4 minute read
Problem Solving...
Beat nutrition issues- and a lot of tears- with the help of nutritionist Louise Pyne's troubleshooting guide.
Whether your baby is taking a bottle, breastfeeding or taking solids, making sure that she gets enough nutrients is vital for her health, growth and development. But there’s more – what goes into her little body can also affect her mood, sleep pattern and more. Here, we’ll share some common nutritional problems and smart solutions to keep baby happy and healthy.
THE PROBLEM: SHE HASN’T POOED IN THREE DAYS
A red-faced baby who’s straining and crying when trying to poo may mean that she’s constipated. Keep an eye on what her poo looks like when it does come out and watch out for signs she’s uncomfortable.
Constipation can occur when she’s weaning as her digestive tract gets used to taking in solids. Offer her a few teaspoons of prune juice or mix puréed prunes into porridge. Prunes are a gentle laxative that helps to stimulate the digestive tract. In addition, bathe her in warm water, as the heat can help relax the bowel muscles. Post-bath you could gently massage her stomach in a clockwise direction or hold her knees together and push her legs up gently to relieve any trapped gas.
THE PROBLEM: SHE REJECTS SOLID FOOD
Switching to weaning can be a challenging time that requires persistence and patience. Setting up good eating habits means offering your child a wide variety of foods and flavours and not just giving her those that she automatically gravitates towards.
She may refuse bitter or sour foods and prefer sweet flavours, but make sure that you keep offering her new foods as she’s likely to accept them in time.
Your baby knows when she’s full, so she may be rejecting food as she’s simply not hungry. Different factors can affect hunger from her activity levels to how well she’s slept so don’t be discouraged if she appears to go off solid foods. Finally, she may be struggling with solids as she’s just not ready. While you can start her on small amounts of solids before the end of four months, some babies just aren’t ready until six months, as by this time they find it easier to keep food in their mouth and chew so make sure you follow her readiness cues which include hunger after a milk food, picking up food and putting it into her mouth and being able to sit up by herself.
THE PROBLEM: SHE’S NOT NAPPING WELL
Unsettled sleep makes for a cranky baby, so it’s important to discover what’s stopping her from settling into a good sleep pattern. By four months she should be able to sleep for eight hours at night without a feed and will have two to three naps during the day. If your baby is still taking bottles or breastfeeding, a feed before bedtime can help them to drift off. If she’s weaning – make sure that you leave some time for her to digest her food before putting her to bed. Her body temperature and metabolic rate also increases after eating and this can make it more difficult to get to sleep, so allow a minimum of one hour after she eats to allow for full digestion. At dinner you could feed her sleep-inducing foods like sweet potato, turkey and banana as these contain nutrients which promote sleep. Remember, babies thrive on routine so try to keep naps to roughly the same time each day. If she starts getting fussy she could simply be overtired, which may mean she’ll find it hard to sleep, so it’s important that you put her to bed before she’s overstimulated.
THE PROBLEM: SHE’S CRANKY ALL THE TIME
Food plays a huge role in your child’s mood, and once she reaches weaning, ensuring that she gets a balanced diet with a wide range of nutrients will help to keep her mood stable. Low GI foods like brown rice, oats and sweet potato help to keep blood-sugar levels balanced which can help to avoid any mood swings. Avoid sugary foods – these include things like flavoured yoghurts (switch to plain yoghurt with puréed fruit) as a high-sugar diet can make her mood erratic and often leads to a crash and meltdown. Make sure that mealtimes are consistent as if she gets hungry her blood-sugar levels may drop, which can negatively impact her behaviour. If you’re on the go – keep lots of snack on hand such as a purées, breadsticks, and soft fruit.
THE PROBLEM: I’M WORRIED SHE MAY HAVE A FOOD INTOLERANCE
Food allergies are a common problem in babies and there are some key signs to watch out for. Tummy upset or an itchy red rash may be sign that she’s suffering from a food intolerance or even an allergy. Her digestive system might not be able to handle certain food groups like lactose or gluten, but don’t worry too much as she may grow out the problem. For some children, a tiny amount of the culprit food can cause a reaction whilst for others it takes a lot of the food to cause a response. Consult a paediatrician or nutritionist if you suspect that your baby may have an issue.
