When Should I Wean My Baby?
by Roberta Duyff, MS RD FADA
Weaning is the slow, gradual process that helps your baby eat and enjoy your family's foods. The time for weaning is an individual matter for mother and baby. Experts encourage moms to breast-feed for at least 12 months. Babies benefit from breastfeeding for as long as it's mutually right for mother and baby.
No matter how long you choose to nurse, start complementary foods, too, when your baby's ready. If your baby is exclusively breast-fed, that's about at six months of age. Talk to your pediatrician about timing. When your baby eats other foods, too, you'll probably nurse less often: typically first thing in the morning, naptimes and bedtime.
When you choose to wean your baby, introduce either infant formula or cow milk, depending on your baby's age. If your baby is under twelve months of age, wean from breast milk to iron-fortified infant formula. If your baby is twelve months or older, whole cow milk is appropriate.
Should you wean your baby to a bottle or a cup? That depends on his or her developmental readiness. Between four and six months, most infants will drink or suck small amounts of liquid from a cup or a glass when someone else holds it. Older babies and toddlers usually have the coordination to drink fluids from a cup or a straw. However, for infants under six months of age, a bottle is probably the best choice.
Living a healthier life is always a work in progress.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday Message from February 21st
Make Time for Breakfast
by Dayle Hayes, MS RD LD
As a mom, you may have often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After years of scientific research, it turns out that you may actually be right.
For kids, eating in the morning is essential for optimal school performance and overall health. Kids (and adults) who eat breakfast tend to do better at school (and work) and have healthier weights and cholesterol levels as well.
To refuel and rev-up your family for an energetic day, plan a power breakfast.
Plan Ahead
For most people, time is the biggest obstacle to eating in the morning. Here are three tried-and-true tips for beating the breakfast rush hour:
•Get ready the night before: Set the table with bowls and spoons for cereal. Get out a pan for pancakes or a blender for smoothies. Slice up some fruit and cheese.
•Keep it simple: Fancy breakfasts are wonderful when you have the time. On busy days, a sandwich, a slice of leftover veggie pizza, or low-fat yogurt with fruit work just fine.
•Pack to-go: If there’s no time to eat at home, take your nutrition to-go. Pack a brown bag breakfast for the road – or see if your school offers a breakfast program.
Include Protein/Carbs
•Carbohydrates: A high-octane carbohydrate energizes your body and brain for a busy day. Think cereal (hot or cold), bread, dinner rolls, tortillas, or even leftover rice or pasta. Choose whole grains for an extra nutrition punch (more fiber and nutrients).
•Protein: This is the missing link in most morning meals. Protein is what we need to go strong until lunch. Think a slice of Canadian bacon, an egg, a slice of lean deli meat or low-fat cheese, a container of low-fat yogurt, a scoop of low-fat cottage cheese, or a handful of nuts.
•Fruit: It’s quick and easy to add color and nutrition to your breakfast with your favorite fruits. Think fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit – like apples, berries, pears, bananas, grapefruit, kiwi, mangoes, oranges, or pineapple. Another great option is avocadoes. They are high in unsaturated (or good") fat and contain vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin and beta carotene, which forms vitamin A.
Eat well in the a.m. and you and your family will be on the nutrition fast track for a high-energy day. Check out the Power Up with Breakfast tip sheet for more breakfast ideas.
by Dayle Hayes, MS RD LD
As a mom, you may have often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After years of scientific research, it turns out that you may actually be right.
For kids, eating in the morning is essential for optimal school performance and overall health. Kids (and adults) who eat breakfast tend to do better at school (and work) and have healthier weights and cholesterol levels as well.
To refuel and rev-up your family for an energetic day, plan a power breakfast.
Plan Ahead
For most people, time is the biggest obstacle to eating in the morning. Here are three tried-and-true tips for beating the breakfast rush hour:
•Get ready the night before: Set the table with bowls and spoons for cereal. Get out a pan for pancakes or a blender for smoothies. Slice up some fruit and cheese.
