Breast Feeding

Other Foods While Breast Feeding
By Andrew Kelly

Breast milk is actually the only food your baby will need until 4 months of age, although most babies do well on breast milk alone for 6 months or better. There is really no advantage to adding other foods or milks before 4 - 6 months, except under unusual circumstances.

Water
Breast milk is over 90% water. Even in the hottest days of summer, a baby won't require any extra water. If a baby isn't feeding well, they still don't require any extra water - although they will need the breast feeding problems to be fixed.

Vitamin D
Although breast milk doesn't contain much vitamin D, it does have a little. The baby will store up vitamin D during pregnancy, and remain healthy without any vitamin D supplementation, unless you yourself had a problem with vitamin D deficiency when pregnant.

Exposure to the outside will give your baby vitamin D, even in winter and when the sky is covered. An hour or more exposure during the week will give your baby more than enough vitamin D.

Iron
Breast milk contains less iron than formulas do, especially those that are iron enriched. Iron will give the baby added protection against infections, as many bacteria need iron in order to multiply. The iron found in breast milk is utilized well by the baby, while not being available to bacteria. The introduction of iron should never be delayed beyond the age of 6 months.

Breast milk is the best that your can feed your baby, as it provides everything he will need for probably the first 6 months. After the first 6 months, you can introduce solid foods to your baby if he is taking an interest to them.

Author Details:
Andrew Kelly, copywriter for various websites including, The A to Z of Breast Feeding , part of an ambitious project to cover various subjects plus a great many other sites including health sites such as; Microdermabrasion, Cosmetic Surgery and Laser Hair Removal.

Source: Information Junkie

NOTE: This article may be reproduced ONLY if the author details, article source this note and all links remain in place.

Related Breast-Feeding Articles:

Breast Feeding Homepage

Breast Feeding - An Introduction to

Avoiding Foods While Breast Feeding

Benefits Of Breast Feeding

Breast Compression

Breast Feeding Adopted Babies

Breast Feeding And Jaundice

Breast Feeding And Positioning

Breast Feeding Complications

Breast Feeding In Public

Breast Feeding Toddlers

Engorged Breasts

Getting Started With Breast Feeding

Health And Diet

How Breast Milk Is Made

How To Choose A Breast Pump

How To Use A Breast Pump

Low Supply Of Breast Milk

Other Foods While Breast Feeding

Poor Milk Supply

Reasons To Breast Feed

Refusal To Breast Feed

Returning To Work

Starting Solid Foods

The First Six Weeks

Weaning From Breast Feeding

Your Nursing Area