BabyCenter Featured Expert
posted in Parenting
By Dr. Tanya Altmann
The first few months of parenthood come with a handful of unknowns. Is my baby healthy? Is my baby growing, gaining weight, and developing appropriately? Parents often wonder what their baby will be like when he or she grows up and there’s no better feeling than knowing you’re setting your little one up for a healthy life.
Here are 4 tips to help your baby’s metabolism and immune system develop strong and healthy:
Breastfeed
When it comes to infant nutrition, breast milk is best. Breastfeeding is recommended as the best source of nutrition during the first few months of life and is beneficial for both mom and baby. Breast milk provides protection against viruses and studies show that breastfed babies have fewer ear and respiratory tract infections. Breastfed babies are also at lower risk for many childhood diseases, including obesity.
Build up the immune system early with the right probiotics
A healthy gut is the foundation for a lifetime of good health and some probiotics can help you get there. We know breast milk is the ideal source of nutrition for babies, but it’s also food for good gut bacteria. However, 97 percent of babies in the U.S. today are missing the key good bacteria B. infantis and experiencing an imbalance in the gut bacteria that’s linked to higher risk for eczema, allergies, diabetes, and obesity.
By giving your baby Evivo, a once-daily probiotic that you mix with a small amount of breast milk, the levels of good gut bacteria are restored to a balanced state. It’s a simple and safe way to strengthen your baby’s immune system and metabolism before you introduce other sources of nutrition. Evivo is the only probiotic clinically proven to restore and protect baby’s gut. Learn more at www.evivo.com.
Don’t hold back on introducing potential allergenic foods
Speaking of allergies, don’t be afraid to introduce your baby to peanut products as early as 4 to 6 months old. Try mixing a teaspoon of creamy peanut butter with baby oatmeal for breakfast. It’s a simple and yummy way to incorporate protein and good fats into a meal and decrease your baby’s chance of developing a peanut allergy later in life. If your baby is already showing signs of food allergies such as eczema or skin rashes, check with your pediatrician first before introducing any potential allergens.
Stick to water, no juice!
Believe it or not, healthy nutrition habits start to develop within the first year of life, so stick to water instead of introducing juice early. Even watered-down juice gets young children hooked on the taste of sweet beverages and usually provides too much sugar for their little bodies to handle. Don’t start too soon — give small sips of water at around 6 months of age so your baby can get used to the taste of plain water. Drinking plain water is a lifelong healthy habit.
Focusing on your baby’s nutrition and immune system from the very beginning is the best way to optimize his or her lifelong health.
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Dr. Tanya Altmann is a leading pediatrician and best-selling author. Her expertise lies in baby nutrition and gut health, but she also speaks to everyday parenting issues. Altmann is the author of What to Feed Your Baby and Mommy Calls, as well as editor-in-chief of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ parenting books, The Wonder Years and Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5. Dr. Tanya has made numerous media appearances and contributions over the years, but she would say her most important role is being mom to her amazing three boys.
This post is sponsord by Evivo.