•Keep it simple: Fancy breakfasts are wonderful when you have the time. On busy days, a sandwich, a slice of leftover veggie pizza, or low-fat yogurt with fruit work just fine.
•Pack to-go: If there’s no time to eat at home, take your nutrition to-go. Pack a brown bag breakfast for the road – or see if your school offers a breakfast program.
Include Protein/Carbs
•Carbohydrates: A high-octane carbohydrate energizes your body and brain for a busy day. Think cereal (hot or cold), bread, dinner rolls, tortillas, or even leftover rice or pasta. Choose whole grains for an extra nutrition punch (more fiber and nutrients).
•Protein: This is the missing link in most morning meals. Protein is what we need to go strong until lunch. Think a slice of Canadian bacon, an egg, a slice of lean deli meat or low-fat cheese, a container of low-fat yogurt, a scoop of low-fat cottage cheese, or a handful of nuts.
•Fruit: It’s quick and easy to add color and nutrition to your breakfast with your favorite fruits. Think fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit – like apples, berries, pears, bananas, grapefruit, kiwi, mangoes, oranges, or pineapple. Another great option is avocadoes. They are high in unsaturated (or good") fat and contain vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin and beta carotene, which forms vitamin A.
Eat well in the a.m. and you and your family will be on the nutrition fast track for a high-energy day. Check out the Power Up with Breakfast tip sheet for more breakfast ideas.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday Message from February 14th
Best Gift is a Healthy Heart
by Roberta Duyff, MS RD FADA
February 14 is Valentine's Day and the best gift you can give your kids is nutrition for a healthy heart.
Compelling research suggests that fatty buildup in arteries begins in childhood and is more likely with higher blood cholesterol levels. For that reason, the American Heart Association offers advice for children and teens about these related health risks:
•Cigarette smoking: discourage it.
•High blood pressure: identify and treat it.
•Obesity: prevent it or reduce weight.
•Diabetes: diagnose and treat it.
•Inactivity: encourage regular aerobic exercise (30 to 60 minutes), on most days of the week. At the same time, kids need to eat enough fruits and vegetables each day, and choose foods that are low in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol.
For cardiovascular health, young people, ages two through nineteen years, should maintain acceptable blood cholesterol levels:
Total Cholesterol (mg/dL): less than 200
LDL Cholesterol (mg/dL): Less than 100; some cardiologist desire 70
by Roberta Duyff, MS RD FADA
February 14 is Valentine's Day and the best gift you can give your kids is nutrition for a healthy heart.
Compelling research suggests that fatty buildup in arteries begins in childhood and is more likely with higher blood cholesterol levels. For that reason, the American Heart Association offers advice for children and teens about these related health risks:
•Cigarette smoking: discourage it.
•High blood pressure: identify and treat it.
•Obesity: prevent it or reduce weight.
•Diabetes: diagnose and treat it.
•Inactivity: encourage regular aerobic exercise (30 to 60 minutes), on most days of the week. At the same time, kids need to eat enough fruits and vegetables each day, and choose foods that are low in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol.
For cardiovascular health, young people, ages two through nineteen years, should maintain acceptable blood cholesterol levels:
Total Cholesterol (mg/dL): less than 200
LDL Cholesterol (mg/dL): Less than 100; some cardiologist desire 70
Monday Message from February 7th
Make Sleep a Priority
by Lori Brizee, MS RD
Ahhh … a good night's sleep … At long last, something enjoyable that is good for your child's health! Make sure your child gets enough shut eye and you will provide them with an additional tool to help fight obesity. Research indicates that from infancy through adolescence and possibly adulthood, people who get the least sleep tend to gain weight the faster and are more apt to be obese than those who get the recommended amount of sleep. One theory is that fatigue leads to lower physical activity and/or increased appetite, which then results in excess weight gain.
