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| Main > Nutrition > Infant > Feeding Your Infant |
Infant Nutrition
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Two Months
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| Your baby will get all of his nutrition from breast milk or an iron fortified infant formula until he is four to six months old. There is no need to supplement with water, juice or cereal at this time. He should now be on a more predictable schedule and will probably be nursing or drinking 5-6 ounces of formula every 3-4 hours.
Feeding practices to avoid are putting the bottle in bed or propping the bottle while feeding, putting cereal in the bottle, feeding honey, introducing solids before 4-6 months, or heating bottles in the microwave.
Also, avoid the use of low iron formulas, which are nutritionally inadequate to meet the needs of a growing infant. These types of infant formula do not contain enough iron and will put your child at risk for developing iron deficiency anemia (which has been strongly associated with poor growth and development and with learning disabilities). Iron fortified formulas do not cause colic, constipation or reflux and you should not switch to a low iron formula if your baby has one of these problems.
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Four Months
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| At this age, breast milk or formula is the only food that your baby needs and he should be taking 5-6 ounces 4-6 times each day (24-32 ounces), but you can start to familiarize your baby with the feel of a spoon and introduce solid baby foods. See the Guide to Starting Solids for more information, especially if your child is at risk for developing food allergies. Cereal is the first solid you should give your baby and you can mix it with breast milk, formula or water and feed it to your baby with a spoon (not in a bottle). Start by feeding one tablespoon of an iron-fortified Rice cereal at one feeding and then slowly increase the amount to 3-4 tablespoons one or two times each day. This is a very important source of iron for your growing infant (especially if you are breastfeeding). You can then start with vegetables at about six months of age.
Your baby will probably have given up middle of the night feedings by this age. If not, slowly reduce how much you are putting in the bottle each night and gradually stop this feeding all together.
Feeding practices to avoid are putting the bottle in bed or propping the bottle while feeding, putting cereal in the bottle, feeding honey, using a low-iron formula or heating bottles in the microwave.
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Six Months
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| While continuing to give 4-5 feedings of breast milk or formula (24-32 ounces) and 4 or more tablespoons of iron fortified cereal each day, you can now start to give well-cooked, strained, or mashed vegetables or commercially prepared baby foods. Start with one tablespoon of a mild tasting vegetable, such as green beans, peas, squash or carrots and gradually increase to 4-5 tablespoons one or two times each day.
Start fruits about a month after starting vegetables and again, gradually increase to 4-5 tablespoons one or two times each day. You can use peeled, cooked, or canned fruits (but only those packed in light syrup or water) that have been blenderized or strained. You can also begin to offer 4-6 ounces of 100% fruit juices. Start by mixing one part juice with two parts of water and offer it in a cup only. Delay giving finger foods or meat and other protein foods until infants are eight to nine months old.
To avoid having to supplement with fluoride, prepare powdered/concentrated formula with fluorinated tap water. If you are using ready-to-feed formula, or bottled or filtered water only, then your baby may need fluoride supplements.
Your baby will probably have given up middle of the night feedings by this age. If not, slowly reduce how much you are putting in the bottle each night and gradually stop this feeding all together.
Feeding practices to avoid are putting the bottle in bed or propping the bottle while feeding, putting cereal in the bottle, feeding honey, using a low-iron formula, offering juice in a bottle or heating bottles in the microwave.
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Nine Months
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| While continuing to give 3-4 feedings of breast milk or formula (24-32 ounces) and 4 or more tablespoons of cereal, vegetables and fruit one or two times each day, you can now start to give more protein containing foods. These include well-cooked, strained or ground plain meats (chicken, beef, turkey, veal, lamb, boneless fish, or liver), mild cheese, peanutbutter, or egg yolks (no egg whites as there is a high chance of allergic reactions in infants less than 12 months old). If using commercially prepared jars of baby food, do not use vegetables with meat as they have little meat and less protein and iron than jars with plain meat. Start with 1-2 tablespoons and increase to 3-4 tablespoons once each day. If your baby doesn't seem to like to eat plain meat, then you can mix it with a vegetable that they already like as you offer it.
You should start to offer soft table foods and finger foods at this age. Give soft, bite-size pieces of food, such as soft fruit and vegetable pieces, pastas, graham or saltine crackers, and dry cheerios, but do not give these foods if the child is going to be unattended in case of choking. Over the next three months your baby's diet will begin to resemble that of the rest of the families, with 3 meals and 2 snacks each day. You can also give4-6 ounces of 100% fruit juice in a cup.
To avoid having to supplement with fluoride, prepare powdered/concentrated formula with fluorinated tap water. If you are using ready-to-feed formula, or bottled or filtered water only, then your baby may need fluoride supplements.
Your baby will probably have given up middle of the night feedings by this age. If not, slowly reduce how much you are putting in the bottle each night and gradually stop this feeding all together.
Feeding practices to avoid are changing to regular milk before your child is twelve months old, putting the bottle in bed or propping the bottle while feeding, feeding honey, using a low-iron formula, offering juice in a bottle or heating bottles in the microwave.
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Twelve Months
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| You may now give your baby homogenized whole cow's milk. Do not use 2%, low fat, or skim milk until your child is 2-3 years old. Your baby's diet will begin to resemble that of the rest of the families, with 3 meals and 2 snacks each day. You should limit milk and dairy products to about 16-24 oz each day (in a cup or bottle) and juice to 4-6 oz each day (offered in a cup only) and offer a variety of foods to encourage good eating habits later. Your child should want to feed himself with his fingers and a spoon or fork and should be able to drink out of a cup. The next few months will be time to stop using a bottle. Remember that your baby's appetite may decrease and become pickier over the next few years as his growth rate slows. Your baby will probably have given up middle of the night feedings by this age. If not, slowly reduce how much you are putting in the bottle each night and gradually stop this feeding all together.
To avoid having to supplement with fluoride, use fluorinated tap water. If you are using bottled or filtered water only, then your child may need fluoride supplements (check with the manufacturer for your water's fluoride levels).
Feeding practices to avoid are giving large amounts of sweet desserts, soft drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, sugarcoated cereals, chips or candy, as they have little nutritional value. Also avoid giving foods that your child can choke on, such as raw carrots, peanuts, whole grapes, tough meats, popcorn, chewing gum or hard candy.
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