Infant Nutrition Health Article

Definition

Infant nutrition is the feeding behavior of an infant during the first year after birth.

Purpose

Due to the tremendous amount of growth during infancy, adequate nutrition after birth is essential for the development and nourishment of children. Proper nutrition can be obtained from the use of breast milk, infant formulas, and adequate diet related to age.

Precautions

When assessing the nutritional status of infants, it is important to consider the differences in the bodily functions of infants. The gastrointestinal functions of newborns are much slower than that of older infants, especially gastric emptying, which may account for the regurgitation, or spitting up, in newborns.

Passage through the small intestine is slower for infants, which helps ensure proper absorption and digestion of nutrients. However, the large intestine has a much faster transit time, which puts infants at an increased risk of dehydration if resorption of water and electrolytes is compromised.

The digestion of fat is also limited in infancy due to the decreased amount of pancreatic lipase, an enzyme secreted by the pancreas to digest fat. However, other lipases present in breast milk compensate for the lack of this enzyme and aid in fat digestion. Thus, the fat in human milk is more readily absorbed than the fat in prepared formulas.

Renal function is also limited in newborns because their kidneys are not fully developed until one month of age. The immature kidneys and other factors limit the newborns'ability to cope with fluid and electrolyte loads. Infants fed breast milk or properly prepared formulas normally do not have problems with renal solute load, although problems may occur with fever, diarrhea, or a reduction in the volume of fluids consumed.

Infants who sleep through the night may need to be woken up mid-way through the night to feed if they are underweight or not consuming enough. It is important to have routine check-ups with the doctor or dietitian to ensure that infants are eating adequately. Honey should also not be given to infants because it may contain spores that cause botulism.

Description

During the first six months of life, infants can receive adequate nutrition through either breast milk or fortified formula. An infant who is breastfeeding will need to nurse on demand or usually about eight to 12 times per day, while babies who are formula fed need to eat about six to eight times per day. In both breastfed and formula-fed infants, the number of feedings decreases as they get older, but the amount of milk the baby consumes at each feeding increases.

Prior to four months of age, an infant's digestive system has not developed well enough to tolerate solid foods. But at about four to six months of age, solid foods can start to be introduced into the infant's diet. It is important to look for signs that an infant is developmentally ready to handle solid foods. Once infants can hold their head up, sit up with minimal support, and begin to show an interest in food, solid feedings of iron-fortified baby cereal can be started. Mixing it with breast milk or formula to get a thin consistency is recommended until the infant can control its mouth better to handle a thicker consistency.

At six to eight months of age, the introduction of fruit juices and strained fruits and vegetables can begin. Use unsweetened juices that contain large amounts of vitamin C, such as orange, apple, or grape, but avoid putting an infant to sleep with a bottle of juice as this can lead to tooth decay. Introduce fruits and vegetables one at a time and wait a few days in between introductions to make sure the infant has no allergic reactions. Use plain fruits and vegetables such as carrots, squash, beans, bananas, applesauce, and pears. Introducing vegetables into the diet before fruits is often recommended because the sweet taste of fruit may make vegetables less appealing to the infant. Finger foods may also be introduced at this time, but avoid foods that may cause choking, such as grapes, hotdogs, nuts, and seeds. Breast milk or fortified formula should still be given about three to five times a day.

At eight to 12 months of age, an infant should still be receiving breast milk or formula three to four times a day, but also should start eating strained or finely chopped meat. Introduce different meat every week and include strained and ground meats and hotdogs. If eggs are given, only the yolk should be used until one year of age in case the infant is sensitive to egg whites.

If an infant still uses a bottle at one year of age, the bottle should only contain water, or whole (vitamin D) milk can be used instead of breast milk or formula. Lowfat milk should not be used until at least two years of age because infants need the extra calories for adequate development. Thereafter, no less than 2% milk should be fed to a young child.