Dietician Jaclyn Reutens weighs in on the importance of early childhood nutrition and choosing the right formula for your child.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months after birth, followed by the introduction of nutritionally adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at 6 months together with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.1
For newborns, breast milk is best as it helps protect against infections (both gastrointestinal and other acquired infections) early in life as well as chronic diseases like diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol levels and obesity later in life. It also contributes to improved cognitive development and better performance on intelligence tests. Breastfeeding is also beneficial for mothers as it reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and even reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes for mothers who had gestational diabetes during their pregnancy.1
Why is it important to wean my baby?
At the 6-month mark, your baby requires higher levels of certain nutrients, such as iron, zinc and vitamins B and D, which can’t be obtained from breast milk alone. Weaning is the process of introducing complementary foods alongside your breast milk to meet your baby’s growing nutritional and developmental needs.
“In the first year, your baby triples his/her weight and doubles his/her height. The increased nutritional needs required to support this rapid development cannot rely solely on breast milk,” shares Jaclyn. “This is especially so for iron, whereby the amount found in breast milk is insufficient by that stage,” she adds.
Always ensure that the solid foods are of an appropriate texture for your baby. Your baby’s first foods should be pureed, before slowly transitioning to lumpy or normal textured foods as your baby gets older.1
When is the best time to wean my baby?
The WHO and the AAP recommend introducing solid foods into a baby’s diet around 6 months of age.4 It is best to wean your baby gradually, and you shouldn’t set a deadline on the weaning process. Rather, it should be at a pace that is comfortable for both mother and baby, which could range from days to weeks or months.
For mothers who need to wean early for reasons such as low milk supply, solid foods should not be introduced to babies below 6 months old. In such cases when breastfeeding is not possible, formula milk becomes an essential alternative to meet your baby’s nutritional needs.
What should I replace my baby’s feed with?
If the baby is not being breast-fed, infant formula is suitable for exclusive nutrition during the first six months. Follow-on formula should only be given once weaning has begun, and can be introduced as complementary foods to meet a child’s need for energy and nutrients.2
It is important to choose a formula milk that is appropriate for your baby’s age. Fresh or whole milk is different from formula milk and should not be fed to babies under 1 year old, as they contain high levels of proteins and minerals that places undue stress on a baby’s immature organs. 3 Jaclyn also recommends letting your baby try it to see which formula milk they take to, as babies have their own taste preference.
What are the benefits of goat’s milk formula?
When it comes to dairy-based infant formula, both cow’s milk and goat’s milk provide similar amounts of essential nutrients. However, goat’s milk formula has become an increasingly popular choice because of its natural nutrition and ease of digestion.
Goat’s milk contains three times more bio-actives than other dairy-based infant formula, reducing the need to add synthetic supplementation. A particular amino acid, Taurine, is especially rich in goat’s milk, amounting to 20 times more than that of cow’s milk.4
Goat’s milk also has a much lower level of ∝s1-casein, making it easily digestible. With lower casein levels, goat’s milk curds (coagulation of milk) are softer and can be broken down more easily during the digestion process. The casein micelles in goat’s milk are also 40% larger than those from cow’s milk, creating more porous curds for the digestive enzymes to aid in more efficient digestion of goat’s milk protein.6
Goat’s milk formula provided growth and nutritional outcomes in infants that did not differ from those provided by a standard whey-based cow milk formula. Studies have also evidenced that the frequency of bowel motions of infants in the goat milk-fed infants are similar to that of infants who were fed the standard whey-based cow’s milk formula. The protein profile of goat’s milk, combined with the richness of A2 β-casein, makes it easily digestible for healthier bowel movements.7
What should I look out for when choosing a good infant formula?
When choosing an infant formula, look out for two keywords: pasteurised & fortified.
Most formula milk is pasteurised to destroy any harmful bacteria or virus while preserving the milk’s nutrients. Pasteurised goat’s milk formula retains high levels of magnesium, calcium, vitamin A and C for the growth and development of your little ones.
