What is feeding? Many will find this question strange and answer simply: feeding is feeding. But in relation to the baby, everything is much more complicated. Baby feeding is not just a child’s absorption of food and satisfying hunger. In the first months of the life of a newborn baby, especially if he is breastfed, this is a real sacrament, a time when a mother devotes herself to only her baby, when, like during pregnancy, they become one. That is why, even if the baby is artificial, only the mother should feed him, gently hugging and stroking the baby in the process of feeding. So he will feel no less protected than the baby eating his mother’s milk. For older children, nutrition should also consist not only in the selection of healthy foods, but also in the proper organization of the feeding process itself.
Natural feeding
What is baby feeding? This is, first of all, proper nutrition, which provides not only the harmonious development and growth of the baby, but also lays the foundation for its good health and resistance to various infectious diseases and the adverse effects of the environment. Of course, breast milk is an ideal food for a newborn, and mother should do everything possible to maintain lactation. The benefits of breastfeeding are obvious. This is primarily the unique biological properties of human milk, which has a balanced composition, which ensures good absorption of it by the child's body. In addition, it contains many biologically active substances that are important for the proper development of the child.
Artificial feeding
Recently, one of the most urgent problems has been hypogalactia - decreased milk production by the woman’s breast. In this case, the child needs artificial feeding. The main task is to choose the optimal milk mixture that would meet all the requirements of a balanced and balanced diet. It is recommended that preference be given to adapted mixtures that are similar in composition to human milk. They contain all the nutrients important for the growth and development of crumbs, as well as the required amount of vitamin and minerals. In addition, in such substitutes for breast milk, the ratio of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids is optimized.
Feeding Features
What is baby feeding? This is not only saturation of the child, but also the mandatory observance of hygiene rules. We all know from childhood that hygiene is the key to health. With regard to crumbs, this is especially true. And if with older children this is more about body hygiene, then in the case of newborns, special attention is paid to hygiene of tableware.
Often young mothers, trying to somehow save time, put off washing the dishes for the evening. Nothing wrong with that, of course. But not in the case of dishes for the child. Feeding bottles and nipples must be washed and sterilized after each meal. Otherwise, the rapidly multiplying harmful bacteria can cause serious health problems.
Another organizational point is feeding time. All over the world they talk about the feasibility of feeding on demand. For a baby who is breastfed, this is ideal. Artificial kids should be on schedule. This is explained by the fact that milk formulas are much longer absorbed than breast milk. The interval between meals should be 3-3.5 hours. It is also recommended to cancel night feedings and adhere to a six-hour night break. With this schedule, the baby will feel full, and he will not have problems with the tummy.
Cooking food
For the proper development of a small organism, it is very important not only proper nutrition, but also the quality of the prepared food. For children under three years of age, the requirements for processing products are quite high. Indeed, at this age, the formation of body systems is not yet over, and non-compliance with the rules of cooking can provoke the development of diseases. For older children, these requirements are not so strict, but it is recommended to choose healthy and high-quality products. You should also limit the child’s consumption of food that could harm his body: spicy, salty, fatty foods. It is important to know that the baby is best fed with freshly prepared, preservative-free food, as its long-term storage helps to reduce the amount of nutrients and increase the number of decay products.
It is recommended to cook food for a child for a couple, and food can also be stewed and baked in the oven. However, with the steam cooking method, the maximum amount of nutrients is preserved. For babies, food should be wiped through a sieve or chopped with a food processor. Upon reaching the child 1.5-2 years, you can enter in his diet food that requires chewing. And you should not be afraid to give the baby solid food, otherwise in the future you can not avoid problems with chewing and swallowing. In addition to high-quality purified water, crumbs after a year you can offer natural compotes, juices, kefir. Coffee, carbonated drinks should not be given to the child. Children over three years old can be given cocoa with caution. Be sure to have vegetables and fruits in the baby’s daily diet, they contain the necessary trace elements, vitamins, and dietary fiber for the growing body. Giving them to the baby must be fresh, without cooking.
Finally
What is baby feeding? Feeding properly organized with high-quality and environmentally friendly products with strict observance of the rules of hygiene and cooking is the key to normal physiological and intellectual development, the foundation of good health and longevity.