by Arianna Larson

Created on: January 06, 2010   Last Updated: January 07, 2010

As parents, you are in charge of the health and well being of that little tiny being. That task begins even before the baby is born and it will continue for the rest of your life, since it doesn't matter how old your child is, he or she will always be your child.

In general one of the best things parents can do is to research the types of food, allergies, tips, etc ., to be able to prepare a good diet for their child and to recognize possible signs something is not working as it should. I hope the following lines may assist all parents; first time and parents of already grown kids that have a new member joining the family; to succeed on this task with a list of do’s and don't in feeding your infant child.

DO’s

When as possible, choose a breast milk diet for your newborn. This will help protect the child against diseases that they are not immune to yet and also provides all the necessary nourishment for the baby to grow and develop properly. Take in consideration that unwanted substances can be passed along to the baby in breast milk. Visit www.LLLI.org to learn more about breastfeeding.

Follow the same sanitation rules as when preparing a meal and always use clean and sterilized bottles and utensils to feed your baby. Many retailers offer gadgets to sterilize bottles in a microwave that are very convenient and easy to use.

Look for your baby clues; a recently feed baby will need to be burp since their digestive system is not mature enough to handle their meal.

Once your baby is ready to be started on a solid diet introduce only one food item at the time and wait at least a couple of days to make sure he or she has not developed an allergy. The best way to know the origin of an allergy is to eliminate all other possibilities; by introducing only one food item at a time you will reduce the change of an unknown allergen.

Offer a variety of foods with different colors and textures and let them experiment with the food; that is part of their learning and development.

Try to prepare the foods yourself with fresh ingredients and use less of those ready baby meals. That's the best way to assure yourself that there are no preservatives or other substances that you don't want going into your baby's tummy.

Be patient; just because a newly introduced food was rejected it does not mean that will always be. Consistency is the key; wait and try that same food a few days later or in several occasions he or she will eventually take it, and

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