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Infant Feeding ScheduleOne of the first things your pediatrician will talk to you about, is the feeding schedule that you should follow for your infant. While there is no “true” schedule for you to follow, in feeding your infant; your pediatrician will offer what he or she feels is the safest for your child. Generally speaking, your child will be on breast milk or formula for his or her nutritional needs only for the six months of life. It is important however, that you continue one or both of these throughout the span of a year; even while adding solid foods to his or her diet. During these first six months, most hospitals will advise you of an every four hour feeding schedule (some may suggest every two hours); however it isn’t important to adhere to this schedule completely. If your infant is hungry, the best advice I can give is to feed your child. There is nothing worse than an irritable and hungry child, that could have been remedied by simply feeding him or her once they have given the sign of hunger. Remember, even if the schedule says that you should feed your infant at a certain time; if he or she is sleeping do not wake them. It is important for your child to get into sleep patterns, that will allow themselves to go longer between feeding periods. While you may become tempted at earlier than six months to feed your child solids, it is important to keep yourself away from the idea. You may feel as-though the milk simply isn’t enough, but remember the breast milk or formula IS food; and it is all that your child needs during this first part of his or her life. Starting solid foods too early in his or her diet, can increase the risk of developing allergies to food. Once your child has reached the defined age from your pediatrician, you can then start adding solids into his or her diet. The major purpose of introducing these solids into your child’s diet, is to help train them for spoon feeding. Most pediatric doctors will recommend that no food is introduced until at the very earliest of four months of age. Your child should have the ability to hold his or her head up by themselves, otherwise there will be a risk of choking for your little one. If your child refuses food, you should not force it until he or she is ready; offering small bites for them to try. Your child may not be ready until the “golden” age of six months, which means that you shouldn’t force them to learn this next step quite yet. The basic key to introducing solids, is to introduce only one ingredient at a time. You should give a minimum of three days prior to introducing anything new. This is simply because if your infant has an allergic reaction, it is much easier for you to narrow down the cause; and steer clear of that one ingredient from then on. The second key is to introduce foods that have a high propensity for allergic reactions at a later date. Many pediatricians will have you hold off on berries and fish until one year of age; while nuts and shellfish shouldn’t be given until after two years of age.
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