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Give Your Baby a Kick Start to Healthy Eating and Fitness II

Last Updated: January 24, 2008 | Related resource areas: Parenting

Give Your Baby a Kick Start to Healthy Eating and Fitness

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Don’t force your baby to eat more than she wants. She will let you know when she has had enough. Fat babies are not healthy babies. Researchers believe that babies who gain too much weight in their early months may have more problems with their weight as they grow older. If you think your baby is gaining too much or not enough weight, talk to your doctor.

Pay attention to your baby’s cues. She will know when she has had just the right amount. Never put your baby on a diet!

When your baby is hungry, she may:

  • Wave her arms and legs
  • Open her mouth or reach for the food
  • Fuss and look around

When your baby is full, she may:

  • Push away or play with the bottle
  • Hold her mouth tightly shut

Many doctors recommend that babies do not start eating cereals or other solid foods until they are 6 months of age. The reason is that babies do not have full mouth and tongue control yet and will usually push solids out with their tongues.

Another reason to avoid solid foods is that your baby may not have control over her head and neck. Semi-liquid and solid foods should not be given to your baby before she can sit up with support and has head and neck control. Check with your doctor or nurse before starting solid foods.

For now, breast milk is the best food for your baby, as is the fortified formula your doctor has recommended. Babies don’t usually need extra water. They get all they need in breast milk or formula.




Next: Some Babies Begin to Teethe About Now >>

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Joyce on 03.04.08 at 08:04 AM
What if the babay is not getting enough when he is 5weeks only eat bottlefeed how can I do.
H. Marissa Stone on 03.09.08 at 05:23 PM
The first thing you may want to do is take your baby to the doctor to ensure the formula you are feeding your baby is the right formula for your baby's little digestive system. There are many different formulas on the market today and you may find that he does better on a formula different from the one you are currently using. If he is "a sleeper," a baby who likes to sleep a lot (even through mealtimes), you may need to begin waking him up to feed him more often. A bottle fed baby should eat at least every 3-4 hours. If he is sleeping for 5-10 hours or more during the day he will not get enough nutrients to maintain his body weight and therefore will not grow and develop normally. To wake your baby up for a feeding, you may need to use a wet washcloth and wash his face or remove his clothing and play with his feet to get him up and moving. Chances are he will not like this very much but getting him up even if he is crying will stir his appetite and make him want to eat. Again speak to your doctor about his eating habits and about your concerns. Your doctor should be able to put you in contact with a consultant if you need more help to get your baby eating properly. In the future you may want to use our Ask The Expert section to ask a question by clicking on the link "Try asking one of our Experts" above. If you do not want to use the Ask the Expert system, please provide us with an email where you can be reached so that we may better serve you and your growing family. Thank you!

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