We know this what we eat influences our health and body. This is more important for babies : their immature immune and digestive systems make them more sensitive to what they eat. The consequences can be immediate (diarrhea, vomiting, constipation…) or less apparent that comes to light after few years (obesity, heart diseases…)

For all these reasons and also because an healthy diet needs to be learnt at a young age, your baby's food is really important as soon as birth.

Breastfeeding is the best choice during the first months of baby’s life. However, for mothers who do not want or can not breastfeed their child, bottle-feeding is an alternative. The Novalac formulas provide a balanced intake of nutrients required during this highly active time of development.

From birth till one, the most important food in your baby's life is milk. At around 18 months old their food starts to be the same as the rest of the family. How to get your baby fro breast or infant milk only onto solids, diversified diet?

The following steps have been drawn up in collaboration with Dr Le Luyer, Paediatrician.

Which food is more suitable for you child?

		You are pregnant
		Your baby is between 0 & 6 months
		Your baby is between 6 months old and a year
		From a year & over

If baby is not yet there, you must already think of his nearest arrival and think of the way you wish to feed him: breast-feeding (except contrary medical opinion) and the bottle-feeding. This would be an important decision you have to make, and which may not be easy to change if you go for bottle feeding. Don’t hesitate to ask a professional advice about breastfeeding.

Furthermore, in addition to being  economically viable, breast milk is also and mainly the best food for each baby : it contains not only all the necessary nutrients for the baby’s growth but also other components which help baby develope his immune system and reinforce his protection against infection.

If you choose to breast-feed, think about purchasing an adapted bra as well as other material such as bearings to absorb the excess of milk that may come out of your breasts.

From birth till 4- 6 months old, the milk is the only food that your baby will drink. Breast feeding, when possible, is the best for each newborn : it provides all the nutrients needed for an healthy growth and adapts at the same time as your baby is growing. However, if you cannot or do not wish to breast fed, infants formulae are available. Ask your doctor or midwife for advise. Between 4 and 6 months, following the advice of your baby’s doctor, the introduction of “solid food” can start, for instance with specific gluten free infant cereals such as Novalac Infant Cereals from 4 months onwards.

You are breast feeding

Don’t forget that everything you’re eating has an impact on your milk quality and quantity!

Do not take drugs without medical supervision; avoid alcoholic drinks as alcohol will go into your milk and may have important consequences on your baby’s growth ; avoid smoking as  tobacco decreases the milk secretion.

Limit your consumption of tea and coffee. Avoid eating too much citrus fruits, plums and grapes, which can give diarrhoea; garlic, cabbages and asparagus can be difficult to digest for your child.

On the other hand, consume dairy products, rich in calcium (1 litre of milk per day or equivalent) and drink at least 1.5 L to 2 L per day of water. To avoid constipation, choose fibres-rich food. 

The position to nurse

If you are seated: Sit so that your back is straight and your lap is flat. You can use a pillow to support your baby.

Turn your baby's body towards your tummy. Tuck your baby's bottom under your elbow. Or support your baby by using a pillow. Hold your baby behind the neck and shoulders.

You can also breast feed by lying on the side position. It is especially good if you are uncomfortable sitting up, such as after a caesarean, or if you are nursing at night.   As when seated, your baby's body needs to be facing yours, tummy to tummy.   Lie on your side with a pillow underneath your head.  Place your lower arm under your baby with his head on the crook of your elbow as in the cradle hold.  When baby's mouth is open wide, pull his body in close to you.  Again, as in the other holds, use your free hand to position your breast.  You may want to place a pillow or a rolled up receiving blanket behind the baby's back to help hold him close to you.

When to breastfeed?

Unless against medical advice, it is recommended to follow your baby’s rhythm and to breastfeed whenever he wants. The number and durations of each feed may change from one baby to another and the time between each feed can change throughout the day. If you just feed your baby whenever he seems hungry, you will produce plenty of milk to meet his needs.

 Trust yourself and your baby to know when you need to nurse him. You can switch breasts during a feed or change from one feed to the other.

Always ask your health professionals advice: he will let you know, according to your and your baby’s specific requirements which supplement you should give.