Iron is a key nutrient that is often inadequate to meet a baby’s growth and developmental needs, so most formula milk are iron-fortified. The AAP also recommends iron-fortified infant formulas for all infants who are not breastfed or who are partially breastfed up to the age of 1.4 Apart from iron, most infant formulas are also fortified with additional nutrients like DHA and ARA for healthy cognitive development.
How much formula milk should I be giving my child?
According to the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), babies at 6 months old should be drinking 6oz (180ml) of formula milk per feeding every four to six hours.4 As your baby starts to eat more solid foods, their milk intake will gradually decrease.
From 1 year of age, children who have weaned well should consume approximately 2 servings of dairy per day, amounting to 2 or at most 3 cups (8oz or 240ml) of milk to complement their diet. Formula milk for toddlers is rich in iron, calcium and lutein for healthy growth and development of strong teeth and bones.4
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Jaclyn Reutens is a dietician at Aptima Nutrition & Sports Consultant. Her views are solely for informational purposes only, and does not constitute her formal endorsement of any products mentioned. Always seek the advice of your own medical provider regarding any questions or concerns regarding your child’s health and nutrition.
References:
2Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding
3A guide to infant formula for parents who are bottle feeding. Unicef United Kingdom.
4American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) recommendations for breastfeeding
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Quality, nutrition and safety. That’s what we parents want for baby in whatever we give them, and formula milk is no different; in fact, food and nutrition should be one of the top priorities for baby!
To give baby an unbeatable, all-rounded nutrition that supports their growth and development, Nature One Dairy has their range of Premium Infant Formula that’s specially made for the different stages in their development and growth.
√ Brimming with essential nutrients that support physical growth, brain development, and build immunity:
Nature One Dairy Premium Infant Formula contains all the above nutrients which are absent in many brands.
√ Produced from 100% Australian grass-fed cow’s milk
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√ A grass-based diet results in cow’s milk that’s higher in a crucial fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
√ Milk from grass-fed cows also has 5 times more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than conventional milk
√ Affordable prices with great quality – from $26.50 to $29.50 per 900g tin for their Premium Infant Formula
Not only are the cows on a healthy grass-based diet, the fresh milk that they produce also goes through top-tier processing in their wholly owned pharmaceutical grade facility, and is held to strict quality and safety standards by Australia.
Their facility has been specifically designed with processing quality infant formula in mind; infant formula that has been developed by qualified Food Science Technologists to be as close as possible to mum’s breastmilk!
Most importantly, Nature One Dairy’s range of infant milk formula is at an incredibly accessible price range – from $25.50 to $29.50 per 900g tin (Standard and Premium range).
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It’s frustrating as parents to put in effort to prepare little one’s meal only to see it on the floor and all over their body. Here are some pretty useful tips on how to get them to self-feed, while still keeping your sanity!
Weaning may have been a walk in the park for you, but the terrible toddler mealtimes are on a whole new level! From flat out refusing to eat, to merrily throwing the food you’ve lovingly prepared all over your freshly mopped floor, the messy reality of toddler mealtimes will have you yearning for the days when you spent the best part of an hour feeding your six month old pureed veggies!
1. Start small
First snacks are a good way to get your tot used to aiming his food at his mouth and not up his nose: fruit or vegetables cut into handy sticks, bread sticks and raisins are great snacks to help give your child some sort of ownership over feeding himself.
Later you can move onto proper meal time foods like toast, small sandwiches and chopped up chunks of cheese, meat and vegetables he can try picking up with a spoon.
2. Make it fun!
When they’re just starting to self-feed it’s important to make sure food time = fun time. Try playing ‘feed me’. Chop up some finger foods and encourage your toddler to put the food in your mouth. Chew each bite enthusiastically, then feed your little one in the same way. Toddlers love learning by example.
3. Let them play with their food
Yes, you heard right we did just tell you to let your toddler play with their food. But touching and playing with the food on their plate encourages your little one to be creative.
The Spaghetti pick-up game is a firm favourite. Using cooked spaghetti encourage your toddler to make a shape before he puts it in his mouth. You can help by joining in and showing him how he can make various shapes or a smiley face.
