Everything you need to know about feeding your baby for the first year. Whether your breastfeeding, bottle feeding, or doing a combination of the two, I have the information to help you.
With plant based eating becoming more popular, it’s no surprise that parents are looking for plant based formula. Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, or just trying to avoid animal products, there are several options available to you.
I may be a bit biased, but I think that every parent could benefit from working with a pediatric nutritionist. Most pediatricians get very minimal training in nutrition and often don’t have the time to answer questions in depth. Dietitians, however, specialize in just feeding and often our appointments are longer, giving us more time to focus on any area of concerns you may have.
One of the first thing many breastfeeding courses will mention is to make sure that your baby has a deep latch. But how do you know if your baby has a shallow latch or a deep latch? And if the latch is shallow, how can you fix it?
Due to the formula shortage, the FDA created an expedited approval pathway for international formulas. This means that we are now seeing some formulas from other countries on our shelves.
One major concern with the importation of international formula was that the mixing instructions can be different. Always check your can of formula for the correct mixing instructions. Many of the labels have mixing instructions in ml. For easy conversion, 1 ounce is about 30 ml. 2 ounces is about 60 ml.
Figuring out which formula to choose can be extremely stressful (ignoring the shortage at hand), but choosing a formula for a baby with a milk protein allergy is even more complicated. Balancing out which formula will be best for your baby while also keeping in mind the rising costs of formula as they get more specialized is challenging, to say the least.
You feel like you’re so ready for a night away, but your baby is refusing their bottle. How can you leave them for any stretch of time if they can’t eat? Are you stuck waiting for them to wean before you get some time alone?
No! There are so many things you can try.
When your baby is relying on you for nutrition, you definitely feel the pressure. You may be concerned that your milk isn’t “good enough” for your baby, especially if they are on the smaller side. Is it possible to actually make breastmilk fattier to help increase the calories that your baby is getting?
Yes and no. Your milk changes throughout the day, no matter what you do. There are certain factors, like the time since the last feed, that can significantly affect the fat levels of your milk, but there aren’t any magical foods or supplements to take that will change the amount of fat in your breastmilk. The type of diet you eat will change the type of fat in your breastmilk, so having a balanced diet is important.
With the recent announcement that import formulas are here to stay, you may be wondering if you should choose a goat milk infant formula. Until recently, these formulas were not available in the US, so you were required to import them yourself. Formula advocates were recommending against using imported formulas previously, but now all of a sudden, there’s been an influx to the market and you may be wondering if goat milk is the right choice for your baby.
One thing you may notice when looking at gentle formulas is that many of them have reduced lactose. Many adults are lactose intolerant, so if your baby is having poop problems, it would make sense to remove something that upsets the stomach of so many. Before you can decided if a lactose free formula is right for your family, you need to understand what lactose is and why it’s in formula in the first place.
