Smart Nutrition for Immune Support

September 16th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments
Smart Nutrition for Immune Support

Food does more than keep us healthy; it also provides our bodies with the necessary tools to do the same. Good nutrition supports the body’s ability to fight off illness, balance good and bad bacteria, and prevent infection. While simply eating a healthy, balanced baby food diet comprised of all four food groups will definitely keep your baby’s body strong, there are certain foods that provide a special boost of defensive nutrients. These foods will help your baby to have a stronger and more effective immune system.

Immunity Boosting Vitamins

Most people know that vitamin C is a powerful fighter against illness. It increases the number of white blood cells, which are vital to fighting off infections and also helps your body create important antibodies. Making sure your baby is getting enough vitamin C can help prevent illness and also shorten those that can’t be avoided. Citrus fruits are great sources of vitamin C, but the acidity might be hard on your baby’s stomach. Choose other options that are also full of vitamin C such as papaya, kiwi, cantaloupe and strawberries.

Although it isn’t as well known as vitamin C, Vitamin E is also an important immunity booster that can keep your baby healthy. Vitamin E helps your body to create the cells that fight germs and even cancer. Vitamin E is found in grains, nuts and vegetable oils. Almonds are a great sources, so consider trading your peanut butter for almond butter – although peanut butter provides a good dose of vitamin E too. Another excellent source that is perfect for babies is avocado.

Other Antioxidants

In addition to vitamins E and C, which are both antioxidants, there is another powerful antioxidant that can provide an incredible boost to your baby’s natural defenses against illness. A group of phytonutrients known as caretenoids, specifically beta-carotene, are incredible immunity boosters. Beta-carotene helps the production of those important illness-fighting cells, as well as destroying free radicals, which can lead to all kinds of problems including cancer.

The body also uses beta-carotene to create vitamin A, another great immune boosting vitamin. All of the caretenoids in this family of nutrients have similar protective effects on the body and are thought to be one of the best cancer fighters around. Look to foods like carrots, mangoes, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.

Omega-3 fatty Acids

There has been a great deal of buzz around these essential fatty acids in recent years for good reason. Not only are they great for your heart, they also have immune boosting powers as well. Kids who get enough omega-3’s generally get fewer respiratory infections than those who don’t. Get these healthy fats in foods like fish and nuts. Almonds are on the best nut sources of omega-3’s, which makes another argument for almond butter as a peanut butter substitute. When choosing fish, look to choices like salmon, which is high in omega-3’s while low in mercury, which can be a danger in some fish sources.

The right baby foods really can make a difference in how often your child gets sick as well as the duration of illness. And it’s not just minor illnesses you will be helping your baby to avoid, but also far more serious problems both now and later in life. Supporting the body’s natural defenses against infection with these incredible immune boosters will keep your baby healthy and happy for a long time.

Which Foods Should be Withheld from Babies?

September 15th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments
Which Foods Should be Withheld from Babies?

Choosing the right baby foods for your baby can be a little complicated. In addition to choosing foods that are easy to digest, you also need to be on the lookout for potential allergens and some foods that are just downright dangerous. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to clear up the mystery of which foods baby can have early on, and which you should wait to offer until baby is a little older.

Introduction of Allergenic Foods

Some foods are known to carry a higher risk of an allergic reaction than others. Many of these foods are also more likely to result in a serious allergic reaction, rather than a mild one. Until recently, new parents were advised to delay the introduction of such highly allergenic foods as strawberries, eggs, peanuts and peanut butter in all children to avoid potentially serious allergic reactions. Recently, however, the AAP has changed their stance on this based on the new research. There is no indication that delaying allergenic foods has any impact on allergic reactions. Introducing these foods earlier may in fact be beneficial to babies.

There are exceptions to every rule, including every feeding rule. If there is a history of severe food allergies in your immediate family, especially yourself, your spouse or a sibling of the baby, it’s still a good idea to wait on potential allergens. Talk to your baby’s doctor about when to introduce these foods and how to do it safely.

Unless you have reason to be concerned, however, most children can be safely introduced to allergenic foods right along with other foods.

Cow’s Milk

The AAP recommends that you wait to introduce your baby to cow’s milk until after one year of age. There are a few reasons for this, but they are mostly related to nutrition and your baby’s immature digestive system. The balance of nutrients in cow’s milk does not meet your baby’s needs in some areas, and may exceed them in other areas. The protein in cow’s milk is very difficult for a baby’s digestive system to handle. Cow’s milk also blocks the absorption of iron in the system which can lead to anemia. It can cause widespread problems throughout your baby’s system.