4. Set an example
The best way to encourage your toddler to self-feed is to show him exactly how it’s done. Eat your food with cutlery first and let your toddler try with his/her spoon/fork whilst you eat yours, you can then help him afterwards, but you'll have given him/her the opportunity and the motivation to try.
5. It’s okay to be messy
If your little one is a messy eater, try to close an eye to the chunks of food decorating the floor/the walls/the ceiling – we’re afraid mess is part and parcel of the toddler years! And resist telling him off, unless of course he’s deliberately throwing food on the floor and trying to avoid eating. In which case, calmly clear it away and give him some of the food again. It may be that’s he’s not yet ready to feed himself. Be patient! It will all come together eventually.
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More and more mums are choosing Goat’s Milk these days. The team behind P&B finds out why.
Can goat’s milk overthrow the reigning champ that is cow’s milk? While it’s not as widely drunk as milk, goat’s milk has a surprising number of benefits to it – especially for your child!
Mummies and daddies out there, here’s a thought for you: what if there’s a more nutritious alternative to cow’s milk for your child?
Baby is nearing that age where you can slowly wean them off breastmilk, and there’s always a debate over which milk source is best – cow’s, or goat’s milk formula.
Today, we’re throwing our hat in the ring for the unassuming and humble contender – goat’s milk! Here’re 3 reasons why:
Easy On The Tummy
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Lesser Work on the Digestive System and decreased Food Allergies
Both goat’s and cow’s milk contain a microprotein called Alpha S1 Casein, which determines how easily the milk is digested and the chance of food allergens affecting baby.
Goat’s milk, however, contains up to 50% less Alpha S1 Casein (as1-CS) than cow’s milk – 
This means goat’s milk is more easily broken down and digested by the most sensitive tummies, and has a much lower chance of triggering an allergic reaction in baby as well!
What happens to milk when it’s in our tummies is that curds (protein clumps) are formed when the milk interacts with our stomach acid, so less as1-CS means smaller curds and less work for our digestive system.
The same can be said for the size of fat molecules in goat’s milk. Goat’s milk contains slightly more fat than cow’s, but the size of their molecules are a lot smaller and easier to digest than cow’s milk.
Here’s an example for microprotein and fat molecules, imagine you’re cooking potatoes in boiling water, and one is completely whole, while the other is cut into small cubes; the one that’s cut into small cubes will definitely cook faster because there’s more surface area to go around!
If baby is lactose intolerant, drinking goat’s milk is a better choice as it has slightly less lactose than cow’s milk. Lactose is milk sugar, and our body breaks it down through enzymes – and once again the less lactose makes it easier for our tummies to break them down.
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Packs A Nutritional Punch!
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If you’re looking for a dairy source that’s packed with nutrition and is easy on the tummy, goat’s milk is your top choice. It’s a lot less likely to cause respiratory and digestive problems in baby, and it’s all natural!
Here’s a nutritional comparison between an all-natural cup of goat’s and cow’s milk:
|
Goat’s Milk |
Nutrients |
Cow’s Milk |
|
33% |
Calcium |
28% |
|
9% |
Magnesium |
6% |
|
14% |
Potassium |
9% |
|
4.9% |
Selenium |
13% |
|
20% |
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) |
24% |
|
2.8% |
Vitamin B-12 |
18% |
|
5% |
Vitamin C |
0% |
|
10% |
Vitamin A |
8% |
|
9g |
Protein |
8g |
|
11g |
Sugar |
12g |
|
10g |
Fat |
8g |
Goat’s milk has another added benefit to it in the sense that it’s a lot less processed, which means that there’s usually less starch, preservatives, and sugar added to it!
Goat’s milk also contains more natural nucleotides, major components in ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), than cow’s milk. Due to that, cow milk formula is supplemented with synthetic nucleotides, whereas goat’s milk formula is similar to human milk in the amount of nucleotides and doesn’t require additional supplementation!
