Your child's nutritional needs change quickly during infancy and as he grows into a toddler. Meeting these needs consistently helps prevent health problems, allergies and nutritional deficiencies. Discuss your baby's nutritional needs with his pediatrician, particularly if he exhibits strange symptoms or is significantly over or underweight for his age.
Breastfeeding and Formula
Breast milk or formula provide all the nutrition your infant needs for the first 4 to 6 months of life. Newborns will nurse 8 to 12 times per day for the first month. Bottle-fed babies might require fewer feedings because it takes longer for them to digest formula than it does for breast milk. If you're breastfeeding, pay attention to your diet and consider continuing your prenatal vitamins to make sure you're getting enough vitamins and minerals. Offer your baby iron-fortified formula until his first birthday if you're exclusively bottle feeding. There are many types of formula available, and your doctor can help you decide which one is best for your baby depending on his specific needs. Most babies need about 2.5 oz. of formula for every pound of body weight each day, according to Baby Center. Decrease the number of bottles you offer your baby once he starts eating solid foods. By the time your baby is 6-months-old, he'll likely be drinking only 3 or 4 bottles per day with 7 to 8 oz. of formula in each bottle.
Solid Foods
Most babies are ready for solid foods when they're between 4 and 6 months old. You should continue to offer your baby breast milk or formula through the first year of life, but solid foods add additional iron, protein and vitamins to your baby's diet to help meet his increasing nutritional needs. Start with iron-fortified baby cereal mixed with breast milk or formula, but don't feed it to your baby through a bottle. After your baby is eating several tablespoons of cereal each day, introduce pureed fruits, vegetables and meats. You can prepare these foods yourself or purchase pre-packaged baby food.
Toddlers
Toddlers begin eating a varied diet and get nearly all of their nutritional requirements through solid foods and milk. You can begin giving your child cow's milk after his first birthday. Stick to whole milk to give your toddler the fats he needs for growth and brain development unless your pediatrician advises you to offer reduced-fat milk due to a health or weight concern. Cow's milk is low in iron, and your toddler needs about 7 mg of iron daily. Offer meat, poultry, beans, tofu or iron-fortified cereal to help meet this need. Include whole grains, vegetables and fruits as often as you can; aim for a menu that offers 1,000 to 1,400 calories per day with 30 to 35 percent of those calories coming from fat, recommends KidsHealth.
Considerations
Breastfeeding your baby for at least four months can reduce his risk of developing food allergies, explains the American Dietetic Association. Introduce new foods one at a time when your baby is young, so you can determine which food caused any strange symptoms. This is particularly important when offering your child peanuts, fish, eggs, fish, wheat, milk, shellfish or soy products, as these are responsible for 90 percent of food allergies in children, according to the American Dietetic Association. Meet with a nutritionist or discuss your baby's diet extensively with your pediatrician if you're raising a vegetarian or vegan child. Your baby may need iron-fortified foods or extra servings of protein from beans or fortified soy milk after he's 8 months old.
References
- KidsHealth: Breastfeeding FAQs: How Much and How Often
- BabyCenter; Diet for a Healthy Breastfeeding Mom; April 2010
- BabyCenter: Choosing the Best Baby Formula
- BabyCenter: How to Tell How Much Formula Your Baby Needs
- MayoClinic.com; Solid Foods: How to Get Your Baby Started; June 2011
- KidsHealth: Nutrition Guide for Toddlers
