Feeding newborns is a permanent commitment. This is also an opportunity to start connecting with the newest member of your family. Of course, as a parent, you want to provide the best for your newborn baby from baby essentials (online baby products) to food. Even though you want to feed your newborn baby with a new variety of comfort food every single day, you must keep in mind that there are a lot of foods that newborn babies should not consume. Here are foods you should avoid giving to your newborn baby.
- Honey
Honey (and honey-based meals) are off-limits for the first year due to the possibility of Clostridium botulinum spores. Although these spores are harmless to adults, they can cause botulism in babies under the age of one year. Constipation, decrease in sucking, loss of appetite, lethargy, pneumonia, and dehydration are all symptoms of this dangerous but seldom deadly condition. So, save your precious honey till the baby’s first birthday.
- Cow’s Milk
Cow’s milk is hard to digest for children younger than one, and it lacks the minerals (such as iron and vitamin E) that developing newborns require for optimal growth. At 8 months old, your paediatrician may authorise whole milk yoghurt, cottage cheese, and hard cheese, and newborns can start drinking whole milk moderately after a year.
- Salty food
Salt is bad for babies’ kidneys, so they shouldn’t eat a lot of it. Add no salt to your baby’s meals or boiling water, and avoid using stock cubes or gravy, which are sometimes rich in salt. If you plan to feed your infant the same food as the rest of the family, keep this in mind when you’re preparing for them. Sausages, chicken nuggets, crackers, potato chips are some of the examples of salty food.
- Fruit Juice
Fruit juice isn’t much better than sugar water in terms of calories, as it lacks the calcium, protein, fat, fibre, vitamin D, and zinc that babies require. It can suffocate a baby’s fragile appetite for breast milk or formula, which should be the primary source of nutrition in the first year of life. Too much juice can lead to tooth damage, diarrhoea, and other gastrointestinal issues. Fruit juice should not be given to infants under the age of a year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). However, even after they turn one, avoid feeding them juice before night, and only give them from cups and in tiny amounts throughout the day.
- High-Mercury Fish
Despite feeding kids fish has been shown to help improve their IQ, you should avoid mercury-rich fish like swordfish, king mackerel, and fresh tuna. Trout, tilapia, plus wild salmon are just a few of the other species that are acceptable to eat. Tuna is also usually safe to eat, however, choose canned piece light tuna instead of albacore because it has less mercury.
- Whole peanuts and nuts
Children under the age of five should never be given pretty much the entire nuts or peanuts because they can choke. Nuts and peanuts can be given to your kid as long as six months old, as long as they’re crushed, or smooth peanut butter. Before feeding peanuts and nuts to your child, consult your doctor or health visitor if your family has a history of food allergies or even other allergies.