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Excellent Weaning Choice After The Breastfeeding Journey
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If mummies aren’t able to breastfeed for any reason (health, personal choice, etc.) or are looking to wean baby off breastmilk, you could always turn to goat’s milk formula as it contains most of the essential nutrients that baby needs in order to grow and develop.
Again, goat’s milk has proteins and fats that are easily digestible by baby’s still sensitive and growing digestive system, and its milk is produced in a manner that’s similar to how human milk is produced!
Finding Goat’s Milk In Singapore
Even though it’s not as popular as cow’s milk, you can find goat’s milk in quite a few of our supermarkets – FairPrice, Cold Storage, Giant, and a lot more!
Many more parents around the world are giving goat’s milk a try as it’s filled with the right kind of nutrients and is much easier on the tummy! But of course, do check with your paediatrician before you start your child out on goat’s milk!
References
Analysis of casein alpha S1 & S2 proteins from different mammalian species, Tariq Ahmad Masoodi and Gowhar Shafi, 2010
Comparison of growth and nutritional status in infants receiving goat milk–based formula and cow milk–based formula: a randomized, double-blind study, Meihong Xu et al., 2015
Comparison of Surti goat milk with cow and buffalo milk for gross composition, nitrogen distribution, and selected minerals content, Dhartiben B. Kapadiya et at., 2016
Composition of the non-protein nitrogen fraction of goat whole milk powder and goat milk-based infant and follow-on formulae, Prosser CG et al., 2008
Goat's milk in nutrition, Pellerin P, 2001
Mineral and vitamin content of goat's milk, Sawaya WN et al., 1984
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You may be wondering if your baby is ready to make the transition to ‘table foods’ but you’re not sure how to go about and if they’re ready. After all, it will be much easier during mealtimes if everyone eats the same thing – no more needing to puree or prepare an additional side of baby porridge!
What is table food?
As straight forward as it sounds, table food is any food that your baby is already eating, just not pureed. Is it also foods that are age appropriate for your baby that the whole family eats.
How old should baby be to make the switch?
In fact, many babies do not even need to eat baby food from the start! This is when parents decide to opt for a baby-led weaning approach to introduce solid foods.
There is no magic age here, just follow your baby’s cues and pay attention to her ability to gum and chew her food. One more thing to take note of is her ability to pick up food with her fingers. A good pincher grip is needed here.
A few signs to tell if she’s ready:
Can they eat table food if she does not have any teeth?
Babies do not need teeth to chew! As long as the food is soft enough, they can mash it with their gums.
Can baby eat table food made from the family dinner?
Of course they can! You might just need to be more aware of the ingredients you use. Probably cut down on the salt and oil used. If needed, take out baby’s portion before seasoning. But dice the food into small manageable bits and pieces when serving baby and ensure that the foods are easily gummed and mashed.
You’ll also tend to be more mindful of what you prepare, ensuring that you’ve prepared a balanced meal. Everyone gets to eat healthy!
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Finally! Your little one has levelled up from baby puree and mastered the art of the pincer grip. Like most excited parents, you’re probably very eager to let them try out many foods as possible, but please bear in mind that the LO has not fully understood the concept of chewing and swallowing.
We’re not here to scare you or make you super paranoid during meal times, but it’s worth to find out the most common choking hazards lurking in your pantry!
Small fruits like blueberries and grapes
Do you know your baby’s windpipe is only the size of a drinking straw? It’s a good idea to cut, crush or puree blueberries and other small fruits for them.
For smaller fruits like grapes and cherries, cut it in half and remove the seeds before offering it to baby.
Marshmallows
Don’t be fooled by the fluffiness. Thanks to its stickiness, a fluffy marshmallow will be difficult to dislodge if it gets stuck in baby’s throat.
Popcorn
Popcorn falls in to the hard foods category that shouldn’t be offered to baby until she can chew properly.
Cheese sticks and cubes
Due to its texture, cheese sticks and cubes can easily slip down baby’s throat before she can chew them properly. Try cutting it up into bite-sized pieces before giving it.
