Complete Nutrition for a Weaned Infant

Dr. Sears answers a question from one of our Baby Babble readers.

 

I have a 14 month old that has been almost exclusively breastfed.  I am going to attempt to wean her very soon.  My concern is providing the most complete nutrition.  She eats vegetables and fruit (loves bananas), but is not fond of meat and will not drink formula from a cup (juice is fine).  What should I do?

 

I want to applaud you for exclusively breastfeeding your baby this long. You have given her the best nutritional start and put her on the road to good health.  Since she has not been on cow's milk before, I suggest you begin with YoBaby yogurt instead of milk, since yogurt is more easily digestible and its proteins are less allergenic. Begin with gradually increasing amounts of YoBaby and milk as her intestines get used to these foods. 

 

Your baby is likely to get enough protein and carbohydrates from a diet of fruits, vegetables, YoBaby, and baby cereal.  However, the one nutrient that is in your milk that is challenging to get from other food sources is healthy fats, namely omega-3 fatty acids.  Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the most important, yet overlooked, nutrient needs for growing children.  This is why many baby foods are beginning to be fortified with DHA, the most important of the omega-3 fatty acids. The good news is that there is YoBaby Plus Fruit & Cereal with DHA, the first baby yogurt with this vital nutrient.

 

The omega-3 fatty acid, DHA, is important for the growth of every organ of the body, especially the brain, where it forms the structural component of the brain's cell membrane.  Your best dietary source of omega 3's is salmon. (I should note that fish is the source of YoBaby's DHA.)

 

In our practice we get babies used to the taste of salmon even as young as nine months to a year.  Just like you use YoBaby organic products, be sure to give your baby wild salmon (in case you don't know, all Alaskan salmon is wild).

 

Certainly your baby is unlikely to sit down and eat a whole salmon fillet at this age. Start with a teaspoon of mashed salmon and shoot for a couple ounces at least three times a week.  If your baby is not yet ready or willing to eat salmon, suggest giving her 100 milligrams of DHA as a daily supplement.  (This is what is now being added to infant formulas.) 

 

Here's a trick from the Sears' family kitchen.  When introducing a new and nutrient-dense food like salmon, camouflage it with a larger amount of a tried-and-true favorite food.  Gradually increase the amount of the salmon and decrease the amount of the other food.  Since being sure your baby gets enough healthy fats is the main nutritional concern after weaning, another healthy fat that's easy to give is flax oil. Add a teaspoon or two of flax oil daily to YoBaby, for example.  A favorite dish that our 18-month-old grandchild, Ashton, enjoys is YoBaby yogurt, blueberries, and two teaspoons of ground flaxseeds.  Stir these all together and let your baby enjoy!

 

Got a healthy question about your little one? Ask Dr. William Sears