Make Sleep a Priority
ADA spokesperson Ximena Jimenez MS, RD, LD, dietitian for Head Start in Florida sees parents as role models for their kids — if parents don't make sleep a priority for themselves, their kids won’t either. In our hectic world, getting by on little sleep, so we can "get more done" is unfortunately often viewed as a virtue.
Marilyn Tanner-Blasiar MHS, RD, LD clinical pediatric dietitian in St. Louis, Mo. and ADA spokesperson, sees lack of parent enforced bedtimes as a problem. She works with many families in which kids stay up late at night, playing video games or watching television and eating long after parents have gone to bed, often resulting in weight problems for the kids. She believes that health care providers and the media could help better inform individuals and society about the importance of sleep.
What Can You Do?
•Make adequate sleep a priority for YOU. Your kids will follow.
•Set and enforce regular bedtimes.
•Limit or cut out non-essential activities on school days — TV, computer/video games, cell phone texting, etc.
•Spend the half an hour before bedtime doing quiet, calming activities with your kids, like reading, listening to music, or talking about their day to help them wind down and be ready for sleep.
•If your child has problems sleeping, check out www.sleepforkids.org for practical tips.
How Much Sleep Does My Child Need?
Newborn infants: 0 to 2 months- 12 to 18 hours (includes naps)
Infants: 3-11 months- 14 to 15 hours (includes two naps)
Toddlers: 1-3 years- 12 to 14 hours (includes one nap)
Preschoolers: 3-5 years- 11 to13 hours (includes one nap)
School-age children: 5-10 years- 10-11 hours
Teens : 10-17 years- 8 ½ to 9 ¼ hours
Adults- 7 to 9 hours
Source: National Sleep Foundation
by Lori Brizee, MS RD
Ahhh … a good night's sleep … At long last, something enjoyable that is good for your child's health! Make sure your child gets enough shut eye and you will provide them with an additional tool to help fight obesity. Research indicates that from infancy through adolescence and possibly adulthood, people who get the least sleep tend to gain weight the faster and are more apt to be obese than those who get the recommended amount of sleep. One theory is that fatigue leads to lower physical activity and/or increased appetite, which then results in excess weight gain.
Make Sleep a Priority
ADA spokesperson Ximena Jimenez MS, RD, LD, dietitian for Head Start in Florida sees parents as role models for their kids — if parents don't make sleep a priority for themselves, their kids won’t either. In our hectic world, getting by on little sleep, so we can "get more done" is unfortunately often viewed as a virtue.
Marilyn Tanner-Blasiar MHS, RD, LD clinical pediatric dietitian in St. Louis, Mo. and ADA spokesperson, sees lack of parent enforced bedtimes as a problem. She works with many families in which kids stay up late at night, playing video games or watching television and eating long after parents have gone to bed, often resulting in weight problems for the kids. She believes that health care providers and the media could help better inform individuals and society about the importance of sleep.
What Can You Do?
•Make adequate sleep a priority for YOU. Your kids will follow.
•Set and enforce regular bedtimes.
•Limit or cut out non-essential activities on school days — TV, computer/video games, cell phone texting, etc.
•Spend the half an hour before bedtime doing quiet, calming activities with your kids, like reading, listening to music, or talking about their day to help them wind down and be ready for sleep.
•If your child has problems sleeping, check out www.sleepforkids.org for practical tips.
How Much Sleep Does My Child Need?
Newborn infants: 0 to 2 months- 12 to 18 hours (includes naps)
Infants: 3-11 months- 14 to 15 hours (includes two naps)
Toddlers: 1-3 years- 12 to 14 hours (includes one nap)
Preschoolers: 3-5 years- 11 to13 hours (includes one nap)
School-age children: 5-10 years- 10-11 hours
Teens : 10-17 years- 8 ½ to 9 ¼ hours
Adults- 7 to 9 hours
Source: National Sleep Foundation
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