Gummies and sweets
Candies are brightly coloured and will attract baby’s attention. Try your best to keep it out of baby’s reach and inform your older children to not give it to baby. Even for those vitamin gummies, it usually comes with a recommended age – follow it!
Chunks of meat
If your baby is starting self-feeding, just slice, shred or dice the meat in his bowl. Even so, little one might still tend to choke on it if the meat is too tough or chewy, so be careful with this one!
Nuts
Being hard, small and round, they are very much a choking hazard to take note of.
Cherry tomato
While they can be a very nutritious snack, they can get caught in baby’s airway. Similar to the small fruits mentioned earlier, slice them length-ways.
Other than food, there are some household items to be careful of too!
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Many mums jump at the opportunity to start night weaning. Why? Think of a long-awaited return to extended sleep through the night for exhausted, sleep deprived mothers.
While sleeping through the night is considered a developmental milestone, the age your child learns to master it can vary from 6 months to toddlerhood. At some point, your child will naturally wean off night feeds and just sleep—even if you do nothing to encourage it.
Pediatricians recommend avoiding any unnecessary night feedings. Night feeding can be a cause of sleep problems. If a child wakes up to eat several times during the night, a very wet diaper or digestive problems may cause him to wake up and ask for more feeds, creating a vicious cycle.
Night weaning may not appeal to all. The benefit of night feeding, such as bonding between parent and child, depends on the individual.
In the end, as with all parenting decisions, you should do what's best for you and your family.
Tips to kick-start night weaning
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Food is a very important factor which determines our health, regardless of the age. Breast milk is the best natural food for infants but from around six months, they will need solid foods in addition to breastmilk for adequate nutrients and energy. And eating right early in life can affect attitudes and habits later on, as well as influence health.
A baby’s first solids are an important milestone for parents as well as for babies. The food sources provide the energy for physiological and mental development which includes, weight, height, brain development, intelligence and so on. They also determine the health of the child and the risk of metabolic disorders in later years. The most common disorder is obesity, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, and early heart diseases.
Conditioning the child from infancy and the toddler years are the best opportunity to influence adult health. Termed as programming, it is the idea that the nutrition during the first 1,000 days can have long-lasting effects on how the body grows, functions and decreases the risk of certain diseases.
What to give and when to give is the next question in the list. “There is no one food that is recommended as a first food,” said Sarah Shamila, Dietetics Manager from Mount Alvernia Hospital.
“Single-ingredient foods should be introduced first, one at a time to observe for possible food allergies such as a rash, swelling of the face, tongue or lip, vomiting or diarrhoea, wheezing or shortness of breath. Common food allergens include seafood, eggs and cow’s milk.”
“Single-grain infant cereal has traditionally been used as a first supplemental food as it supplies additional calories and iron. Fortified rice cereal is commonly offered first because it is widely available and is least likely to cause an allergic reaction. Fortified oat cereal is another good choice,” Sarah added.
In serving, she said that they need to be finely puréed, contain only one ingredient, and should not contain additives such as salt or sugar.
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“Complementary feeding should be timely, meaning that all infants should start receiving foods in addition to breast milk from six months onwards. An infant’s need for energy and nutrients starts to exceed what is provided by breast milk at around the age of 6 months,” explains Sarah.
However guidelines with ages can only provide an approximate as babies develop at different rates. “When your baby is ready for solids, he will show signs of readiness, which is a better guide for an individual baby. He will show a great interest in what you are eating, perhaps try to grab your food; he will have lost the tongue-thrust reflex that pushes food back out of the mouth; and he will be able to sit upright. These tend to occur at around six months of age, with some a little earlier and others a little later,” Sarah explained.
When Introducing Solids…
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Now that your baby is six months old, it is time to go beyond exclusive breastfeeding and introduce some pureed solid food in his diet. While fruits and vegetables are going to be the number one choice, most moms do spare a thought for meat as well. This is when the predicament begins. Can meat be a part of the baby’s first solid food? When can a baby start eating meat? Which meat is safe to start with?
