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It has been known for years that mother’s milk is the most beneficial food for a newborn. If the pregnancy is normal and there are no contraindications, the baby should be breastfed, because it is the mother’s milk that contains the most valuable substances and nutrients, in proportions ideally suited to the needs of a small child. However, there are also situations where the mother cannot breastfeed her baby for various reasons or the milk is finished before the baby is able to consume any food other than milk. In this situation, doctors recommend baby milk. What is worth knowing about it? How to choose the best baby milk?
What is infant formula?
Many mothers who are forced to feed their baby formula milk wonder what exactly this product is: Modified baby milk is simply cow’s milk that has been properly modified to get rid of substances that could harm the baby. and increase the amount necessary for its development. Such modifications are designed to make cow’s milk as similar as possible to the natural mother’s milk.
How to choose baby milk?
Not all infant milk is the same. There are many producers of this type of products on the market, and each of them offers mothers various types of modified milk, which are most often adapted to the child’s age, but not only. In addition to the baby’s age, it is also worth checking if the child has any allergies or other health ailments, because modified milk adapted to the special needs of infants has already appeared on the Polish market.
Before we decide on a specific formula for infants, be sure to consult a pediatrician who will help you choose the product best suited to your toddler’s specific needs.
What are the different types of baby milk?
Baby milk is divided primarily into age categories. So we will find a starting milk intended for children up to 6 months of age, next milk for toddlers aged 6 to 12 months, and junior milk, most often intended for children over 1 and over 2 years of age. Apart from this division, there are also specialized milks available. These are most often used in infants who suffer from constipation, colic, diarrhea, as well as lactose intolerance or are undergoing antibiotic therapy.
Composition of infant milk
When choosing milk for babies, it is definitely worth taking a look at its composition. The basic composition of formula milk is regulated by law, so there are a number of ingredients that simply every infant formula should have. However, many companies also decide to include additional ingredients that can support the healthy development of the baby.
Each infant formula should contain the following ingredients: demineralized whey powder, skimmed milk powder, whey protein concentrate, lactose, vegetable oils, calcium carbonate and phosphate, L-ascorbic acid, sodium L-ascorbate, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride and citrate. complex carbohydrates, choline chloride, soy lecithin, sodium citrate, ferric sulfate, zinc sulfate, taurine, L-carnitine and vitamins.
In addition to the above ingredients, infant milk is sometimes enriched with additional ones, such as probiotics, prebiotics and fatty acids.
Milk for the newborn baby right after birth
It sometimes happens that the mother, for various reasons, is unable to feed her baby right after birth, even if there is no problem with the food later. It is worth being prepared for this eventuality when we go to the delivery room. For this purpose, it is worth buying good-quality infant milk, which will at least partially replace breast milk in the first hours of a child’s life.
Baby milk – how to use it?
Once we decide on the right baby milk, the question remains: how to use it properly? The easiest way is, of course, to look at the packaging of the product we bought, where all information regarding the proper preparation of food for a baby should be available. Regardless of what kind of baby milk we choose, it is worth making sure that all the dishes that we use to prepare a meal and feed the baby are properly prepared, and therefore well sterilized.
Low-sodium, low-mineralized water is best for the preparation of formula milk. First, boil it, and then wait until it cools down to a temperature of about 40-50 degrees Celsius. Pour the amount of powdered milk specified on the packaging into the water at this temperature and mix thoroughly. It is worth remembering that baby milk should be prepared immediately before giving it to the baby, and always adhere to the amounts indicated on the packaging, as this is the optimal dose for a toddler.
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