Tips for Feeding Baby: What are the Essentials?

Many mothers face problems with their baby's refusal to eat or having to be coaxed to eat. While each child’s personality is different, it makes meal-times easier for both child and parent if you can interest the baby in the food, rather than having to force her to eat. Try these feeding tips for babies to help you get through times when your baby fusses with his food

Feed when hungry
Feed your baby only when he is hungry. Don't always follow the clock and give food only at certain hours. They might get hungry earlier or not be hungry at that time. Take cues from the baby and give food when he shows signs of hunger.

Avoid food when sleepy
When babies are sleepy they get more whiny. Trying to get food inside them at such times will be a great challenge.  Also, when they are sleepy the body's metabolism slows down and food is not digested well by their body.

Don't expect complete discipline
Don't expect your baby to stay completely silent or stationery during meal times. They will be fidgety and will get bored of eating too. You will need to distract them. You could give him toys or even small finger foods for him to eat by himself. Also, when you find him eating well don't forget to reward him, perhaps with a bedtime story. Even very young children can make the connection between good behaviour and rewards.
 

Don't force feed
Make meal times fun times for the child. If they see anger or anxiety in your face, it will worry them too. Never forcibly open your child's mouth to feed him. It will increase his stress which in turn will increase the production of gastric juice thus causing stomach cramps. If there are some foods the taste of which he doesn't like, then remove it from his diet for some time and instead introduce an alternative.

Feed outdoors
Feeding a baby need not always meansitting on a chair. You can pack a picnic basket and take the food outdoors as well. It could be in your garden, terrace, in a park. The change of scene and the fresh air will distract him and increase his appetite too.

Eat together
As the baby grows older, slowly begin to teach him how to eat on his own. For this he needs to see adults eating too. Hence make dinner a family time where everyone sits together to eat. As the child watches, she learns too.

Ready for solids
To eat solid food, a baby needs to be able to sit upright and have good control over his head and neck movement. When you see that he is trying to grab food from the table during dinner time then it clearly shows that he's interested in solids. However, solids don't form his entire diet; so do continue giving him breast milk or formula feed. The best way to feed him is to place him on your lap or in a strapped infant seat. Mix the food with a little breast milk for familiarity of taste and hold the feeding spoon near his lips. You might have to wait a little before he takes the first spoon. However, most definitely avoid putting any solids into his feeding bottles.

Give finger food
Keep plates of finger foods in front of the child. This way, they will slowly learn to pick up food themselves. Small pieces of carrot, rice crispies, pasta or small squares of toast are good options. But avoid things that the baby can choke on like green peas.

Introduce the spoon and the bowl
When the baby begins to eat finger foods fairly well, introduce a feeding spoon, mugs and plates to her. There is bound to be a mess, so do protect your expensive table covers and carpets. Also buy bibs & burps online by the plenty to protect his clothes. While you feed her from one bowl, let he ruse another bowl and spoon to eat by herself. Stick the child's bowl with a sucker so that it sticks to the table and put only a little food into it.

Feeding a child will require a lot of patience from you. So take a deep breath, have fun, Buy baby feeding accessories to make it easier and keep your expectations realistic!

Baby on Board- Travelling with a Baby

Travelling with a baby is one of those moments of parenthood that comes with mixed feelings. In spite of all the pre-planning and the foresighted packing, travel plans with a baby can go totally berserk with a just single bout of discomfort.

While the formula of “Keeping It Simple” isn’t really simple with a baby in tow, here’s how you can tackle the travelling blues, one stage at a time.

Before Travel

Extra time: Account for double the time on road, add in extra pit-stops along the way, allow for a fair amount of indoor time at your destination and avoid an over-ambitious itinerary.
Packing: Pack for just a three-day trip, since baby supplies like diapers, creams, toiletries, formula are easily available at almost all destinations world-wide. Do consider carrying a few baby safety accessories like a light-weight stroller frame with car seat and a baby-sling, as also a travel cot, and some entertainment help such as a compact portable music player and some favorite toys and music.
Health essentials: Carry all medications with the dosage instructions and remember to duly vaccinate your baby to fend off any allergies or unknown viral strains. Schedule your baby’s health-check close to your travel date for that all important ‘green signal’ from your paediatrician.
Food factor: If your baby is on solids other than formula, do carry some packs of his or her favorite foods to bring in an element of comfort for the baby.

During the travel

Feed on flight: If you are flying to your destination, feeding your baby in the aircraft during take-off and landing is a precursor to a hassle-free journey. Ear pressure pain can be very distressing to a baby and leads to tantrums and crankiness throughout the flight.
Disposables: Carry a solid supply of baby-cloths, wipes, diaper lotions, sanitizer, disposable bags and diapers at the rate ofone per couple of hours. The most stressful part of travelling with a baby is the cleansing routine, and hence it makes sense to be well-equipped in the matter.
Medication: Medication, if any, should be ideally administered before you embark rather than during the journey, for it to settle in and avoid any throw-ups. Consider keeping medicines for motion sickness, coughs and allergies handy.
White noise: Create an environment of “white noise” to induce a sense of calmness and help the baby feel less intimidated during travel. White noise audio can be downloaded from the internet, or purchased at stores.
Car seats: Cars seat are the biggest asset on any road trip as it is your baby’s bed to nap on, a chair to eat from and a safe and secure perch to watch the world pass by. When using car seats for babies, ensure that the safety harness is in place and the seat recline is comfortable to hold a sleeping baby on a bumpy ride.
Other baby travel accessories:  A multi-purpose bag that holds the baby’s travel food, medicines and other essentials are excellent baby travel accessories to have. If the baby is nursing, a comfortable nursing pillow and a nursing wrap is a great aid to feed the baby on the go.

At the destination:

Pre-order supplies: Check if you can pre-order a stock of supplies at your destination to avoid over-stocking your bags and scouting around to buy new stocks.
Set up the room: Set up the baby’s space as alike to home once you reach your place of stay. Set up the travel cot, bring out the favourite toys, play some favourite music and adjust the room temperature and lighting to create a familiar ambience for the baby.
Stick to the baby’s routine: While holidays and routine sound like an ‘oxymoron’, a well-settled baby is an utter boon to the parents. Stick to meal times and nap times, so that the baby is well rested and less fussy.
Get out the travel gear: Assemble the stroller, latch up the sling or buckle up the car seat and set about exploring the destination with your baby in tow. A comfortable baby stroller in the fresh outdoors will do a world of good to everyone’s composure.
Pack in a bit of your good temper along, and you are quite ready to take on the world with your baby in tow. Happy Journey!