Minerals

Unless in a specific medical situation, your baby’s iron storage and your milk iron content are sufficient to cover his iron’s need during the first 6 months of his life. For baby’s over 6 months who are still breastfed, give them as part of the weaning food that consists of high iron content.

Regarding fluoride, it might be necessary to give him fluoride.

Vitamins

All newborns should get vitamin K at birth. However, for the breastfed baby, the risk of vitamin K deficiency will last for the whole duration of exclusive breast feeding. It is therefore essential to give additional vitamin K to breast fed babies.

It is also recommended to provide the breastfed baby with vitamin D, as its content in breast milk is low and highly subject  to variation (according to your nutritional status, depending on your skin pigmentation, to the season …).

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Your baby is between 6 months old and a year

So many infants have feeding issues of one sort or other. Their young digestive systems are not fully mature.

At transition from breast-feeding to bottle feeding problems often arise such as:

• Gas, bloating or colic


• regurgitations / reflux


• constipation


• risk of allergy


• etc…

These common feeding problems generally require the implementation of an adapted diet.
When transiting from breast-feeding to bottle-feeding, Novalac adapted formulas can answer efficiently these feeding problems while simultaneously securing an optimal growth.
Always talk to your doctor or your pharmacist.

6 months have passed since baby's birth, the time flew by and your baby has already changed a lot, they sleep less, stand up, babble etc …Their nutritional requirements change and so their food need to change to meet these requirements.

Breast milk still is the best for baby but if you cannot or do not wish to continue breastfeeding, the follow-on formulae Novalac 2 provide perfectly to their need when used as part of a diversified diet.

Already 6 months old … and baby is ready to discover new tastes and textures. It is a big step on a nutritional level as well as psychological : little by little your baby will eat like a "grown up". But…be patient, it will happen gradually, without jumping important steps.

A few years ago, it was recommended to diversify diet at an early age. Nevertheless today most scientists agree that it should not happen before 4 to 6 months. Before this age, breast milk or infant formulae provide your baby with the right amount of nutritional needs. Their immature digestive system is not able to cope with solids. An early variety of food may increase the risk of developing allergies.

Few simples rules to follow to avoid any problems :

Introduce one kind of food at a time and by small quantities : baby needs time to discover and appreciate these new tastes.

If you think that your baby does not like some of the food, do not insist or force them, try again later, during an other meal.

Don't forget, meals are a special time between your child and yourseld even if sometimes you need to be really patient!

What you need to know…

The food is classified in 5 categories
	Fruits
	Vegetables
	Dairy products
	Eggs
	Meat & fish

To have a balanced diet, you need to eat at least one portion of each category a day. It is the same for babies when they start onto solids.

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Steps of a mixed diet

This is an important step in your baby's life. You will find hereafter some advises to help you. Please, don’t forget that we remain at your disposal for any further information you may need, contact us (mailto : contact@novalac.com).

How old is your child ?

From 4 months, you can give your baby few tea spoons a day of adapted infant cereals. Start by "diastase" cereals, the most adapted to your baby's still immature digestive system. Mix them with the bottle after checking the recommended quantity on the label. You can also start to initiate baby to the taste of fruits and vegetables.

Gluten-free infant Cereals

It is recommended to begin with specifically hydrolyzed infant cereals such as Novalac Diastased cereal from 4 months onwards, which are easy to digest and gluten free.
From 4 months onwards, you can introduce a couple of tea spoons of infant cereals to your baby’s feeding bottle (following the indications on the packaging).

Vegetables

You have the choice of lots of vegetables (broccolis, mushrooms, green beans, courgettes, spinash, carrots…)You should start giving them vegetables purees, mixed with the feeding bottle or on a spoon.

During lunch start with a tea spoon and then increase gradually. You can use, aside from jams, fresh or frozen vegetables. Cook them (it is better to steam them in order to keep most of their vitamins and minerals), mix them with a bit of infant milk or water to obtain a smooth, almost liquid puree. Do not add salt : baby does not need it, and our diet already contains naturally occurring salt.

