There are countless opinions about what we should be feeding our babies, how we feed our babies, and when we feed our babies. There’s one thing we can all agree on as parents, and that is we are all doing the best we can for our babies.

The AAP made a statement in 2018, stating that “a baby’s nutritional environment during the first 1000 days of life is critical to lifelong mental health and development”. This sounds a bit overwhelming when you think about it. What happens if you had plans that went awry, maybe you struggled to establish breastfeeding, or are so exhausted you feed your baby more pre-made supermarket foods than you planned? Let me tell you, that does not mean you’ve failed in this ‘first 1000 days’

Stress is the biggest hinderer of brain and mental development. And if having a happy, healthy mother comes with bottle feeding or packaged food, then your baby’s development has not been impacted (unlike what this statement kind of suggests).

But with nutrition for your baby in mind, it’s good to cover the things that are important for parents to know.

Nutrition for babies

The general path goes as follows. Milk (either breastmilk or formula), followed by a slow introduction of nutrient-dense foods.

Contrary to popular belief, introducing foods for the first time is not about nutrients for your baby.

Introducing foods to your baby is about letting them learn and explore. Learning how to chew, swallow, deal with chunks, and move their arm to their face. They’re also learning about textures, colours, smells and how to have a positive relationship with food. The best part about your baby beginning to eat solid foods is that it supports jaw and facial development, which in turn establishes a patent airway and supports brain development.

Your diet during pregnancy effects your baby

The most common example of this would be iron. Many women are low in iron through pregnancy, starting from around 20 weeks. This is because your baby needs iron to develop and they take all the nutrients they can get.

Ensuring your pregnancy is nutrient-dense, with as many wholefoods as your pregnancy cravings will allow, means your baby receives those nutrients too. Eating a wholefoods diet during your pregnancy may also help with your energy levels, and reduce your risk of getting gestational diabetes.

The most common nutrients your baby will deplete you of are iron, zinc, and magnesium. It’s important to take an appropriate prenatal vitamin to ensure you’re replenishing any stores.

What about baby nutrition?

There are two big things that a baby needs for optimal development. Firstly, they need to feel safe and secure in their attachments to their caregivers. Secondly, they need proper nutrition.

The most important nutrients (in my opinion) for your baby are those that support healthy brain development, and healthy body growth. Our babies are growing at such a rapid rate, and they are expanding their view of the world with a period of accelerated brain development. In fact, the first few years of their life are when their body and brain are developing the fastest in their whole life.

Fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K are needed for brain development, as well as fat themselves (EPA and DHA). On top of that, protein, zinc, iron and choline are important nutrients. These are things that are naturally found in breastmilk, and are put into formula (as the job of formula is to replicate breastmilk as closely as possible).

Your baby’s first food – milk

In the animal kingdom, many mothers make milk for their babies, and humans are no different. Breastmilk is the most bioavailable source of nutrition for our babies because it is created specifically for human babies.

However, there are many instances in which this isn’t an option for mother or baby, and formula is available so that babies still get the milk they need.

The biggest difference between breastmilk and formula is the fact that breast milk contains immune cells direct from the mother. It is thought that these immune cells help to develop the baby’s immune system, their digestive tract, and their brain.

Studies on breast milk have found that the contents of the milk change depending on what the baby’s needs are, and has been found to promote healthy feeding behaviour and regulation of appetite later in life.

Studies on formula have found that despite all efforts to replicate breastmilk, the contents are different, because they use cow’s milk rather than human milk. So formula in general can be more difficult to digest, and in some children create digestive distress. The differences in the fats between breastmilk and formula concern advocates for brain development as breastmilk contains the exact fats required for healthy brain development.

The stats around breastfeeding

WHO and AAP recommend that babies are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of their life, then to continue being breastfed while offered solid foods from 6 to 12 months of age.

In 2018, the CDC found that only 47% of women were exclusively breastfeeding by their baby’s 3 months of age.

There is a huge discrepancy between recommendations and reality, with many arguing that there needs to be much more support for women to establish breastfeeding, and also support for women to be home with their babies longer than current western culture allows.

Stages of Nutrition for Babies

Feeding reflexes babies should have

There are four reflexes that an infant will typically demonstrate after birth. I look for these in newborns in practice, because if they aren’t displaying them early on, this can be a reason why a baby isn’t taking to breastfeeding.

Here’s a rundown of these reflexes and why they are important:

Rooting: After birth, the first reflexive response your infant will perform is reacting to objects when they touch his oral area, which includes his lips, corner of the mouth, cheek and chin. The baby, at this stage, should turn in the direction of the object and open his mouth, which allows him to locate a mother’s nipple or bottle nipple for food.
Suck/Swallow: Another reflex that begins right after birth is the suck/swallow reflex that allows the infant to open his mouth and suck on an object. In order to swallow, the tongue of the baby automatically moves to the back of his mouth. This reflex allows the infant to feed from a mother’s breast or a bottle.
Tongue Thrust: The tongue thrust reflex causes the infant’s tongue to extend out of his mouth when his lips are touching. This allows the baby to suck on the nipple or bottle so he can get food.
Gag: The gag reflex causes the infant to gag when an object, such as a spoon, is placed far back in his mouth. This reflex is the reason why parents have to wait before they can feed the infant foods from a spoon. It’s also why you may notice if your baby starts exploring by putting things in their mouth, they gag a lot. It’s actually ok for them to gag, they are learning the limits of their mouth and gagging stimulates the vagus nerve, which is important for brain and nervous system development.

When your baby is ready for solid foods, their gag reflex will begin to diminish and they will lose their tongue thrust reflex.

It is my clinical experience that with everything developmental, some babies do things early, some are on time, and some take longer. Please bear that in mind when it comes to integrating these reflexes, as well as introducing foods.

Moving towards introducing solids to your baby

When introducing foods to your baby for the first time, it’s important they are able to hold their own head up and sit in their high chair without your support.

Your baby must also be able to transfer food from the front of the mouth to the back of the tongue so that they can swallow foods from a spoon, and they must close their mouth around a spoon. This is a learning experience for your baby, so don’t be disheartened if they don’t do this straight away. Continually exposing them will help this along.

When introducing foods, there’s no rush. The food is not for nutritional requirements, it’s to get your baby used to eating, and to teach their digestive tract to digest solid food.

When your baby is more confident with food

When your baby is showing more confidence around food, you can start experimenting more with textures and flavours.

You might find your baby picks at food, throws it on the floor, attempts to use their cutlery more, and so on. They are still learning to eat and any interest in food and eating should be encouraged.

Please remember

It’s important to note that each baby is different. Some babies will take a bit longer to adapt to solids and some will catch on right away.

Always pay attention to your baby’s hunger cues and reflexes to determine what stage he’s at when it comes to feeding.

If your baby shows signs of an allergy after eating a specific food, such as a new skin rash, diarrhoea, vomiting or blood in the stool, eliminate the food from your baby’s diet and consult your GP.