FAMILY HEALTH with Dr. MUSA MOHD NORDIN and Dr. POH BEE KOON
MAY I know why salt should not be added to babies’ food, and at what age baby can be fed food with added salt? I’m asking because many of my friends with children feel it’s a must to include salt in their children’s daily menu. Does salt stunt babies’ growth, and are there other adverse effects?
Babies’ and young children’s kidneys are too immature to process excess salt from their food. If your child eats too much salt, in the long term, his kidneys might become irreparably damaged. Although salt is an important nutrient that is needed by the human body, it is found in sufficient quantities in breast milk, rice and most, if not all, of the foods commonly fed to babies.
So don’t add salt or artificial seasoning to baby’s food. The need to add salt to food depends on an individual’s personal preference. For children above the age of one, salt can be added to food, but only in very small quantities. Try to reduce the amount of salt in your children’s (and the rest of the family’s) food gradually, and after about a week you’ll find that most foods are tasty enough without added salt. If you find the food bland, use natural flavouring such as lemon juice, herbs and spices to vary the tastes of the foods you prepare.
Finally, remember never to add salt to your baby’s food as this will endanger his health.
I don’t have much trouble feeding my baby, except that he prefers to feed from my left breast. When I try to put him on my right breast, he cries as if he’s uncomfortable. As a result, my right breast is smaller than the left. Please help.
In most cases, babies can feed from both breasts. There are some babies who selectively feed from only one breast. In your case, this may be due to baby’s discomfort when he feeds from your right breast. When you first breastfed him, he may have experienced some pain due to vacuum-assisted birth or an injury to the right side of his head. Rest assured that the milk from one breast can be enough for his growth. Check that his weight increases normally, as seen in the growth chart. You should express the milk from your right breast to prevent decreased milk flow, and the expressed milk can be given to baby via cup-feeding.
A lactation expert can help you to ensure that baby is positioned comfortably on both sides and help you to achieve proper positioning and attachment. If you are still in doubt, please visit a paediatrician or lactation consultant for further explanation.
I have a daughter, aged 2 years and 10 months, and I feed her powdered milk. She often gets stomachaches, not necessarily followed by bowel movements. Her stool is dark-coloured and a little hard. Sometimes it is so hard that she cries when moving her bowels. She also takes up to an hour to go to the bathroom.
Does this mean the milk doesn’t agree with her? How else can I replace the milk, seeing that she doesn’t like regular flavoured powdered milk? Is it all right if I give her sweetened condensed milk, mixed with a chocolate malt drink? What is the correct measurement?
Based on what you’ve described, your child seems to be constipated. If this is indeed her problem, the cause may not be the type of milk your daughter drinks, but the fact that she isn’t eating enough fruits and vegetables. Feed her a variety of fruits and vegetables at meal times and for snacks. Make them appealing and easy to eat by cutting them into small, creatively-shaped pieces, then arranging them attractively.
From the age of one onwards, children can be given regular (full cream) cow’s milk. Milk doesn’t have to be taken on its own. You can use a blender to mix it with frozen fruits such as grapes, bananas and mangoes, to make delicious smoothies. Plain milk can also be mixed with chocolate malt drinks.
Sweetened condensed milk is not recommended for daily consumption because of its high sugar content. It’s best that your daughter isn’t allowed to develop a “sweet tooth” from eating foods with added sugar. She can get all the nutrients and energy she needs by eating natural foods with no added sugar.
I just delivered my son last November. I have never breastfed my child; I’ve only given him formula. My son is now past three months old. Should my child be fed the water from boiling rice porridge? And should I wake him up to feed in the middle of the night, even though he’s sleeping well and not crying?
Babies under six months old should be breastfed exclusively. If you can’t breastfeed for any reason, make sure your son is fed only infant formula that is appropriate for his age. The milk must be mixed with cool boiled water, and following the instructions on the package exactly. Before the child is six months old, avoid giving him anything else to drink, except if instructed by his doctor.
Your baby doesn’t need to be woken for night-time feeds as long as he feeds enough at other times, and his body weight and length are normal for his age.
I have a seven-month-old who has been on formula since two months, due to my lack of breast milk. I’ve begun giving him cereal on top of his powdered formula. Even then, his weight is rather low for his age, at 6.5kg. Please advise.
Babies double their birth weight at the age of five to six months. If your baby was 2.5kg when he was born, 6.5kg would be normal for his growth rate at seven months. Remember, every child grows at a different pace, and if your child seems small, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s not healthy. Get the advice of a paediatrician about his growth rate.
From the age of six months, a baby should begin to be fed foods other than breast milk or formula. Begin with baby rice cereal and fruit or vegetable purées on their own.
Adding salt to your baby’s food will endanger his health as his kidneys are incapable of processing the excess salt.
At the age of seven months, a baby can be fed rice porridge cooked together with finely-chopped vegetables such as carrots or spinach. At eight months, shredded, cooked boneless fish may be added. Visit a nutritionist, dietician or paediatrician for more in-depth advice.
Article courtesy of Positive Parenting, a community education programme by the Malaysian Paediatric Association in collaboration with the Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society of Malaysia and Nutrition Society of Malaysia. To receive a free copy of Positive Parenting Magazine, call 03-5621 1408.
Send your queries to the Positive Parenting Secretariat, c/o VersaComm Sdn Bhd, 12-A Jalan PJS 8/4, Mentari Plaza, Bandar Sunway, 46150 Petaling Jaya, or e-mail: info@mypositiveparenting.org
Disclaimer: This column is not a substitute for medical advice. The Star, the Malaysian Paediatric Association and the Positive Parenting Secretariat are not liable for any issues arising from this column.
