The dietary needs of infants are quite different from older children or adults. Understanding the importance of infant nutrition and what components are needed for a healthy baby can help parents ensure that their child's nutritional needs are met.
Early Foods
A newborn requires specific nutrients in specific ratios in order to thrive--a balance found in perfect proportions in his mother's breast milk. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to at least six months of age. While breast milk is the optimal food for infants, formulas are available for moms who can't, or choose not to, breastfeed. These infant formulas mimic the basic nutritional profile of breast milk that ensures the health of the child, but it lack some components, such as the living immune cells present in breast milk, which cannot be replicated by science. Breastfeeding throughout infancy and into toddlerhood will continue to provide the baby with a healthy diet until he is weaned.
Nutrients
Most of the nutrients necessary for a baby's early development are present in breast milk and commercial formula. These include adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals such as calcium and iron. Once a baby begins to eat solid foods, which parents can start to introduce to their child any time between 4 and 12 months, parents should ensure that these two nutrients in particular are provided. Infant cereals are often fortified with iron. Continuing to use breast milk or formula as the sole source of liquid nutrition in an infant's diet should provide an adequate level of calcium for the baby, even after he has begun to eat solid foods.
Supplements
Many pediatricians now recommend that breastfed babies receive supplements of vitamin D. This vitamin is usually produced by the body during exposure to sunshine and can be passed through the mother's milk. However, many nursing moms avoid frequent exposure to direct sunlight or live in areas with insufficient sun and as a result are deficient in vitamin D and may not have enough for their baby. Instead of exposing mom or baby to more sun, which can up the risk of skin cancer and sunburns, supplemental vitamins in liquid form are available for infants. Infant formulas are generally fortified with vitamin D.
Foods to Avoid
There are foods that should be kept out of an infant's diet, even after introducing him to solid foods. Before age six months, an infant should not drink anything other than breast milk or formula, and this should remain his primary source of liquid until at least one year of age. After six months of age, small sips of water can be given if the baby is thirsty, in addition to his regular intake of formula or breast milk. Parents should avoid giving infants honey, raw eggs and cow's milk until after a baby's first birthday. Food cut into small pieces can pose a choking hazard for babies.
Dangers
A baby who doesn't receive enough food or who is fed a diet lacking in the nutrients he needs can fail to grow and develop normally. This condition, called failure to thrive, is the result of malnutrition and can often be remedied by providing an appropriate diet.
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