After one year of age, as your baby weans off of breast milk or formula, it is ok to start giving cow’s milk. Stick to whole milk, which provides the fat your baby needs for proper development.

Other dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese, are ok to serve to baby prior to turning one. Because they are processed and broken down, they won’t cause the same problems as drinking milk can.

Avoiding Honey

Although a great natural sweetener that has been proven to have numerous health benefits, honey is unsafe for children under one year of age. It can contain botulism spores, which are generally harmless to older people, but can make a baby very sick and even be lethal.

After one year of age, it’s safe to start giving your baby honey as a sweetener or a very effective cough medicine.

If you are ever in doubt about the safety of a food for your baby, it’s best to check with your pediatrician before you try it. As babies have underdeveloped digestive and immune systems, things that don’t affect adults can make them very sick. Better safe than sorry is always the best rule of thumb.

Preparing Baby for Solids

September 14th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments
Preparing Baby for Solids

Every baby is just a little different as to when exactly they will be ready for solids. There is really nothing that can be done to quicken the process, because it requires the proper physical and cognitive development, and that will come only with time. There are some things you can do, however, to set the stage for your baby’s transition into the world of solid baby foods.

Bring Baby to the Table

Letting your baby join the family at the table for meals has many benefits. It will make your baby feel like part of the family, as well as allowing older siblings to feel that the baby is becoming a more active participant in family life. It will also give your baby an opportunity to observe and take in everything that is going on at the table.

Babies learn a lot by watching and imitating. Giving your baby the chance to watch how the older members of the family use utensils, chew, and swallow their food will give baby his first glimpse into what eating is, and how it is done. Simply pull baby’s high chair up to the table; or, if you really want him to feel a part of things, choose the type of high chair that straps on to a regular chair. Since baby isn’t eating yet, the tray won’t be necessary, which will allow him to be pulled even closer to the action.

Having baby at the table will give you an opportunity to watch for all of the signs of readiness for solids. You can observe how well he sits in his high chair, how stable his head is, and how much interest he shows in the process of eating. One of the important signs of readiness is when baby reaches for your food, and being at the table will allow him to display this sign and allow you to see it.

Give Baby a Spoon

Although the ability to hold a spoon doesn’t mean your baby is ready for solids – it will be a long time yet before she can feed herself in any real way – letting her hold a spoon and play with it will familiarize her with it. The opportunity to play with a spoon and also watch others at the table eating with one will help baby to make the connection. Give her a baby spoon that you plan to use when you do start solids, so she won’t be surprised by the appearance of something new and unfamiliar when the day comes.

Watch your baby for signs of imitating your eating behaviors. When she starts to bring the spoon to her mouth as though she is eating, this is a sign she might be getting ready to give solids a try. Don’t confuse this gesture with simply chewing on the spoon though! Especially if your baby is teething, the spoon will be a tempting object to chew on, and this doesn’t necessarily indicate readiness to start solids.

The AAP recommends starting solids at around 6 months old, but your baby may not yet be ready. Give her time to develop all of the physical skills needed to start eating new foods, and don’t push if baby isn’t ready. Instead, just introduce her to the idea of eating solids, and move on when she shows all the signs of being ready.

Introducing your Baby to Cereal

September 13th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments
Introducing your Baby to Cereal

The traditional first food for babies, infant cereal is a great choice because it is easy to digest, unlikely to cause an allergic reaction and can be made as thin or as thick as you would like. Of the cereals on the market, rice is usually the best bet for a first cereal as it is the least likely to provoke any kind of reaction in your baby’s system.

Choosing a Cereal

The baby food aisle can be a bit overwhelming for a first-time parent. Today there are more choices than ever before available and even picking a cereal isn’t as easy as it used to be. There are multiple brands on the shelves and you can also choose from cereals fortified with supplements like DHA and ARA (fatty acids linked to brain and eye development) as well as organic cereals.

It is probably best to start with the most basic cereal you can find. Since your baby’s first feedings with infant cereal are less about nutrition than about introducing the concept of solids, you don’t need to worry about things like supplements just yet. Your baby is getting all the required nutrition from breast milk or formula and should continue to do so throughout the first year.

