Start Solid Foods for Baby Pros and Cons

Are there whatever negative furnishings of exclusive breastfeeding for vi months?

It is of import to breastfeed exclusively (when possible) and bottle feed exclusively if you cannot breastfeed. In cases of iron-deficiency, instead of feeding your baby fe-rich food, supplemental fe is recommended because it is a much more concentrated source of atomic number 26. With other nutrient deficiencies (e.thousand. vitamins) the all-time way to ensure your baby gets more, is to ensure y'all eat more than. The vitamins and other micronutrients you eat are passed onto your babe in your breastmilk, and the higher your micronutrient intake, the higher the micronutrient content of your breastmilk.

Disadvantages of introducing solids for baby early on

Early on introduction of solid foods has nutritional, emotional and concrete disadvantages.

Increased risk of under nutrition

Babies who stop exclusive breastfeeding early on are more probable to be under-nourished. Breastmilk is the best source of nutrition and contains all the nutrients your infant needs to support its growth until six months of age. Formula milk is a close substitute. Both breast and formula milk are packed with nutrients, so that even though their little stomachs tin't hold much food, babies can get a proficient dose of vitamins from only a flake of breastmilk. Breastmilk is something like a natural vitamin supplement just for babies.

Nutrients are highly concentrated in breastmilk. Even healthy solid foods similar fruits, vegetables and meat comprise simply a fraction of the nutrients which are found in the same quantity of breastmilk. Regardless of the nutrient concentration of food, your babe can only eat a small quantity because their stomach is tiny. And so it is important that the small-scale amounts of nutrient they consume are nutrient-rich, like breastmilk.

Giving your baby solid foods before half-dozen months means replacing a highly concentrated source of nutrients (chest or formula milk) with a less concentrated course (meat or vegetable). If your babe starts eating solids too early, they will fill up up on these and not drink as much breast or formula milk. This means they will miss out on nutrients and energy which are vital for their growth. Early introduction of solids can also affect a woman's breastmilk supply and cause her to begin producing less breastmilk.

Over nutrition

baby-sleeping Feeding your infant solids before six months of historic period also increases the likelihood that they will develop problems with overeating, including nutritional disorders like obesity. If solids are given in addition to a full feed of chest or formula milk, a infant less than vi months old will be eating too much and they may get into a habit of eating too much. One study reported that formula-fed babies who started eating solids before four months of age were upward to half dozen times more likely to exist obese at iii years of age.

Emotional readiness for solid foods

You probably don't need to be told that breastfeeding is almost more providing your baby with the best possible nutrition. It'south an important time for mums and their babies to be together and get to know each other intimately. Breastfeeding plays a key role in developing a bond and helping baby develop emotionally. Canteen feeding also promotes intimacy with your babe. If yous introduce solids besides early, you volition probably breastfeed less and miss important moments as well bond with your babe.

Physical readiness for solid food

Information technology may seem obvious that y'all can't swallow solid food unless you lot can sit up, chew and swallow, but it's piece of cake for these and other aspects of a infant'southward concrete development to get lost when you lot're trying to decide whether or not your infant'due south ready for solids.

Jaw and mouth

If your baby's jaw and mouth have not properly developed and learnt the movements necessary to swallow food, feeding them solids volition not only be difficult, it could exist downright unsafe. Until their mouths develop the proper eating reflexes babies have an increased take chances of choking. Before well-nigh four months of age, baby's natural language reflex causes it to push button its tongue out when anything is inserted in its mouth and this prevents baby from swallowing solid food. While it's important to ensure your baby can concord its tongue in its mouth earlier you lot start feeding solids, this alone is not enough.

Gross motor functions

Another important component of eating is learning the process that goes with it, which involves sitting upward, taking food from a spoon and resting between mouthfuls. To do all these things that adults and older kids take for granted, babies need well developed gross motor office (functions controlled past large muscles). Developing the functions needed to support eating and the other behaviours that go hand in paw with information technology, lays the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating. Only many of these functions depend on baby having acceptable neck control and being able to sit up independently.

Feeding solid foods such as puree through a canteen with a wide nipple does non help them learn the process of sitting up to eat, so there is no reason to feed your baby in this mode, just so yous tin can become a few solids into them before six months. However, by half dozen months of age babies should have developed their large muscles enough to back up their own head and neck and exercise other eating things like moving their arms (even if they're still completely uncoordinated when it comes to property a spoon). Delaying introduction of solids at this time will but be a disadvantage as it will slow down your baby downwardly when information technology comes to them achieving evolution milestones like pulling and crawling.

Immune part and risk of infection

A immature baby'south immune organization is not properly developed at birth and this means information technology is more likely to get infections which tin can exist introduced through foods and drink. Complementary solid foods and even water comprise lots of nasties like leaner and parasites which breastmilk does not. Even though children and adults tin can ordinarily swallow and drink these things without worrying almost infections, babies cannot. They have not adult the antibodies and immune functions necessary to preclude the bacteria consumed in food causing a serious infection.

