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How much and how often to feed your
growing baby? This question will most likely pop up in your mind
whenever it's time to feed your baby. Here's a baby feeding schedule to
help give you a clearer picture on what and how to feed your baby.
Baby Feeding
Baby feeding can be a confusing process, especially if you are a new
parent. You may tend to overfeed your baby, because you may feel
nervous and overeager at times. On the other hand, you don’t want to
run the risk of underfeeding your baby as you may deprive him of the
nutrients needed for optimum growth.
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to baby feeding. The
important thing is to be aware of the nutritional and development goals
you want to achieve at different stages of your baby's life. Follow the
general baby feeding schedule below for each stage of your baby to help
you stay on the right track.
Feeding of 4 to 6 months old Baby
- Introduce rice cereals first. Slowly incorporate other varieties of
cereal such as oatmeal and barley.
- Continue feeding your baby breast milk
on demand.
- Continue breast feeding and introduce
iron-fortified foods at six months.
- Offer strained meats, soft table foods
and finger foods. Remember to slice the foods into small pieces.
Feeding of 6 to 9 months old Baby
- Introduce different types of protein. Start with egg white and later
introduce other meat, such as fish and chicken. Mix the meat with
vegetables.
- As your baby approaches his first
birthday, his day should revolve around a normal eating schedule with
regular meals and snacks in between meals.
- Familiarize your baby with different
food types so that he can get used to different flavors and textures.
Feeding of 6 to 12 months old Baby
- Wean your baby gradually from breast milk to cow's milk as he is
approaching 1 year old.
- Establish a regular routine of three
meals and two nutritious snacks for optimum nutrition.
- Limit fruit juice consumption. Dilute juice with water.
- Increase the quantity of table foods and finger foods as well as put
your baby on a feeding schedule similar to the rest of the family.
- Offer foods that are moderate in fat, salt and sugar, and are
minimally processed.
- Feed your baby three servings of milk or other dairy products daily
to help him meet his calcium needs.
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