Your baby can start eating meat anytime between sixth to the eighth month of his life. This is the same time when you will gradually introduce him to solid foods, while also maintaining his intake of breast milk.
There is no restriction on the kind of meat you introduce to your baby. Be it cattle (which is red meat), poultry or fish meat, you can make your choice and start with two servings of about one to two teaspoons pureed meat a day.
Feeding meat means cutting down on his vegetable or cereal intake marginally. So, is it worth it?
Besides being a great source of protein, meat provides the following essential advantages to your growing little one:
Iron and zinc are among the most important microminerals that your baby needs from the age of six to 12 months. Meat is an excellent source of these vital nutrients. In fact, zinc and iron from meat are quite readily absorbed by the baby’s body. Along with that, meat is also a source of other microminerals such as copper and manganese.
Meat contains more nutrients than fruits or cereals of the same quantity. This means your baby gets sufficient nutrients from a small portion of meat, which implies you will have to feed him less often if meat is part of his diet.
Meat is not just a great source of iron but also enhances the absorption of iron from other food sources. For example, feeding a meat-vegetable puree can double the iron absorption, thus preventing anemia.
Vitamins are in abundance in meat, especially vitamin B-complex. In fact, vitamin B12 is found in animal protein, which means meat can provide this vitamin in good amounts. Vitamin B12 is important for the maintenance of healthy nerve cells in the body. It also works with vitamin B9 to play an essential role in the formation of red blood cells (RBCs). Deficiency of vitamin B12 in babies can cause delayed or even retarded motor skills due to its impact on brain development.
Protein found in meat is of higher quality and is highly digestible than the proteins found in plants. This means your baby’s body will be able to utilize more protein from meat than it does from the same quantity of plant-based protein.
Now, we know you are convinced about feeding meat to your baby. But when preparing to introduce meat to baby, it needs a certain process.
Here are certain points that you need to keep in mind before and while feeding meat to babies.
Just like any other solid food, even meat poses a risk of allergy to the baby. Meat is rich in protein, and a baby’s developing immune system may mistake it to be a foreign pathogen and mount an attack. Therefore, look out for any allergic outbreak symptoms such as skins hives, diarrhea, and swelling in lips and face.
Allergies are the reason why you must start feeding meat in small quantities initially so that you can observe the onset of any reaction. If the meat seems to be suiting your baby, then slowly increase the quantity. Some medical practitioners recommend parents to wait until the first birthday to introduce meat for the immune system to develop. But there is no evidence to suggest that it reduces the chances of allergy.
In fact, research has shown that introducing food early in a baby’s life may diminish the probability of an allergic reaction.
Adults consume various forms of meat, which are not necessarily safe for the babies. For example, you should avoid processed and salted meats sold at supermarkets or delis since they are heavily processed to have a longer shelf life.
However, when it comes to the type of meat itself (chicken, fish, goat, etc.,), there is no restriction on which meat to introduce as long as you do it in small quantities. That way it is easier to determine if your baby is allergic to a specific type of meat.
Meat-based baby food preparations can be frozen to be reheated and fed later. But avoid storing it for over a day to prevent any bacterial growth and contamination. Store the meat puree in a freezer-safe container and before reheating the puree, let it thaw in some warm water. Never freeze thawed puree again since it may lead to an unpleasant taste due to bacterial activity.
You may come across packaged meat-based foods specially made for babies. This could be plain packaged meat or meat made into a preparation like chicken gravy. While these are formulated for young ones, they can never match the safety of fresh meat. The primary reason is the fact that this meat is packaged and manufacturers may add high quantities of sodium as a preservative.
If you want to be safe and benefit the most from meat, then stick to fresh meat processed at home.
Remember, meat is a great source of nutrients and even makes an excellent finger food when your baby is completely weaned. However, start with small quantities so that you need not have to worry about allergic reactions in your baby. Keep a close watch and see a doctor if you think there are any signs of allergy. Also, do not introduce meat with some other new food. One new food at a time is the best way forward.
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Article was originally posted on Momjunction