MAY I know why salt should not be added to babies’ food, and at what age baby can be fed food with added salt? I’m asking because many of my friends with children feel it’s a must to include salt in their children’s daily menu. Does salt stunt babies’ growth, and are there other adverse effects?
Babies’ and young children’s kidneys are too immature to process excess salt from their food. If your child eats too much salt, in the long term, his kidneys might become irreparably damaged. Although salt is an important nutrient that is needed by the human body, it is found in sufficient quantities in breast milk, rice and most, if not all, of the foods commonly fed to babies.
So don’t add salt or artificial seasoning to baby’s food. The need to add salt to food depends on an individual’s personal preference. For children above the age of one, salt can be added to food, but only in very small quantities. Try to reduce the amount of salt in your children’s (and the rest of the family’s) food gradually, and after about a week you’ll find that most foods are tasty enough without added salt. If you find the food bland, use natural flavouring such as lemon juice, herbs and spices to vary the tastes of the foods you prepare.
Finally, remember never to add salt to your baby’s food as this will endanger his health.
I don’t have much trouble feeding my baby, except that he prefers to feed from my left breast. When I try to put him on my right breast, he cries as if he’s uncomfortable. As a result, my right breast is smaller than the left. Please help.
In most cases, babies can feed from both breasts. There are some babies who selectively feed from only one breast. In your case, this may be due to baby’s discomfort when he feeds from your right breast. When you first breastfed him, he may have experienced some pain due to vacuum-assisted birth or an injury to the right side of his head. Rest assured that the milk from one breast can be enough for his growth. Check that his weight increases normally, as seen in the growth chart. You should express the milk from your right breast to prevent decreased milk flow, and the expressed milk can be given to baby via cup-feeding.
A lactation expert can help you to ensure that baby is positioned comfortably on both sides and help you to achieve proper positioning and attachment. If you are still in doubt, please visit a paediatrician or lactation consultant for further explanation.
I have a daughter, aged 2 years and 10 months, and I feed her powdered milk. She often gets stomachaches, not necessarily followed by bowel movements. Her stool is dark-coloured and a little hard. Sometimes it is so hard that she cries when moving her bowels. She also takes up to an hour to go to the bathroom.
Does this mean the milk doesn’t agree with her? How else can I replace the milk, seeing that she doesn’t like regular flavoured powdered milk? Is it all right if I give her sweetened condensed milk, mixed with a chocolate malt drink? What is the correct measurement?
Based on what you’ve described, your child seems to be constipated. If this is indeed her problem, the cause may not be the type of milk your daughter drinks, but the fact that she isn’t eating enough fruits and vegetables. Feed her a variety of fruits and vegetables at meal times and for snacks. Make them appealing and easy to eat by cutting them into small, creatively-shaped pieces, then arranging them attractively.
From the age of one onwards, children can be given regular (full cream) cow’s milk. Milk doesn’t have to be taken on its own. You can use a blender to mix it with frozen fruits such as grapes, bananas and mangoes, to make delicious smoothies. Plain milk can also be mixed with chocolate malt drinks.
Sweetened condensed milk is not recommended for daily consumption because of its high sugar content. It’s best that your daughter isn’t allowed to develop a “sweet tooth” from eating foods with added sugar. She can get all the nutrients and energy she needs by eating natural foods with no added sugar.
I just delivered my son last November. I have never breastfed my child; I’ve only given him formula. My son is now past three months old. Should my child be fed the water from boiling rice porridge? And should I wake him up to feed in the middle of the night, even though he’s sleeping well and not crying?
Babies under six months old should be breastfed exclusively. If you can’t breastfeed for any reason, make sure your son is fed only infant formula that is appropriate for his age. The milk must be mixed with cool boiled water, and following the instructions on the package exactly. Before the child is six months old, avoid giving him anything else to drink, except if instructed by his doctor.
Your baby doesn’t need to be woken for night-time feeds as long as he feeds enough at other times, and his body weight and length are normal for his age.
I have a seven-month-old who has been on formula since two months, due to my lack of breast milk. I’ve begun giving him cereal on top of his powdered formula. Even then, his weight is rather low for his age, at 6.5kg. Please advise.
Babies double their birth weight at the age of five to six months. If your baby was 2.5kg when he was born, 6.5kg would be normal for his growth rate at seven months. Remember, every child grows at a different pace, and if your child seems small, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s not healthy. Get the advice of a paediatrician about his growth rate.
From the age of six months, a baby should begin to be fed foods other than breast milk or formula. Begin with baby rice cereal and fruit or vegetable purées on their own.
Adding salt to your baby’s food will endanger his health as his kidneys are incapable of processing the excess salt.
At the age of seven months, a baby can be fed rice porridge cooked together with finely-chopped vegetables such as carrots or spinach. At eight months, shredded, cooked boneless fish may be added. Visit a nutritionist, dietician or paediatrician for more in-depth advice.
Article courtesy of Positive Parenting, a community education programme by the Malaysian Paediatric Association in collaboration with the Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society of Malaysia and Nutrition Society of Malaysia. To receive a free copy of Positive Parenting Magazine, call 03-5621 1408.
Send your queries to the Positive Parenting Secretariat, c/o VersaComm Sdn Bhd, 12-A Jalan PJS 8/4, Mentari Plaza, Bandar Sunway, 46150 Petaling Jaya, or e-mail: info@mypositiveparenting.org
Disclaimer: This column is not a substitute for medical advice. The Star, the Malaysian Paediatric Association and the Positive Parenting Secretariat are not liable for any issues arising from this column.
posted by Petite Queen @ 6:49 PM
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