Feeding your bonny baby
© Thinkstock
Feeding baby well is one of the biggest preoccupations for new parents. And with advice from paediatricians, experts, family, friends and marketing pressure... it is not always easy!
There are a few basic guidelines to follow in order to ensure your baby is getting all the nutrition he needs:
If possible, breast-feed your baby exclusively for at least 4 months, and keep giving your child either formula or cow’s milk until at least 3 years of age;
Start solids from 4-6 months, gradually introducing new foods from all the food groups;
Pay attention also to the risk of deficiency, which is more common than overfeeding.
Professor Patrick Tounian lays out these guidelines for new parents and points out the key mistakes to avoid.
Feeding baby: don’t stop giving milk too soon
"Too many parents stop giving their baby milk too early," according to Professor Tounian. "Up until 10 or 12 months, three out of the child's four daily meals should be bottles of baby milk or feeds."
If using formula, from the sixth month, your child should be fed with follow-on milk. “It is essential to swap formula with follow-on milk and then continue feeding your baby this, or regular cow’s milk until he is at least 3 years old,” continues Professor Tounian. This will mean you can be sure of your child getting enough iron and calcium, which wouldn’t otherwise be provided.
If your toddler balks at drinking formula or cow’s milk, replace this with lean white meat, fish or eggs twice a day, so he gets the iron he needs. "A serious mistake with baby’s food is when parents replace milk with 'vegetable' milks (soya, almond...)," the specialist points out. “These ‘milks’ are not really suited to babies and toddlers, and can lead to serious protein, calcium and iron deficiencies, and sometimes mean baby doesn’t get enough calories either,” he warns.
Feeding baby: diversification at the right time
“You should start diversifying food between 4 and 6 months, not before and not after,” Professor Patrick Tounian says. In fact, diversifying food too early leads to a risk of deficiency in calcium, iron and essential fatty acids*. Be careful not to diversify a baby’s food too late either. “Recent studies have shown that diversifying after 6 months can increase the risk of allergic reactions,” explains the paediatrician.” This also applies to foods which are more likely to provoke allergies: egg, fish, exotic fruit and nuts.”
On top of all this: “These potentially allergenic foods should be introduced from 4 to 6 months, in small doses, so as to lead to a natural desensitisation.” Gluten must not be introduced too late either, between 4 and 7 months at the latest. “Unless there’s a declared intolerance, do not use gluten free flour after 4 months,” advises Professor Tounian.
Feeding baby: Beware of deficiencies
We hear a lot about excess, in particular when it comes to salt and sugar, in baby food. But Professor Tounian wants us all to think about the real problem here, which is deficiency. Moreover, apart from keeping an eye on quantities, make sure you do not serve babies completely salt-free food.
“In the same way, sugar, when eaten moderately, has no harmful effect whatsoever”, the paediatrician emphasises. “Putting a bit of sugar in a fruit compote or in a milk-based dessert is justified if it helps with the child’s consumption,” he insists.
On the other hand, “Giving a child too many sugary foods can also lead to indirect deficiencies due to a lack of food from other important foods containing iron and calcium,” he adds. The consumption of meat is important in order to guarantee a supply of iron and protein. “A child should be eating a good source of iron and protein twice a day”. Are you worried about giving your baby too much protein? “No serious scientific study has produced conclusive evidence that an excess of protein is harmful; consuming less is just a simple precaution,” Professor Tounian responds.
Feeding baby: The 5 basic principles to respect according to Professor Tounian
Ensure your baby has a good iron intake, thanks to breast-milk, formula milk or cow’s milk, then by sufficient consumption of meat.
Ensure your toddler gets enough calcium by including dairy products in 2 or 3 meals a day.
Ensure your baby gets a good supply of essential fatty acids: found in different vegetable oils and fish, in 1 to 2 helpings a week to provide baby with sufficient omega 3 and 6.
Diversify food: the child should eat everything. “If you offer him everything, the child will naturally regulate his consumption himself.”
Don’t forget about enjoyment: “Once you have adopted the first four principles, a child has the right to eat for pleasure”. So don’t deprive your child of sugar or sweet treats – in moderation!
* “Implications of the weaning pattern on macronutrient intake, food volume and energy density in non-breastfed infants during the first year of life,” Capdevilla F et al, J Am Coll Nutr 1998; 17(3): 256-62
Source: Interview with Paediatric Professor Patrick Tounian, paediatric gastroenterology and nutrition department, Armand-Trousseau Hospital, Paris, November 2011
Anne-Sophie Glover-Bondeau
More information:
Food in the first year
Benefits of breast milk
Nutrition discussions
