What milk should i give my baby

They also have more sodium and less protein than milk. But if your child is over a year, doctors recommend offering milk in a regular cup alongside meals and snacks. Using a cup will help them learn to drink and encourage healthy cheek, bone and jaw development—not to mention healthier teeth. Toddlers who are attached to their bottles and sippy cups may drink more milk than they need. But not every baby or toddler likes to drink milk. Breast milk contains a unique mix of fatty acids, lactose, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other important factors that combine to make the perfect infant food.

It has everything a baby needs for easy digestion, brain development, and protection from illness and infections. Breastfeeding is also healthy for mom , reducing risk of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and osteoporosis. For the first 6 months, breast milk is all your baby needs to meet his or her nutrition needs. If you wean your baby before 12 months of age, be sure to give an iron-fortified formula. Breastfeeding should continue until your baby is 12 months old and after as long as baby and mom would like to continue.

Your breastfed baby also needs vitamin D supplementation when exclusively breastfeeding or mostly breastfed. Babies can become vitamin D deficient, especially in the winter when sun exposure is low. Vitamin D is important for bone health. Your baby should be taking IU of vitamin D daily. Feel free to talk to your baby's doctor about vitamin D. Safe storage of breast milk can extend the life of your breast milk and help keep your baby safe. Milk can be stored safely at room temperature for several hours, and in the refrigerator for several days.

Carefully freezing breastmilk can allow you to preserve your milk for months. It may seem like breastfeeding is natural and it should "come naturally.

Here are some places to find support while breastfeeding:. Infant formula is also a safe, healthy way to feed your baby. In some health situations, your pediatrician may recommend it. Infant formula that you can buy in stores must meet well-defined standards established by the U. Food and Drug Administration, and have the nutrition your baby needs to be healthy. If you have questions about which formula to use , please discuss the options with your pediatrician.

Note that your formula-fed baby most likely does not need any vitamin D or other vitamin supplementation as all vitamins are included in infant formula. Around 2 months of age, most babies will begin to stretch out their sleeping at night to hours. As long as they are growing well and still having an adequate number of wet and poopy diapers, it is fine to let them sleep and not wake them up to feed.

They will compensate for these longer stretches by taking more at other feeding times. Breast milk or formula is far more nutritious than any solid food you could give your baby. Wait until your baby shows signs that they are ready. Some babies are ready around 4 months. When you do start solid foods, keep in mind that solids are not nutrition at this age. Solid foods at this age are for taste and the practicing the mechanics of a new texture. The science and opinion about food allergies and prevention have changed in recent years.

New studies show that delayed introduction of peanuts increases the risk for developing peanut allergy. For most infants, it is now recommended that foods containing peanuts be introduced, along with other varieties of solid foods, between 4 and 11 months. If there is a strong family history of food allergies or your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy, he or she should be tested for a peanut allergy first.

Most other babies, even those with mild to moderate eczema, are encouraged to start foods containing peanuts. One way to introduce foods containing peanuts is to add peanut powder to cereal. You can also mix peanut butter in pureed fruit like applesauce or infant cereal. Talk to your pediatrician if you notice signs of a food allergy such as vomiting, diarrhea, or rash after eating a new food. If your baby ever has facial swelling or trouble breathing after eating a food, call immediately.

And remember, whole peanuts are a choking hazard to children under 4 years of age. Around 8 months is a good time to introduce finger foods — small, soft, bite-size pieces of food. Let your baby touch, smell, and taste many different kinds of foods. Be patient, though, because your baby may take longer to eat now that they are becoming more independent. At 1 year of age, babies can switch to whole cow's milk. It is important to use whole milk because children under 2 years of age need the extra fat for brain development.

When it comes time to wean from nursing, your baby can also start to take whole milk. Turn off more accessible mode. Skip Ribbon Commands. Skip to main content. Turn off Animations. Turn on Animations. Our Sponsors Log in Register. Log in Register. Ages and Stages. Healthy Living. Safety and Prevention. My recommendation is to think of coconut milk as just a high fat food. Hemp beverage looks pretty good when it comes to the amount of fat and protein it provides. So ensuring you provide your toddler with a bit extra Vitamin D supplementation, as well as either a calcium supplement or multiple foods high calcium and B12 a few times a day is recommended.

However, the main issue I take with soy milk is that soy contains phytoestrogens, which mimic estrogen in the body. Although studies are not entirely conclusive as to whether or not these phytoestrogen significantly affect our hormone levels in our bodies, I would avoid drinking soy milk daily as the main source of liquid nutrition.

Rice beverage has essentially non-existent levels of protein. For this reason alone, I would never recommend using a rice cereal for your baby on a daily basis, and because of the lack of nutrients it contains, it should also not be used as a main source of drinkable nutrition. If and when choosing a milk substitution for your baby, it is best to consider whether or not you can make up for the missing nutrients via diet.

Consider the following:. Is my baby a good eater? Is he or she very picky? Does she need extra calories via fat in milk? Can I offer supplementing foods with the missing nutrients consistently? Providing your child with these options daily will help them get the levels of nutrients that are necessary for proper growth and development. However, I should say this: it is often easier said than done! It can be hard to make sure you are being consistent in giving your child enough of these foods and that they will actually eat them … and these are not nutrients you want to be skimping on!