Whether or not you choose an organic baby cereal is a personal decision. Organic baby foods do not contain any different nutrition than non-organic ones, and carry a heftier price tag. For some parents who strongly believe in an organic baby food diet, this extra money might be worth paying. Either way, stick with rice cereal for your baby’s first attempt at solids, and see how it goes before you try something else such as oatmeal.

The First Feeding

The first time you offer your baby an infant cereal, mix it very thin using breast milk or formula. Then offer a small amount on the tip of your clean finger. Try putting the cereal on baby’s bottom lip to allow him to get a taste before he decides to open his mouth for more. If he makes a face, don’t worry. The taste is new and the texture is different, and many babies will give their first cereal a funny look the first few times they taste it. However, if he clamps up tight and won’t try any more, don’t push it. Your baby may not be ready yet, or just isn’t in the mood to try. Give it another shot the next day, or wait a few more days before trying again.

Once you get your baby to take some cereal from your finger and he is showing interest in having more, you can bring out the spoon. Be sure to choose a rubber-tipped spoon that will be gentle on your baby’s gums. As before, start with a very small amount on the spoon, and offer it to your baby. He might not open his mouth right away, even if the finger-fed cereal was a hit. He isn’t quite sure what the spoon is all about. Again, try putting a dab of cereal on the bottom lip. When he tastes it and decides it’s all right, you can proceed with another spoonful.

Stick to very small amounts for the first few feedings, but gradually increase the portions as your baby shows more interest in eating. Be prepared for a mess! Your baby may spit baby food out, turn his head suddenly when the spoon nears, or even try to grab the spoon and send the contents flying! It’s all part of the adventure, so buckle in for the ride.

Balancing Solids with Breast Milk or Formula

September 12th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments
Balancing Solids with Breast Milk or Formula

When your baby starts on solid baby foods, the process of slowly replacing breast milk or formula is begun – but it is a long, slow process! In the first few months of solid feedings, your baby won’t really be eating enough solids to replace any of the feedings from the breast or bottle. As you add more solids this will change; but remember that your baby needs breast milk or formula to get all of the necessary nutrients for life up until one year of age. Be careful not to start replacing those important feedings with solids too soon.

The First Feedings

When you start offering your baby solids, the amount will be so small that it is highly unlikely to have any impact on the breast or bottle feeding schedule. Still, make certain to offer solids after baby has already fed from the breast or bottle to make sure solid feedings are secondary.

Early feedings are not really about nutrition. They are meant to help baby learn how to use his tongue to move food to the back of his mouth for swallowing, and to get used to using a spoon. The first feedings are introducing baby to new tastes and textures that will eventually be a bigger part of nutrition. At first, however, it’s more about practice, so keep solids to small portions once a day and don’t replace any bottle or breast feedings.

Increasing Solids and Weaning

Over the months, your baby will begin to eat more and more solids. From that first meal of a tiny portion of very thin cereal or fruit, your baby will add more foods, eat larger amounts, and have more servings every day. Finger foods will add a new element to nutrition as well as the process of learning to chew and swallow. As your baby moves up to two and three meals of solids a day as well as snacks, she will start to get a lot more nutrition out of solid feedings. Still, the majority of her nutrition is still being provided by breast milk or formula.

Even at 9-12 months of age your baby should only be getting about 25% of her nutrition from solid foods. At this point solids are helping to fill baby up after nursing or a bottle, offering complementary nutrition to what is being provided by the breast milk or formula. If you are planning to wean your baby at a year old, you can start increasing solids and dropping breast feeding right at then end of the first year. Weaning is best accomplished after baby turns one and not before, to make sure she continues to get those important nutrients right through the first twelve months.

Solids After the First Year

If you are planning to continue nursing into your baby’s second year, prepare for it to take a secondary role to solids. As your baby cuts more teeth and can chew more foods, she will keep adding larger amounts of solids and back away from breastfeeding. While you can extend breastfeeding well into the second year (and some go beyond) it will soon be mainly a comfort for baby rather than a main source of nutrition.

As you transition baby from breast or formula to milk, remember that milk should not be offered in the same amounts as formula or breast milk, as it doesn’t contain the same type of nutrition.

Babies and Honey

September 11th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments
Babies and Honey

Although it’s a great natural sweetener and can be a healthy part of a balanced baby diet, babies under one year old should not be given honey. It can pose a serious health risk, so be sure to wait until after your baby’s first birthday to introduce it.

