Posted by EightNine on Feb 10th 2011

After you give birth to your baby you are faced with the challenge and exciting adventure of choosing the best food for him. Breast milk or formula are the most recommended foods in the first year of your baby life. Baby feeding is very easy and only becomes a bit complex when the baby starts to feed on solids.

What is important in the early days is good nutrition and development. This is the time to develop good and healthy eating habits. When you feed the little one you want to make sure that he gets all the necessary nutrients in his diet. The information provided below will help you make the best decisions on how and when to feed a little one from birth until he becomes a toddler.

During the first six months breast milk is the best, because it has got all the nutrients that the baby needs. The infant can digest the breast milk easily so that he does not suffer from complications like constipation and diarrhea. In addition to that it has been known to help in strengthening the immune system and has got some antibodies that help the baby combat a lot of potential diseases and illnesses. Some experts suggest that if the little one is feeding exclusively on breast milk you must also give him daily supplements of vitamin D; the choice is entirely up to you.

Some may choose not to breast feed and use formula. Before you start using formula you must make sure that it contains iron and all the necessary nutrients. The formula must not cause constipation or diahorrea, if this happens then you should stop immediately and consult your pediatrician who might be able to suggest another type of formula. The good thing about infant formulas is that there is quite a range that you can choose from.

After the first six months you might want to consider introduction of solids. You can choose to feed him with home cooked foods like soups, vegetables, mashed potatoes or butternut, cheese, eggs and mashed fruit just to mention a few. The choice is entirely yours. These solids can be taken whilst the baby is still feeding on either breast milk or formula.

Feeding does not require any skill, anyone can do it. In order to avoid unnecessary expenses, it is always good to feed the little one with what you can afford. You can give him home made food and vegetables from your own garden. The little tummies do not demand much, all they need is a well balanced diet.

When preparing the babys food always make sure that all his bottles and other utensils are sterilized, washing alone is not enough. You can microwave or just steam the food as compared to boiling so that you do not take away the rich nutrients by boiling.

Remember that you must always avoid small pieces like nuts for example as they can be dangerous to babies, they can get choked. Give the food time to cool a bit before you can serve. Make sure you wash you hands before you prepare or serve babys food.

In any case it is important to note that parents can determine the kind of food that they want to feed their baby with. However it is important to know the type of food against the stage of development or the age. Although you can continue to feed the baby with milk up to two years, from one year they can eat and enjoy most meals and foods that the whole family is having.