Fruits

Start to introduce apples, pears and bananas, then prunes, peaches, or apricots as juices, mixed or compote. Cook the fruits if they are not ripe. But remember do not add any sugar (or only a very small quantity). Like vegetables introduce them gradually : a tea spoon (mixed in the bottle or by spoon) at lunch time.

Dairy products

You can start to introduce in your baby's diet dairy product (aside from the milk) such as yoghurts, fromage frais. They must be natural without or hardly any sugar. One or two tea spoons at the end of the meal provide a good alternative to fruits. If your child is allergic to cow's milk protein, don't give them any dairy products without the agreement of your doctor. You can consult our page "baby's little problems" for more information on allergies and how to prevent them.

Dairy products cannot replace milk straightaway as it still takes the first place in your baby's diet. At one year old they still drink 500 ml a day. Cow's milk does not satisfy baby's needs : use a follow-on milk (2^nd age one) at least till one year.

From 6 months old

At six months, baby can be introduced to cereals with gluten, eggs, poultry and fish. However, once again, you need to follow some steps to avoid any problems.

Infant cereals from 6 months onwards

From 6 months, you can diversify the tastes and the textures, giving to your baby different varieties such as Novalac MultiCereals and Novalac Milky Rusks & Fruits - Discovery & Vitality.

Eggs

Carefull, if your child has tendencies to contract allergies (like asthma, eczema, food allergies…) or if a member of the family has allergies (parents, brother / sister…) we recommend that you wait till they are one year old to introduce eggs.

Till one year, only give the yoke hard boiled and mashed. You can for example mix it with mash potato. Start with half a yoke, then increased to a whole one, once a week.

 

Meat,fish

Like the eggs, we recommend that you don't introduce any fish till they are one year old if the child has tendencies to contract allergies. Choose lean meat and fish, such as beef, veal, chicken, turkey, hake, dab, sole, whiting, cod…. Two tea spoons a day is enough for a 6 months old baby. Alternate meat & fish.

The meat should be steam cooked without adding any fat and the fish should be boiled or steamed (watch for fish bones!) rinse and mix them with the vegetables.

Dairy products

You can increase the quantities and give your baby 3 to 4 tea spoons of dairy products such as yoghurt. You can also start progressively to make them taste new foods such as soft cheese (camembert, grated, gruyere)

Vegetables

Baby wants to try new vegetables, such as raw vegetables (tomatoes, cucumber…) as well as pasta. (Choose thin pasta which you will be able to mix with soup or puree. You can use them a few times a week to replace vegetables.

Fruits

Baby can now taste red and citrus fruits, kiwi or grapes. However they must be prepared carefully : citrus fruits must be pealed and thinly cut (even the white skin) ; the grapes should also be pealed and seeds removed, kiwis and red fruits must be pureed and seedless too.

Introduce them gradually into baby's menu, without taking out the one that baby already likes.

From 9 months

Meat and fish

They can now be increased to 3 to 4 tea spoons a day. You can introduce new pleasuring taste (porc, lamb, mutton, rabbit) as well as fish (sardines, tuna, salmon). You can now grill the meat, still without fat.

Shellfish is the only food type not yet introduce to baby. Be patient, it is better to wait till they are 2 years old before introducing them.

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From a year & over

Eggz

Egg white can now be introduce but only boiled. The other methods of cooking (i.e., scrambled, soft boiled, omelet…) will be introduce after 2 years.

Dairy products

At one year, cow's milk is not adapted yet to your child’ nutritional needs : too rich in proteins, it has on the opposite low iron and essential fatty acids content, necessary to the development of your child. Leave him time to grow up and accompany him through this new steps by offering him a formula specially designed to meet its nutritional needs. Up to 3 years, it is advised to give 500ml per day of milk of growth to your child. You can also give him a dairy product to each meal, of which you will increase the quantity gradually.

Vegetables

Potatoes can now be given to baby, any methods of cooking. But be carefull not to give them too often to baby (once or twice a week). At around 15 months oldn dry vegetables and cereals (rice) can be introduced : cook them well and blend them until baby can chew them without any problems.

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