L813-Baby Food Myths You Shouldn’t Believe.
Nowadays, there’s a lot of conflicting information on the
best baby food. And many mothers are bombarded with all sorts of
nutritional information. As such, choosing the right food can be daunting.
Although the World
health organization (WHO) recommends that you wean your baby at six months,
food-related myths prevent mothers from feeding their babies as required.
For this reason, this article will discuss baby food myths that you
shouldn’t believe.
- Introduce
vegetables first then fruits later on
Most people believe that you should first introduce your
baby to vegetables, but this isn’t true. If you give your baby fruits first,
they are likely to reject or hate vegetables. Besides, they are sweeter than
vegetables. However, there are no facts about this, and you should avoid
allergy-causing foods and any other food that is unsuitable for the baby.
- Giving your
baby fruit juice is similar to providing fruits and vegetables
Pure fruit juice contains vitamins essential for the optimal
growth of your baby. But, this shouldn’t substitute fresh fruits and
vegetables, which contain lots of fiber. If your baby takes a lot of fruit
juice, they may not feed well since it has a lot of calories and natural sugar.
So, it’s advisable to give the bay lots of water and a variety of fruits and
vegetables instead. If at all you have give pure fruit juice, dilute it with a
lot of water.
- You should
introduce solids early.
Most mothers believe that you should give the baby solid
food to avoid problems in the future. Failing to do so will make your baby
refuse some food types in the future. However, this is one of the baby food myths; you should
introduce solids at the age of six months.
Starting solids at 4 months or earlier makes the baby unable to digest the food entirely and can easily suffer from diarrhea. Your child will get used to a wide variety of foods once you introduce when you introduce them gradually but at the right time.
- Breastmilk
contains insufficient iron.
You should exclusively breastfeed your baby or give
formula for the first six months of life. However, some people presume that
breastmilk contains fewer amounts of iron, making it necessary to offer solid
foods even when the baby is too young. Breastmilk contains lesser amounts of
iron than formula, but it’s readily absorbed.
On the other hand, you need to up the iron in the formula to ensure that the baby absorbs enough. Moreover, introduce your baby to solid food at the right time and offer iron-rich foods for additional iron.
- All babies
require vitamin supplements
A healthy diet should supply your baby with all the
essential nutrients. Vitamin supplements may not be necessary if you feed your
baby with a food rich in energy and protein. But, a child with poor eating habits
or from needy families can supplement their diet with micronutrients. Your
choice of food affects the quality of your breastmilk, and your doctor may
prescribe prenatal vitamin supplements if you’re breastfeeding.
- You
shouldn’t wean your baby with any other food apart from rice.
Rice cereal is associated with numerous benefits. It
rarely causes allergies; it’s smooth, mixes easily and is an ideal baby first food. However,
this doesn’t mean that you can’t start with other food types like pumpkin or
strained apples. When introducing solids to
baby, you can give different types of food as long as it’s safe and isn’t likely to cause a reactions.
- Growth
hormones in milk or meat can make your child fat.
Nowadays, kids have a sedentary lifestyle and
calorie-rich diets and are likely to be obese. Sadly, most parents blame this
on growth hormones. Although they are useful in increasing milk production and
lean muscle in cows, hormone products are safe. Hormones consumed in meat or
milk are broken down and later digested and do not affect your baby’s weight.
Final thoughts
Your choice of diet plays a notable role in the health of
your baby. Seek information on the right food to give your baby from a
professional and shun any baby
food myths that should hinder you from feeding your baby rightly. By so
doing, your baby will thrive and will be likely to fight off infections.