be needed for the baby during the first year of life, while the immune system learns to recognize and fight all the harmful bacteria surrounding the baby. However, there are cases when there is no or not enough breast milk.
Then the baby has to be switched to mixed or formula feeding. It is necessary to take a balanced approach to this issue. If there is a need to feed the baby formula, give preference to organic formula with clean ingredients.
Before making the decision to transfer the child to bottle-feeding in the form of infant formula, be sure to get a pediatrician’s recommendation to choose a baby formula that best meets the child’s needs.
If you feed your baby with the formula recommended by the doctor and your little one takes it well (no allergic reactions, no digestive problems), then there is no need to change the formula. The formula should only be changed based on the recommendations of a pediatrician or nutrition specialist.
What are the key points in a baby’s nutrition?
The most important part of a baby’s diet is protein, the primary building material for all tissues and cells. If there is not enough protein in the diet, protection against infectious diseases is reduced, liver function is impaired, and growth and development are slowed down.
The body needs fats for the normal absorption of proteins, minerals, and vitamins A and D, so proper nutrition without consuming fats is impossible. Fats are a kind of “fuel,” which supplies the body with energy. In addition, thanks to the fats, the taste of many products improves. For babies, good vegetable fats with a lot of polyunsaturated fatty acids are an essential part of their nutrition.
A balanced diet should also include the necessary amount of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are necessary for the muscles, heart, liver, nervous system. The body gets most of its energy from vegetable carbohydrates.
Minerals are a part of all body tissues. Bones are 2/3 of mineral salts. It is difficult to overestimate their importance for a baby whose bone system is still forming and who starts teething.
Mixed feeding
Mixed feeding is a combination of breast milk and infant formula. This type of feeding is mainly used when:
- the mother has a low milk supply;
- the working mother is combining child care and work.
Lactation consultants can help to solve many breastfeeding difficulties. Suppose methods to improve lactation do not work. In that case, it is worth discussing with the pediatrician the introduction of formula feeding into the newborn’s diet and selecting a suitable one with the appropriate amount of all essential nutrients.
It is important to give your baby the breast until the last moment, even if there is very little milk. The formula should be given after breastfeeding.
Formula feeding
Frequent reasons for the baby’s transition to fully formula feeding are decreased lactation, a total absence of breast milk, or the mother being forced to take medication incompatible with lactation. When choosing a suitable formula, pay attention to organic baby formulas. They contain most of the ingredients that make the composition of the infant formula closer to breast milk:
- Cow’s milk or goat’s milk proteins are the building blocks of the baby’s body and catalysts for various biochemical processes. As a rule, baby formula from the first days of birth to six months of age contains whey protein, while the product for babies over six months can be casein.
- Lactose (milk sugar) is another component that plays a vital role in developing children under one year old, helping the baby’s body absorb iron and calcium, improving digestive processes, and developing a beneficial gut microbiome.
- Probiotics are microorganisms that support and stimulate the growth of beneficial intestinal microflora, thereby increasing the body’s defenses. Similar in name to the previous ingredient, prebiotic fibers are used for the proper functioning of the digestive system and, together with probiotics, are the guardians of children’s health and resistance to infections.
- Don’t let the starches and gum scare you. These components in baby formula thicken the stomach’s contents, preventing regurgitation, a frequent occurrence in babies.
- Also, in the formula composition, you can find different minerals that help the proper functioning and development of the baby’s body. These are manganese, copper, iodine, selenium, and zinc.
Most importantly, pay attention to the presence of preservatives in the formula and chemical constituents. As a rule, manufacturers who produce organic baby food don’t use any kind of chemicals, GMOs, preservatives, or synthetic nutrients. Also, don’t forget to check the integrity of the packaging and the product’s storage conditions.
How to find quality baby food?
It is not always possible to find a formula on the first try, and sometimes you have to buy a few formulas from different manufacturers before you find the one that is perfect for your baby. In cases when infant formula is not suitable for the baby, it can cause constipation, bloating, or even allergies.
This is because each child has an individual body, and therefore different babies may react differently to the same formula. In this case, the formula should be changed immediately to avoid any complications.
The choice of baby food for infants and older children is quite wide. It’s impossible to say which baby food manufacturer today can be recommended to everyone without exception. Therefore, one thing is obvious: parents should buy baby food products only in specialized offline or online stores.
On organicsbestshop.com you can find more information about organic infant formula options from the worldwide-known baby food brands to make the best choice for your little one.
And finally, your decision on what formula to feed should always depend on your baby’s individual nutritional needs, your personal preferences, and your pediatrician’s recommendations.
