What I Learned About Baby Nutrition As A Father

When it comes to parenting, fathers play an equally important role, just as mothers. Babies need a lot of nourishment that aids in their growth and development. Ensuring your young one gets all the proper nurture and care is an essential part of parenting.

A newborn or an infant gets most of the necessary nutrition and nourishment from the mother during the infancy stage and as they grow up to become toddlers as part of their initial phase of childhood. A father may not be able to provide nutrition as wholesome as mother’s milk.

They can still contribute by preparing and feeding the young one, a balanced and healthy nutritional meal. Nutrients are the core source of energy for children and adults equally. However, the quantity required varies with age and growth needs. Here we will see the 10 nutrition tips, a father can give his adorable little tyke.

9 Lessons I’ve Learnt On Nutrition

They say you are what you eat. If that holds for everyone, then chances are that your kids look up to you and eventually grow up to be just like you. Especially eating habits. Make sure you preach what you teach or rather, eat what you teach!

Nutrition is Nourishment

All foods brimming with wholesome nutrients are always a good pick to feed yourself as well as your kids. Some foods may have common nutrients, while others may have particular ones that are most essential. Common nutrients comprise a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Where There Is Nutrition, There Is Nurture

Iron, calcium, and carbohydrates are specified nutrients found only in particular foods. Therefore, it is very important to give your child an ample quantity of nutrients for stronger bones, a healthier body, and a well developing mind.

Primary Nutrition

It is a common misconception that carbs and fats are bad for you. There are some good ones like whole grains that help in the growth and development of your child, as compared to being high in cholesterol, bad carbs. Fibers and proteins are the primary essential nutrients.

Food is Fuel

Children of all ages must be made to relish what they eat. They also need to know the health benefits that go into what they must consume as part of their regular regime. With that being said, they must be made aware that food intake not only satisfies hunger but also paves way for good nutrition and required energy.

Don’t Play with Food

Making mealtime fun might have started with parents feeding their toddlers. To make them interested in what they eat, we take upon the classic creative roleplay of turning the feeding spoon into an airplane or a choo choo train. However, this shouldn’t become a force of habit and change the child’s perspective into thinking that food is something to be played with!

Measure, Mix and Modulate

Preparing baby food is as close to being a professional chef who cooks with finesse. You need to have the right ingredients of ample quantity and ensure a perfect mixture of them, before feeding your little one. Just as how checking the temperature and ensuring a properly sterilized container for feeding milk is a requirement, the same goes for solid foods and other baby formulas. Learn more about the right amount of food for your baby by clicking here.

Water, water every day

Every meal is always accompanied by a thirst-quenching drink of water. Aside from the many benefits of mineral water or any drinking water for that matter, it helps to gush down food by softening it and in turn, helps in the overall digestion of food. On a side note, drinking a glass of water before a meal, ensures you do not overeat as it stops you at just the right moment when you know your tum-tum is full!

ABC – Always Be Clean

Before any meal, it is a must to make sure your child is clean by having his hands and legs washed. If it is a brunch meal, a bath would be ideal. Keeping yourself clean is the best way to avoid germs and infections that hog into your meal!

Get Kids Involved

Most kids will enjoy deciding what to make for dinner. Talk to them about making choices and planning a balanced meal. Some might even want to help shop for ingredients and prepare the meal. At the store, teach kids to check out food labels to begin understanding what to look for.