Up till one it's just for fun!
From one till two, they'll copy you.
From two till three, just let them be.
From three till four, worry no more.
From four till five, just watch them thrive.
Also, the following stats will really reassure you that your baby is getting all the nutrition he needs during the beginning phases of introduction to solids. I've been wondering about this info for awhile, so was happy to stumble upon the information:
| Age | Nutrition & Calories from Breast Milk | "Solids" calories needed |
| 0-6 months | 100% | 200 |
| 6-8 months | 95% | 200 |
| 9-1 months | 93% | 300 |
| 12-24 months | 66% | 550 |
This means that for the first 8 months, your baby could eat just a slice of bread with butter and still be on target for caloric needs. Cool, huh?
Love the poem - very cute!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering where you got this information, re: stats, from?
I think it is important to note that the table works when the average intake of breastmilk remains consistent, ie: 500-600 ml of milk per day. I know many parents start dropping feeds and replacing milk with meals once their babies start solids (and especially as they get bigger). If milk feeds are being 'dropped' then more nutrition (esp. iron and zinc) and calories will be needed from solids.
Hi, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteThat is an excellent point, and I agree 100%. The main thing I'm trying to drive home in this post is that milk feeds are still of utmost importance. Our culture places such a weird emphasis on solid foods, but milk is really all they need for the first year. We don't need to rush the growing up process! I still nurse Buttercup as often as I did (actually a bit more) than before we started solids.
Also, tragically, I only have a secondary source for the stats table. I'm still looking for the primary source...
When you find the source I would love it if you could send me a copy? Been looking for something similar too :-)
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with your point about the importance of the milk feeds. This is why the World Health Organisation calls it "Complementary Feeding". To highlight the fact that milk is the main source of nutrition in the first year and that food is complementary (not a replacement). It doesn't really help when you have pediatricians telling mothers that breastmilk has no value after 6 months (I have heard this from fellow mums in Hong Kong). I still nurse my son too (he's 9.5 months) and have been following his cues about how much he wants. Now that he is a bit bigger he is much more interested in food rather than wanting lots of milk.
Well, it's shocking how little training pediatricians receive in breastfeeding and infant nutrition. Our La Leche leader said she has another leader friend who is a pediatrician, and they weren't told ANYTHING about breastfeeding in medical school. Yet, most moms take pediatricians' advice as law and don't research for themselves. I figure if my body is tailor-making food for my baby it's gotta be vastly superior to anything else she's going to get. I plan to breastfeed as long as possible!
ReplyDeleteYou're in Hong Kong? Awesome!