Water Intake
Too much water can interfere with breastfeeding because it fills baby up so that he nurses less. Babies need the nutrition and calories in breastmilk to grow - water has none of these.
- Breastmilk has all the water your baby needs, even in very hot weather.
- When your 4-6 month old baby is learning to use a cup, giving him a few sips of water a couple of times a day (no more than 2 ounces per 24 hours) is fine and fun.
Once baby starts solids, you might want to give him a few sips of expressed milk or water with his solids - some babies need this to prevent constipation.
Juice intake
- Juice intake, like water intake, can interfere with breastfeeding because it fills baby up so that he nurses less.
- Juice should be introduced just like any other new food. For example, applesauce and apple juice should be introduced separately.
- Limit juice intake to no more than 3-4 ounces per day so that baby is not filling up on it to the extent that he has no appetite for other foods.
- Offer the juice from a cup rather than a bottle.
- Dilute the juice with equal amounts of water, or try using juice just to flavor water.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently released a policy statement recommending that babies younger than 6 months should not be given any juice, children aged 6 months to 6 years should get no more than 4-6 ounces per day, and children older than 7 should have no more than 8-12 ounces of juice daily.
The potential hazards of too much juice
- Drinking too much juice can lead to malnutrition or anemia, as a child is missing out on other necessary nutrients, including proteins and complex carbohydrates.
- Drinking a lot of juice can damage the enamel of the teeth, leading to tooth decay. This is particularly a problem when the juice is offered in a bottle, rather than a cup.
- Drinking a lot of juice, especially apple juice, may cause loose bowel movements and constant diarrhea.
- Consumption of greater than 12 fl oz/day of fruit juice by young children has been associated with short stature and obesity (see studies by Dennison et al); other studies did not observe this association (see studies by Skinner et al). Consumption of more than 12 fl oz/day of fruit juice has also been associated with nonorganic failure to thrive (Smith et al, 1994).
- Fruit juices that contain sorbitol or high levels of fructose as sweeteners may cause restlessness, gas and stomach distress in infants (Cole et al, 1999). The sweeteners may cause problems in babies because young children often have difficulty breaking down carbohydrates, including these sugars.
- Unpasteurized juice may contain harmful bacteria, such as E-coli and Salmonella.
這個輔食的時間表媽媽們可以參考一下：
4～5個月，菜汁、果汁約5汤匙，每日分2次给。
4～5個月，可以開始吃煮熟的蛋黃，從四分之一開始，將蛋花國壓碎放入米湯中調均勻后餵寶寶。等寶寶慢慢適應后，逐漸增至半只蛋黃。四個半月起，也可以試餵煮的很爛的稀粥。每天一湯匙，在寶寶笑話良好的情況下，5個月開始每天增2～3湯匙。或者餵寶寶其他糊狀食物也可以。
6～12個月：煮熟的蛋黃可以增至每天一個，稀粥可以增至半稠狀，霉天3湯匙，分兩次給。慢慢逐步增至5～6湯匙。粥中可加菜泥1汤匙，如果断奶食品吃得好，可减去1次奶。
7～8個月每天餵稠狀粥兩次，每次約6～7湯匙。在粥里加菜泥2～3湯匙，然後逐漸增至3～4湯匙。七個半月，粥里可輪換加入少許的肉末，魚肉。
這時候，可以给宝宝随意啃餅乾，這樣促進牙齒發育。（我二女兒小時候我都給她買Shoppers Drug Mart 賣的organic餅乾）；母乳（或其他乳品）每日2～3次，早晚必須餵奶，其他時間段餵輔食。
9～10個月可以參考這個進食時間表：
上午6am，喝母奶或配方奶，10am稠粥1碗，菜泥2—3汤匙，蛋羹半只; 下午2pm喂母奶或配方奶; 晚上6pm喂稠粥或烂面条1碗，蛋羹半只，除菜泥，还可在粥中加豆腐末、肉末、肝泥等;10pm喂奶。
如果辅食吃得好，可少喂1次奶或考虑断奶。
11～12個月
可以吃接近大人的食品，如软饭、煮得较烂的菜、水果、碎肉和容易消化的点心。如果处于春秋凉爽季节可考虑断奶。断奶后，每天要保持喝1—2次牛奶。
