How To Feed Your Baby?

When I got pregnant for the first time, I was really excited. I love reading a lot, so I began to fill my free time reading health magazines and related books. Of course, like every expectant mom, I also had some tensions and anxious thoughts. However, nothing bad happened, and I became the mother of a cute little angel.

I was very particular about the food that I used to give her. Many people told me to give her tinned foods, but as I was not very sure about the quality and credibility of such artificial items, I decided to seek advice from a doctor. Fortunately, for me, our family doctor recommended a good pediatrician. He was a very experienced person in his profession. He gave some excellent advice for me and my baby. 

From my experience, I would like to share with you some thoughts related to baby health care. The expert's first advice was about breastfeeding. As we all know, breast milk is the key nutritious product. So at least for two years, you should breastfeed your baby. For the first four months, breast milk alone is all that is needed.  You need to feed the baby once in every two hours. For the production of breast milk, the mother should eat sufficient nutrients. Drumstick leaves are good sources of breast milk production. Include enough drumstick leaves in your daily menu. Have four glasses of milk daily. Eat iron- and calcium-rich foods. 
After four months, you can introduce semi-solid foods. I appreciate my doctor's valuable advice here. Thank God! He was totally against tinned foods and other artificial food items. Today, for many reasons, a lot of parents depend upon such easy methods.

But there are some drawbacks which every parent should know about artificial foods. 

a. Most tinned foods contain artificial preservatives and a lot of sugar particles. Though they claim many things, these ingredients may cause mucus or other troubles if we give them to babies over a long period. Not only that, as it is very tasty, and it has a lot of sweetness, babies love eating it, but they may not show interest in eating plain foods and vegetables. However, for traveling purposes and so on, we may have to give them tinned foods, but it is better to avoid it for regular use. Remember, it is reported that, in many cities, today's doctors stopped prescribing artificial food for babies. 

b. If you have enough breast milk, avoid giving formula milk or cow’s milk to your baby, until she turns one year. I know there are many people who give cow’s milk in the early months. It is good, but actually, the animal fat is very difficult to digest in the human body, so it can cause allergies or even loose motions. In some children, the cow’s milk will cause mucus formation. 

c. Introduce raagi, raw banana powder, wheat, oats etc. As per my doctor’s advice, I gave raagi and raw banana powder. I used jiggery instead of sugar. Jiggery is rich in iron and never produces any troubles. I never used cow’s milk to prepare these and only used water and jiggery. 

d. You can introduce steamed fruits like steamed banana, apple, pineapple, etc. 

e. Mashed and boiled vegetables are also very good.

f. After six months, you can slowly introduce mashed rice and other plain foods like idli, dosa etc. 

g. It is better to avoid bakery items and other junk foods in that period. I know that after three or four years, it is not very easy to keep the child away from such temptations. However, you can teach them to eat high quality food items. In other words, it is your duty to give them proper knowledge about good eating habits. Sprouts, boiled vegetables, dried fruits and other homemade items should be plentifully included in their diet. If they get enough nutrition in the early years, it will reflect well in their health, intelligence, and even in their behavior!

From my experience, I can say that these tips will be very helpful for all. If you wish for a healthy child, feed your little one responsibly and be a good mother to your brilliant son or daughter.