Your Baby’s Building Blocks
What are the nutrients required for optimal development?
I’ve chosen to raise my four kids as vegetarians since birth. This means children’s nutrition is very important to me. It is imperative that they don’t miss out on any nutrients, so I do my extensive research and continue to educate myself.
Food provides the essential building blocks for his development from the very moment our baby comes into the world. It all begins with the milk they drink, whether breast milk or formula. Breast milk is, of course, nature’s perfect food and should be your first choice if possible. The sustenance you provide will support his developmental growth into adolescence and beyond. Optimal nutrition during the first two years of life is critical because it helps lower the risk of certain diseases later on, as well as encourages optimal development.
You might have to look out for one or two supplements, but for the most part your breast milk contains the nourishment your baby needs.
If you breastfeed your baby for his whole first year of life (with the introduction of solids at six months), then you have provided most of the essential nutrients your baby needs for his development. You might have to look out for one or two supplements, but for the most part, your breast milk contains the nourishment your baby needs.
Listed below are all the nutrients required for you to nurture a healthy infant to ensure optimum growth.
PROTEIN
Babies from seven to 12 months need 11 grams of protein daily. Protein helps to build and repair new tissue and manufactures enzymes, hormones and antibodies. Breast milk contains an abundance of protein and carbohydrates, which a baby needs to grow optimally. Later on, you may include other protein sources such as meat, poultry, fish, egg yolks, cheese, yogurt, legumes, and cereals, and other grain products (in addition to breast milk or formula). Because of their rapid growth, babies require a lot of protein, fat, carbohydrates. This requirement slows down when the growth rate decreases.
CARBOHYDRATES
Babies aged seven to 12 months need 95 grams of carbohydrates daily. Carbohydrates provide energy for growth, body functions, and activity. Sources of carbohydrates are profuse and they can range from simple sugars or monosaccharaides, double sugars or disaccharides, to complex carbohydrates or polysaccharides.
FATS OR LIPIDS
Babies aged seven to 12 months need 30 grams of fats daily. Lipids are a group of substances, including fats, oils, and fat-like substances, such as cholesterol. Fats aid in the growth and development of the liver, brain, eyes, and heart. A principal supply of energy, they allow for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K. Take note that a baby’s required intake of fat per day is easily delivered by breast milk for the first year. Breast milk also provides enough linoleic acid, which is an omega-6 essential fatty acid.
Dcosahexaeonic acid (DHA) is also essential for babies, because it aids in brain and eye development. An important point to note is that breast milk is dependent on the diet of the nursing mother for its DHA levels, which means that there may not be enough DHA for the baby if the mother is not able to include sources of omega-3 fats in her diet. Since I am a vegetarian, I ensure that my supplements have DHA in them so that my milk will also have DHA.
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Many vitamin and mineral requirements are covered by breast milk. There are some vitamins and nutrients, however, that need to be injected into a baby’s diet via food, as breast milk may not contain the required dosages.
Remember that you should not supplement your baby’s diet with vitamins or minerals during the first year, unless your pediatrician prescribes them. I consulted Dr. Maribel VitugSales, an expert in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition, to get an expert opinion on vitamins for your baby.
VITAMIN D
A few considerations would be if one is breastfed, the infant might need vitamin D supplements. If deficient, this could lead to rickets, which is a skeletal disorder. Adequate intake would be around five micrograms calciferol daily.
IRON
Anemia is a common concern and can be prevented with iron supplementation. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for babies six to 12 months old is about 11 micrograms a day, while children between one to three years old need about seven micrograms a day. Vitamin C may be given to enhance absorption of Iron.
VITAMIN B12
If the mother is a vegan and is breastfeeding, infant would need vitamin B12 supplements (cobalamin). RDA is around one microgram a day. Deficiency in vitamin B12 may lead to megaloblastic anemia.
ZINC
Zinc is essential for growth. If deficient, it may lead to impaired immunity, hair loss, diarrhea, dermatitis (skin manifestations), and immune deficiency. RDA is three micrograms a day.
Vitamin supplements are not usually indicated in healthier infants, as milk formulas are complete and fortified. More important, mature human milk is a reliable source of all nutrients for infants until six months of age. It is highly recommended that you consult your own pediatrician before giving any of these to your baby.
Sources: Project Mom by Bianca Elizalde & Amanda Jacob, http://www. whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=speci alneed&dbid=7, http://www.nal.usda.gov/ wicworks/Topics/FG/CompleteIFG.pdf