Honey and Infant Botulism

The risk to your child’s health and even life from giving honey under the age of one is a very real one. Honey is known to contain botulism spores, which when swallowed by a grown person will have little to no effect on the body. In a baby however, whose digestive system is still immature, botulism spores can produce a lethal toxin capable of killing within minutes. This incredibly dangerous toxin paralyzes the muscles used for breathing, and it can happen so fast there is barely time to react. Luckily, most cases of infant botulism are much milder and can be caught in time to treat the problem. But for those cases that go undiagnosed or occur very quickly, the results can be tragic. As the signs of the early stages of botulism are often misdiagnosed, it really isn’t worth taking the chance.

Honey is not the only source of botulism, it also appears in dust and dirt – but your baby is far more likely to contract infant botulism from honey than from any other source. No matter what type of honey the risk is still very high, so avoid it entirely throughout the first year of life, until your baby’s digestive system becomes strong enough to prevent the spores from germinating into the toxin. After your baby’s first birthday, you can start to add honey to the menu, either as a sweetener or as a natural treatment for minor ailments.

Most serious cases of infant botulism occur in the first six months of life, but until one year old there is still a risk, so steer clear of it until baby is a full 12 months old.

The Health Benefits of Honey

After a year old, there are a number of uses for honey that can be beneficial to your baby. Research has uncovered amazing attributes that make honey one of the healthiest and most powerful natural substances around. Honey is a powerful antibiotic and also helps to heal wounds and burns.

With the recent recall of all cold and flu medications off pharmacy shelves for kids under 6, honey has become one of the few remedies left to parents looking to treat a cough in a child. A spoonful of honey will soothe the throat and help to suppress a cough. The new research shows that it is a very effective treatment for a cough in children, even more effective than those drugs that are no longer considered safe for children. Once your baby is old enough, this natural treatment will help a little one with a cough get a good night’s rest and feel much better the next day.

As your child grows, honey can be a wonderful and healthy way to include a treat in with a treatment – it tastes great, is all natural, and can help treat everything from yeast infections to the common cold. As long as you wait until the danger of infant botulism has passed, you can use honey for all its natural power and sweetness with your child.

Preparing Infant Cereal

September 10th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments
Preparing Infant Cereal

Infant cereal will probably be your baby’s first baby food. It is a versatile choice because it can be prepared in many different ways to change the texture, thickness, and taste as your baby progresses through new solid foods. From first feedings through the second year of life, you can prepare baby cereals to meet your baby’s changing needs and preferences.

Preparing the First Feeding

When you mix up your baby’s first feeding of infant cereal, you are setting off on a feeding adventure that will continue for years to come. The first feeding is important and exciting, but remember that your baby isn’t ready for much just yet. To avoid waste, make only a small amount of cereal. Your baby probably won’t consume much.

Infant cereal can be prepared using either breast milk, formula, or water. It’s best to stick to breast milk or formula for several reasons. First of all, they offer more nutrition than water. Secondly, they will infuse the cereal with a smell and taste that is familiar to your baby, making it more likely she will be interested in eating it. Because breast milk contains enzymes that break down the cereal, you will notice that it causes the cereal to become thinner and even soupier the longer it sits out. This is normal and won’t hurt the baby, but can make it harder to feed, so feed immediately after mixing.

Start with a rice cereal, as it is the easiest on your baby’s system. Slowly add breast milk or formula until the mixture becomes very thin and soupy. This might be difficult to get on a spoon, but your baby has only ever had liquids in her short life, so anything thicker will be difficult for her tongue to handle and she could choke. Although she is unlikely to be in and danger from the choking, it could make for an unpleasant experience she won’t want to repeat, which could lead to refusal of solids for a while.

Progressing to Thicker Cereal

As your baby gets better at moving food to the back of his mouth with his tongue and swallowing, you can start to thicken the cereal. Continue to use breast milk or formula to mix, but in a different ratio to make a gradually thicker version. During this time you will likely also be introducing baby to other foods such as pureed fruits and vegetables. Try to match the cereal’s thickness to that of the purees you are using.

As baby gets used to other foods, you can start mixing them with the cereal to add more flavor and change the texture. Add mashed bananas to infant cereal for a slightly chunkier texture. Each new texture your baby encounters will help him to learn more and progress to the next level.

