Baby Nutrition Care

This article was written by referring to Yahoo Answers.

Many parents are concerning about their babies. A question has been brought up in a discussion :

How come your not supposed to give a baby salt, but you could give them things such as cheese, which is you look at the ingredients salt is an added ingredient, and its loaded with it? some insight please thanks a million!

Here are the comments and suggestions :

1. Personally I would not give my baby cheese, at least not large amounts. Baby’s drink breast milk or formula till a year! I always wait till a year old to start things like milk, cheese and treats like ice cream. I would think it might make their stomach upset along with causing some constipation for baby. Constipation for baby is bad too. Nothing is worse then a baby who cant go number 2 other then maybe colic. They get cranky , fussy and it just plain hurts! As far as salt I believe it has more to do with introducing food without added flavoring. That way they will begin to like foods for what they taste like and eat things like green beans. Otherwise a baby would possibly begin to only like food with additives such as salt, pepper, and sugar. They even could develop a preference and decide they do not want to eat the vegetables and babies need the vitamins for growing and having strong bones! Hope that helps and good luck!
2. I just talked to my pediatric specialist about this earlier today since my son is 7 months old (premie). And he explained that a babies stomach is unable to digest Milk or derivatives of milk, and can cause bleeding otherwise know as an occult, not sure if that’s how you spell it. He also told me that in his 44 yrs of work that it is ok after they are 8 months and 1 week (he has never seen a child past that age suffer from one) to then give them milk products but not milk alone. This allows the digestive system to get used to the enzymes and breakdown the food. Milk alone shouldn’t be given until the baby is 12 months or older. Hope this helps!!
3. Good point! The thing is with cheese is a little goes a long way, and it’s a dairy product that is okay for under 12 months – but yes cheese has a lot of salt, but a whole lot less then canned vegetables or chips.
4. They need it for the calcium.that is toddlers not babies.you give a baby cheese and you might constipate them.their system isn’t able to process it yet.not to mention the choke factor.
5. I thought babies weren’t supposed to have any dairy products until they are at least 1 year old because the stomach can’t handle digesting it…

Generally, cheese is not only safe, but is a healthy food for babies.  It’s packed with calcium and is a great source for vitamins A, D and B12.  For vegetarian families raising children on a meatless diet, cheese can prove a great alternative source for vitamin B12, a nutrient commonly derived from meat sources.

Babies like it too.  Most cheese products come with a rich and full flavor, allowing it to be incorporated into many tasty meals.  Even better, it’s very easy to prepare.  You can:

• cut up firm cheeses and serve as finger food or mix them into meals
• grate it and stir into rice, pasta, soups, cereals and other dishes
• grill it and serve with bread
• mash it and mix with fruit purees like avocado
• incorporate when baking soft snacks like cookies and muffins

Most babies should be able to handle cheese made from pasteurized milk as early as the sixth month.  If a history of dairy allergy is present in your family, however, make sure to consult your child’s pediatrician first.  Bear in mind, though, that cheese is usually free from the milk protein that causes dairy allergy so it might not even be that big a concern.

Great cheeses you may want to consider for your baby’s diet includes swiss cheese, cheddar, parmesan, romano, colby, mozzarella, cream cheese, cottage cheese and romano.   Heavily processed cheese products found in groceries, while fine, usually has plenty of emulsifiers, additives and enhancers.  During their early years, it might be best to focus their diet on full-flavored “real” cheeses.

The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends that children age 1 to 3 years get about 40 calories per inch of height a day. This means that your 32-inch-tall toddler ideally should eat about 1,300 calories a day for normal growth and weight gain.

You should prepare balanced meals and healthy snacks for your toddler. Well balanced offerings, especially during snack time, will help you to overcome the inevitable lack of food intake during a meal. For example, if your toddler does not drink all of his milk at breakfast, give him cheese for a snack. If your toddler refuses to eat his meat at lunch, give him tofu bites dusted with Cheerio or Granola crumbs for a snack.

In these examples, while you may lament at the lack of calcium and protein intake during breakfast and lunch, you have taken the opportunity to “make up for it” during snack time!

Toss out the idea that your toddler will suddenly be eating “like the family” does! Remember, your toddler is still in a stage of slow-then-rapid-then-slow growth and is going through many changes! We find that feeding your toddler becomes less complicated and frustrating when parents realize what a serving size for a toddler really is.

When planning and serving meals to your toddler, try to have him/or her consume the following on a daily basis.

• 2 to 3 cups of calcium – milk (or yogurt, cheese or other calcium rich foods).
• 4 servings of fruits and vegetables. (Serving size: one tablespoon per year of age.) One serving should be high in vitamin C and another in vitamin A.
• 4 servings of grains – bread and cereal. One should be an iron-fortified baby cereal. A serving is about 1/4 to 1/3 an adult portion (1/4 slice toast, 1/4 cup pasta).
• 2 servings of proteins – meat, beans, eggs, tofu, or peanut butter. A good serving of protein should be served at every meal. One serving equals 1/2 ounce.