Introducing solids early on as well means introducing you baby to infectious organisms which crusade diarrhoeal disease (amongst others!) early. Breastmilk is hygienic and also transfers antibodies which protect against infection from your immune system to your infant's. These include immunoglobulins which forestall bacteria inbound cells in your baby's digestive tract and provide antibodies to diseases which you accept adult immunity to, white blood cells which kills micro-organisms and whey proteins which provide protection against bacteria and viruses.

Allergy and intolerance

Breastmilk helps protect against allergies and early introduction of solids increases the chance of allergies. While some guidelines recommend the introduction of solid foods between 4-6 months to reduce allergy risk, evidence to back up this is weak. Even if there was some do good in terms of allergies, the nutritional and other benefits of continuing breastfeeding exclusively until six months far outweigh whatsoever small-scale allergy-related benefits.

Digestive organisation

The components of baby'due south saliva which assimilate carbohydrates are completely absent until iii months of historic period and remain inadequate until baby reaches six months. Baby cannot properly digest carbohydrates plant in solid foods.

Kidney

The kidney is underdeveloped until six months of age and cannot cope with the sodium (salt) in solid foods.

Maternal health

There are many disadvantages for babies who terminate breastfeeding exclusively before they reach half dozen months of historic period. However mums who stop breastfeeding early are also disadvantaged.

Breastfeeding exclusively until your babe is six months old also has important benefits for mums. Virtually women have probably thought from fourth dimension to time that it would be and so much easier if they could but do abroad with monthly haemorrhage, PMS, period pain and all the other joys of catamenia (and probably more than a few of u.s. have idea virtually how nice merely to take sexual activity and not worry well-nigh falling pregnant!). Breastfeeding exclusively is merely about the just way you can make both these fantasies a reality- information technology supressed ovulation and catamenia which means no periods and no PMS and no pregnancy for vi months.

It all occurs because breastfeeding changes your hormones. Instead of producing oestrogen, progesterone and all the other hormones with make yous bleed, cry at the drop of a hat and feel groovy during the monthly cycle, your body focuses on producing the hormones needed to produce breastmilk. The process of producing breastmilk stimulates a hormone called prolactin, which reduces the levels of oestrogen and progesterone produced by the adult female's body. When levels of oestrogen and progesterone are low, your menstrual cycle is suppressed and you cannot fall pregnant. Women who stop breastfeeding early also have an earlier return to normal menstrual cycles and fertility.

Finally, breastfeeding (or expressing) is the only way to ensure your breasts go on producing milk. Infant's suckling during breastfeeding stimulates the production of more prolactin and further breastmilk and the more a baby suckles the more milk is produced. When a baby stops suckling or does not suckle as much, breastmilk production is decreased and yous may not produce enough breastmilk to satisfy your baby'southward nutritional needs, fifty-fifty if you lot are giving them other foods.

Infrequent cases in which exclusive breastfeeding is not recommended

There are a few infrequent cases in which women should not breastfeed their babies exclusively for six months. These include when the babe is born premature or the mother has severe nutritional problems. In add-on some babies may develop quickly and show signs that they are ready to kickoff solids before 6 months of age. In these cases solids should merely be introduced early with the advice of a doctor.

Observe out more about deciding whether or not your babe should start solids early

References

World Health Organisation. Guiding principles for feeding of the breastfed child. 2003. (cited 30 September 2013). Available from: (URL link)
Queensland Health. Introduction to Solids. 2008. (cited 13 September 2013). Available from: (URL link)
Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby'due south First Yr. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Proficient Books. Editors EH Kych, RV Johnson, WJ Cook. 2012. (Volume)
Department of Health and Ageing. Get up and grow: 2009. (cited 30 September 2013). Available from: (URL link)
Samour PQ, Helm KK. Handbook of Pediatric Nutrition. 3rd Ed. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 2005. (Book)
Age four months through seven months. Affiliate viii in Caring for your baby and young child. American Academy of Pediatrics. five^th Edition. SP Shelov and TR Altmann Editors. Bantam. 2009. (Volume)
World Health Arrangement. Infant and immature kid feeding: model chapter for textbooks for medical students and allied health professionals. 2009. (cited 13 September 2013). Available from: (URL link)
Anderson J. Confused about introducing solids? Australian Breastfeeding Clan. 2012. (cited 30 September 2013). Bachelor from: (URL link)
Pediatrics: A Primary Care Approach. 4^th Ed. Editor CD Berkowitz. American Academy of Pediatricians. 2011. (Book)
Section of Health- Western Australia. Baby's beginning foods. 2011. (cited 30 September 2013). Available from: (URL link)

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