Nursing for Happy, Healthy Newborns

Establishing a healthy eating pattern for a newborn can be difficult because newborns do not have a real schedule. They must eat-on-demand. Ultimately this means that if you have a baby that is less than one that you are at the mercy of his or her whims.

For the first month of life the healthiest thing you can do for a child is give up all plans and feed that baby when it is hungry. Most babies will want to feed every three to four hours. Interestingly, most newborns do not scream when they are hungry. Instead they pucker their lips, nuzzle an arm or breast or suck on a fist. Be aware of these signs because you do not want your baby to ever be hungry. A hungry baby often grows up to be a nerve-wracked and insecure.

You should, if possible, choose to breast feed your baby rather than use a bottle. This is because mother’s milk contains everything that a baby needs to grow. Your breast milk contains hormones and other substances that also help the baby develop a healthy brain and immune system. A bottle-fed baby is more likely to develop allergies later in life.

Even though woman have been to alternate breasts every few minutes when feeding a new baby the experts are now saying that it is best to use one breast for one feeding session and then use the other for the next. Staying on one best when the baby is latched onto your nipple is a good way to make sure that the baby receives hind milk. Hind milk is last to leave the breast – the dregs and it has the most nutrition.

You also do not want the baby to associate mealtimes with a lot of stress. Do not nurse if you feel stressed or angry. Make sure that when you do nurse that you are comfortably supported with pillows and are calm and well-nourished.

Yet another thing to consider is whether or not your newborn will need supplementation with Vitamin D. This is usually required nowadays as research scientists have shown that most people, including nursing mothers are short of it. Consult your doctor to see if you and your newborn or both of you need to take extra Vitamin D every day.

Take vitamins as recommended by your doctor when nursing. Remember that part of keeping your newborn healthy is keeping yourself healthy too!

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Wise Eating Habits for Play Age Kids

A play age kid is one that is also considered to be school age but not a pre-adolescent kid yet. The term play age generally refers to a child between three and ten years old. It is a good idea to establish healthy eating patterns for a child this age because they will remember them for life.

One thing that you should avoid doing is encouraging your child to buy his or her lunch at school. Instead of giving the kid lunch money, make and pack a lunch to take to school. Even better teach that kid to make his or her own lunch filled with healthy choices like whole wheat grains, fish, fruit, vegetables and yogurt.

Play age kids tend to reject vegetables. One way to make sure they get enough is to sneak them into dishes like soups, casseroles and shepherd's pie. You can also sneak vegetables into cakes like carrot cake or zucchini cake.

Another tip is to make vegetables just as accessible as you would corn chips or pizza pops. Cut up vegetables and keep a healthy supply of them in the fridge. Be sure as well to have healthy dips like tomato based salsas, hummus and tatziki around for your kids to eat.

It is also a good idea to get your child in the habit of 'liking to eat fish.' If given the choice most school age kids would choose chicken or another meat over eating fish. Make fish more exciting by spicing it up, serving it in a bun or mixing it into casseroles or macaroni dishes. Fish is important because it contains many vitamins and fatty acids that are needed for healing, bone growth and also the growth of the brain and the nervous system. Children that eat a lot of fish tend to be able to learn more in school.

One big downfall of the school age kid is drinking colas. Usually they are introduced to soda pop at school, at a restaurant or a friend's home. Once they get addicted to colas it is hard to get them to stop drinking it. You should also make sure that your kid avoids drinks that seem healthy but that are also full of sugar like Cranberry cocktails and Ice teas. Teach your child to read labels so they are not overdosing on sugar every time they think they are choosing a healthy drink.

Kids at this age learn easily what is good for them and what is bad. Be sure to take them shopping with you every chance you can so that you can't each them how to make wise food choices in life.

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