Homemade Baby: Baby’s Gotta Have It! - Essential Nutrients for your Baby’s Development

With chic online baby boutiques and trendy stores in nearly every city, new moms are offered limitless choices that include hybrid strollers, baby wipe warmers and baby bling pacifiers. It’s tough to keep straight – especially if you’re like me, and all that nursing has turned your brain to mush. Fortunately, what your baby needs on the inside is pretty straight forward. The essentials for your budding baby are:

FATS
Yes. Fats. Of course I mean the right kind of fats. Most infants receive 40 – 50 percent of calories through fats in breast milk or formula. After one year your baby will drink whole cow’s milk or soy milk. Don’t introduce any low-fat foods until after two years of age. The healthiest fats are unsaturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated which are better absorbed by the body. You can find these fats in avocados, fish oil, peanuts, almonds, soy oil, safflower oil and olive oil. Saturated fats come mostly from meat, eggs and dairy. Never restrict fats in a child under two. You on the other hand have to keep track.

PROTEIN
During periods of rapid growth, infancy and adolescence, the body requires more protein. A one-year-old child requires about two cups of protein food per day. Good sources of protein are fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, meat, poultry and nuts. Vegetarian babies can eat food combinations of grains and beans or grains and diary.

CARBOHYDRATES
A baby’s main source of energy comes from carbohydrates. The best are complex carbohydrates that enter the bloodstream in a slow, steady pace (the opposite of sugars from candy and icings). Good sources of complex carbohydrates are beans and legumes, pasta, fresh fruit, potatoes and whole grains.

VITAMINS
Choosing a variety of healthy foods will supply your baby with enough vitamins to keep their body working well. Our bodies need vitamins: A, C, D, E, K and a series of B vitamins: thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, biotin, folacin, B6, and B12.

MINERALS
Although a baby’s body needs only a small amount of minerals, they are extremely important for good health. The most important minerals for babies are:

Iron:
While babies are born with iron stored from their mother’s blood, these reserves begin to deplete around six months. The body absorbs iron best from animal sources like meat, chicken and lamb. Vegetarian babies can select from iron-rich foods such as beans, fortified cereal, dried peaches and prunes, tofu and peas. Vitamin C, in combination with a good iron source, help your baby’s body absorb more iron. Spaghetti with meat (or lentils) and tomato sauce is a classic combination to get iron into the whole family.

Calcium:
Mother always said “drink your milk” and she was right. The stronger and healthier your bones develop as a child the stronger the bones will be in adult life. Can you say Osteoporosis? Breast milk or formula is all that is needed in the beginning to meet your baby’s calcium needs. Later in life good sources of calcium are dairy, fortified orange juice, salmon, blackstrap molasses, legumes and tofu.

Zinc:
This important trace mineral will help to build a healthy immune system. Zinc rich foods include wheat germ, lentils, beans, peas, corn, soybeans and lean meats.

A balanced diet of a variety of foods will keep your little one growing strong. If you have concerns about your baby’s food intake consult your pediatrician. Together you can design a food plan that’s right for your whole family.