Moving On From Rice

After you have tried rice cereal for a while with no problems, you can try other grains such as oatmeal and wheat cereals. Be sure to introduce them one at a time in order to judge what caused any potential reactions. Mix these cereals in the same manner as the rice cereal, using breast milk or formula to achieve the desired consistency.

All of these cereals can be mixed with a variety of fruits and vegetables. Although the idea of mixing pureed pees with oatmeal might seem odd to our grown-up palate, to a baby for whom all of these tastes and textures are new, it won’t seem so strange. Keep trying new combinations to make infant cereal new and interesting to baby.

The Right Way to Serve Juice

September 9th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments
The Right Way to Serve Juice

Fruit juice is a popular beverage for kids, but there has been a great deal of apprehension regarding its place in a healthy diet. Concerns have been raised on issues from rotting teeth to childhood obesity, leading many people to skip juice altogether. The truth is that, as with most things in life, moderation and careful consumption are the keys to finding a place for juice in your child’s healthy diet.

When to Introduce Juice

Before six months of age, you shouldn’t give your child any beverage besides breast milk or formula, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Generally, the only time a child this young will be given fruit juice is to relieve constipation. Follow your doctor’s directions carefully on how much juice to offer in this situation; too much juice can swing the pendulum the other way and leave your baby with diarrhea!

After six months old, it’s ok to introduce a small amount of juice to baby’s diet. Keep it to 4 ounces or less per day. Some parents choose to mix the juice with water, but this isn’t entirely necessary. The amount of juice should remain the same whether diluted or not. Some children may prefer diluted juice as they are not accustomed to it and it can be a bit too strong for them. After a year old, the amount per day doesn’t go up by much. Keep it under 6 ounces until your child is 7 years old.

Choosing and Serving Juice

Always look for a juice that is 100% juice, and doesn’t contain any additives or sweeteners. 100% juice contains far more nutrition than juices that are blended with other ingredients. Apple juice is a popular first choice for young children, but use caution as it can cause diarrhea – which is why it is use to treat constipation! Some children may be more sensitive to this effect than others. Save citrus juices for later in life, as they are too acidic for very young children.

Juice should always be served in a cup, and never in a bottle. This will help prevent tooth decay. As a further precaution, brush baby’s teeth after juice if it’s close to naptime, as sleeping with the sugars left on teeth can also accelerate tooth decay.

The Nutritional Benefits of Juice

Just like the fruits they come from, fruit juices provide vitamins and minerals for your child’s growing body. Some juices are also fortified with other nutrients like calcium or vitamin C. Removing the juice from the fruit, however, leaves behind such nutritional essentials as fiber. While it can be a healthy addition to your child’s diet, juice should never replace eating whole fruits and vegetables. When it comes to a choice between the two, fresh fruit will always pack a bigger nutritional punch and be a better choice than a cup of juice.

Juice and Childhood Obesity

Luckily, new research indicates that concerns over obesity being caused by fruit juices are unfounded. Children who drink moderate amounts of fruit juice are not at a higher risk of obesity. Juice does contain calories, however, and unlike a whole fruit, it won’t leave your child feeling as full for as long. This can lead to overconsumption of extra calories. As long as you stick to the 4 or 6 ounce rule depending on your child’s age, this should not be a problem.

Adding juice to your child’s diet is fine if done in moderation, but remember, eating fruit is always a better choice.

Keeping Tabs on Baby’s Iron

September 8th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments
Keeping Tabs on Baby’s Iron

Babies are at a very high risk for iron deficiency anemia, a condition that results from a lack of iron in baby’s system. Most anemia is caused by a diet that is low in iron. While the best thing you can do to prevent iron deficiency anemia in your baby is to make sure there is enough in baby foods, being vigilant about anemia is a good idea too. Because iron-deficiency anemia can be hard to distinguish from other problems, you will probably need your pediatrician’s help to make sure your baby is getting enough iron.

Symptoms of Iron Deficiency Anemia

The most common symptoms of low iron are fatigue, dizziness, lack of appetite, paleness, and changes in heart rate. Most of these you are unlikely to notice in a baby, mainly because your baby can’t tell you what she is feeling, or because they require medical instruments and training to detect.

In the long term, iron deficiency can lead to behavior and learning difficulties, the severity of which depends on how long your child suffered from anemia and how serious the deficiency was. These long term effects, however, should be avoidable with vigilance and early detection of the problem.

