Infant feeding—when, why, and how

Press, 10 April 1979, Page 10

Infant feeding—when, why, and how

NUTRITION AND DIET

By the Nutrition Department, University of Otago

Good eating habits formed in early life are a firm foundation for a healthy old age but poor food practices, once established, are very hard to change. How then can you be sure that your child is eating a balanced diet? Some readers may be unaware that the early introduction of solids is no longer generally advocated by people concerned with infant feeding. Others may recall those frustrating meal times when the baby did anything but swallow the food spooned into his mouth — a gruelling experience for both mother and child.

Apart from the psychological aspect this practice is now considered to be unnecessary from the nutritional point of view and may cause allergies, gastro-intestinal upset, obesity and other medical complications. Today it is generally considered that breast milk is adequate for most healthy infants up to six months of age. In some cases the earlier introduction of solids may be desirable, especially for the baby Who is very hungry; and some mineral and vitamin supplements may be necessary for the bottle fed baby. If you are concerned about these points seek medical advice. Parents are often concerned about what foods are suitable for infants. Infant foods are readily available on the market but they are expensive and in general provide little but energy. Also being very bland they do not introduce the child to a variety of tastes and textures.

One problem all too frequently encountered is the toddler who will only eat meat and vegetables which are free of lumps because they have been brought up on tinned baby foods — a frustrating experience, indeed, especially when the mother decides that she cannot possibly afford three tins or more of baby food a day. Tinned baby foods do have their place as convenience foods but should be used with discretion. Actually there is no need to make or purchase special foods for infants and children provided that the family is eating a wide variety of foods from the “Four Basic Food Groups.” Naturally certain foods will be quite unsuitable for the infant: for example those that are highly seasoned, fatty or tough meat, and stringy vegetables. However, the meals may be adapted. A serving of mince can be taken out before it is curried.

It is only necessary to mash some vegetables and fruit — for example, carrot, pumpkin, potato, ku-

mera, banana and peach. Stringy vegetables and fruits with pips may be sieved. New food should be introduced in small amounts (half a teaspoon is plenty) one at a time.

The common practice of mashing up vegetables together and adding plenty of butter and salt should be guarded against. Infants who have not experienced flavours or textures or smells of individual vegetables may be put off vegetables, perhaps for life, if they happen to dislike the flavour of mixed vegetables or the flavour of one vegetable which predominates. If babies are given only finely sieved tinned vege-

tables they may reject mashed vegetables or indeed any food with “lumps.” There is no need to add additional salt to vegetables provided they are cooked with iodized salt. High salt intakes have been suggested as a possible cause of high blood pressure and as our taste sensitivity decreases with age it is not wise to encourage the child to acquire a taste for salty foods. As New Zealanders tend to eat too much fat, the habit of adding large amounts of butter to vegetables should be discouraged. If your infant dislikes all vegetables do not be alarmed if fruit is accepted. But fruit tends to be much more expensive than vegetables which, on the surface, should be just as acceptable. Studies in New Zealand and overseas with older children indicate that children who initially dislike vegetables do not grow to like them. In fact, cooked vegetables are among the most disliked foods, while raw vegetables are much more readily accepted and fruit is often cited as a favourite food. The reasons children give for rejecting cooked vegetables are because they are “mushy” and uninteresting — a problem which is easily remedied. Have you ever thought why you and members of your family refuse to eat certain vegetables? Is it because they are overcooked, uninterestingly prepared, or because you or your husband refused to eat them thus setting a bad example to your children? Another very good reason for introducing new foods one at a time is the fact that some children are allergic to certain foods. If a number of foods are eaten at the same time, then it is impossible to determine which one to eliminate from the diet; so the child has to be ex-

posed to the food once again and suffer an undesirable reaction unnecessarily. Also the mother, may decide, for example, that oranges and tomatoes (both very good sources of vitamin C) do not agree with Johnny so they are both eliminated from his diet, when in fact he is only allergic to one of them. Alternatively Johnny may associate all fruits with a violent tummy ui set and refuse to eat them. New Zealand has an exceedingly high incidence o.' dental caries which has been associated with the high intake of sugar of the New Zealand diet. Too much sugar, which contains little but energy, can also lead to overweight and also prevent the child from eating foods essential for good health. Remember that the child tends to emulate the parents, and children tend to like sweet things. If the adults have six teaspoons of sugar on their porridge, the child will expect to follow suit.

If part of the family routine is to sit down in front of TV, with a mixed assortment of lollies each evening the child will naturally expect to do the same. Bribing children to go to bed by giving them a lolly or a bottle of sweetened milk is a practice all too common in New Zealand and is just asking for dental caries. By the end of the second year the child should be eating three meals a day with a snack mid morning and mid afternoon. From then on until the adolescent growth spurt there is a gradual increase in the amount of food eaten which, in most cases, is governed by appetite. Obesity sometimes develops when children start school so it is important to watch their weight. Bulky, low-energy foods should be encouraged and high-energy info e t w e e n-meals discouraged, if children have a weight problem. Children often have periods when they eat non-stop, or so it seems. They may then go through periods when they don’t eat a thing or more commonly just “pick” at their food or decide to go on a milk diet. The last problem sometimes occurs when there is a new baby in the family. Providing these eating patterns do not persist over long periods the problem is best ignored. However, it is important to check that the child’s lack of appetite is not due to the fact that he is being given or just helping himself to high-energy snack foods between meals. Also the appetite of an individual — be it a young child, adolescent or an octogenarian — depends in no small measure on his physical condition. Fatigue, worry, tension, excitement and certain defects such as poor teeth, chronic sinus trouble, persistent colds, to name a few conditions, all tend to

decrease the individual’s desire for food. If you are concerned about the poor apetite of one of your children, or, in fact, any member of your family, it is wise to check these points and if necessary seek medical or dental advice. Constant nagging about food may cause the child to develop an aversion to food. Nutritional deficiencies, after all, do not develop overnight; but long lasting psychological learns that he can gain his parents attention merely by “playing up” at mealtimes. On the other hand,

praise given for eating food may result in the child over-eating to get parent approval — and lead to obesity. In the long run it is up to you to see that your child has plenty of rest, fresh air and exercise and is given the opportunity to eat a variety of nutritionally satisfying foods in moderation and in a pleasant atmosphere. In most cases appetite is a good guide to the child’s energy needs but sometimes the hyper* active child will tend to too little and less active tive child may over-eat if left to their own devices.