Child Nutrition

​On April 6th, we were treated to a highly informative presentation about child nutrition by Jenny Luedke, a senior nursing major at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Jenny, who is a mother herself, walked us through the basics of child nutrition from birth to five years. Everyone learned something new, and Jenny received plenty of questions. 

Infant Nutrition: Birth to Six Months
 
​One of the most important aspects of feeding an infant is knowing when he or she is hungry; infants who are hungry will often root (move their heads back and forth as though they are looking for something) or suck before they cry. Thus, you should not wait until your infant is crying to feed him or her. If you are breastfeeding your child, you should feed him or her on demand, or every two to three hours. If the baby is formula fed, then you should feed him or her every three or four hours. Mothers who pump breastmilk for their babies can keep it in the fridge for up to forty-eight hours, while mothers who formula feed can store their formula in the fridge for up to twenty-four hours. 

​Infant Nutrition: Six to Eight Months

​Infants are typically ready for baby foods around six to eight months of age. Signs that the child is ready for table food include sucking food off of a spoon, sitting up, and holding up his or her head for extended periods of time. Rice cereal and pureed fruits and vegetables are great foods to start with, and finger foods like puffs and yogurt bites are great for infants who are graduating to solids. Children at this stage can also be fed soft, cut-up foods like bananas, blueberries, and eggs. 

​Toddler Nutrition: Twelve Months to Five Years

​Once a child is a year old, he or she is ready for cow’s milk. For the first two years of life, children should drink whole milk; however, low-fat milk is also acceptable once the child is past two years of age. Some foods to avoid during this stage are strawberries and honey, because children can choke on the strawberry seeds and honey has botulinum spores that make children sick. 

​Other Important Information
Important tip: If you are looking on the Internet for more information on what to feed your child, look for websites that end .org or .gov, as there are more accurate, and more reliable sources.
Foods that are a choking hazard: Grapes, hot dogs, popcorn, raw vegetables, hard fruit, white bread, peanuts, hard candies and gum.
Top food allergies: Milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, gluten/wheat
Unhealthy foods to avoid: Anything with high sodium or salt content, carbohydrates, or sugar. Some good examples of such foods are corn dogs, hot dogs, pizza, mac ‘n cheese, white bread, chips, soda, and granola bars. 

Group Night is held at New Beginnings.  Every Thursday, we meet as a group to discuss important life skills and educational topics.  Discussions are led by community volunteers and can cover a broad range of topics.

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