Because the symptoms can be hard to notice and easy to confuse with other problems, your doctor is the best person to determine whether or not your baby is getting enough iron.

How Your Baby’s Doctor Diagnoses Low Iron

Most babies will have a simple blood test done between 9-12 months of age to check for hemoglobin levels in the blood. Because iron helps the body to create hemoglobin, low levels are a sign of iron deficiency. A CBC (complete blood count) test will also show the number and size of your baby’s red blood cells. If the count is low and the red blood cells are small and less pigmented, odds are good your baby isn’t getting enough iron.

There are other tests your baby’s doctor may perform, including checking iron levels in the blood directly, and checking your baby’s stool for signs of blood. In most cases however, a diagnosis won’t require extensive testing. The results of the blood tests should be enough for your doctor to recommend a therapy if necessary. This may involve both diet changes and iron supplements.

Preventing Anemia

The best way to prevent anemia is to make certain your baby’s diet contains enough iron. During the first year of life most babies will get the required amount of iron from breast milk or iron-fortified formula. After the first year, however, the risk may increase as babies no longer breast or bottle feed and switch to cow’s milk. Cow’s milk is known to block iron absorption in large quantities, so keep your baby’s consumption in check, not more than 24 ounces a day. Be sure to feed a diet full of iron rich foods such as meat and poultry, eggs, leafy green vegetables and legumes.

You can also give your baby a daily multivitamin supplement that includes iron. Serve it separately from milk to be sure it is absorbed fully. As long as you follow these preventative measures, your baby is unlikely to develop an iron deficiency. If you need more concrete assurance, however, you can request that your baby’s doctor perform the blood tests to check for iron deficiency anemia.

Adding DHA & ARA to Baby’s Diet

September 7th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments
Adding DHA & ARA to Baby’s Diet

It seems there is always some particular nutrient making headlines for newly discovered benefits to both adults and children’s health. Among the popular nutrients in recent years, DHA & ARA have been particularly noted for their importance in pregnancy and infancy. This has led to concern regarding the intake of DHA & ARA in pregnant women and babies, and the popularity of supplements.

Depending on how your baby is fed, there may already be adequate levels of DHA & ARA in his diet. There are some ways, however, that you can make sure.

What are DHA & ARA?

DHA & ARA are two essential fatty acids, part of the Omega-3 fatty acid group. They are also called lipids. They are vital to proper brain and eye development in babies. The body is able to produce these two fatty acids as long as it has a good source of the other lipids required for production, but may not be able to reach the required levels without an extra source.

DHA & ARA Before Solids

In the first 6 months of life, when your baby relies entirely on breast milk or formula for sustenance, those same liquids are the only source of essential fatty acids. Babies acquire DHA & ARA from their mother during gestation, but after birth continue to receive it through breast milk. Until recently, babies fed formula were missing out on this extra supply. Most formulas on the market today, however, are fortified with DHA & ARA. Because the version added to formula is synthetic, opinions are mixed as to whether or not it has the same effect as that in breast milk.

The best way to provide your baby with essential fatty acids for brain and eye development in the first year of life is to breastfeed. Even once you add solid baby foods to baby’s diet, it can be difficult to get enough of these nutrients, so a continued supply from breast milk is important. If breastfeeding is not possible, formula will provide your baby with the synthetic version of the lipids, as well as with the other fatty acids required to allow baby’s body to make DHA & ARA.

Food Sources of DHA & ARA

The best food source of Omega-3 fatty acids are fish. Salmon is especially high in these nutrients. Other food sources include nuts and olive oil. Because DHA & ARA do not appear in a lot of foods, it can be hard to maintain the needed levels through diet alone, especially for babies who are new to solid foods. Some baby foods are now being fortified with the synthetic version, but if you can it’s best to continue breastfeeding while your baby warms up to solids and eventually can eat more of the foods that provide Omega-3’s.

As your baby progresses with solids, you can offer her fish that are low in mercury, and nut butters on whole grain toast. Try almond butter for the best nut source of fatty acids. Cooking with olive oil instead of vegetable oil will get more Omega-3’s into your diet as well, along with your baby’s diet when she is old enough to eat the foods you are eating.

Right now, the best known source of DHA & ARA for babies is breast milk. While there are other ways to provide it, if you are really concerned, try to breastfeed for as long as you possibly can.

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