First Year of Infant's Life

At the beginning of a baby’s life, the baby starts as a newborn and start transforming to almost a toddler when they have reached the age of one year of age. From the period they are born until they are three months old, baby’s brains are still developing and continue learning how to function outside of the mother’s womb. At this period of their life, the babies begin to learn how to smile, slowly. Next, they will learn how to follow objects with their eyes and open and close their hands, how to grip things, also thy start putting their hands to their mouth.

Four to six months of age, babies learn to roll over, begin what’s known as “baby talk”, and laugh. This is the period of their age they can lastly grip objects with their tiny hands. Also, they start to play with toys among other things. At this time, they learn how to sit up by themselves and support their heads. At seven to nine months they finally learn to crawl, either by scooting around on their butts, crawling on their hands and knees, or crawling around on their stomachs. Even some babies skip the crawling stage and go straight to walking.

True the process and by the end of their baby time the babies begin to learn how to respond to familiar words, for example, their names or the word ‘no’. They also learn to pull themselves up so they can stand even if it’s only for a brief moment. At ten to twelve months, they are no longer babies but more like toddlers. At this phase, they begin learning how to feed themselves and walk while holding on to the edge of the furniture anything they can grab. They learn to call their parents “mama and dada”, and point at objects to grab their parent’s attention. They learn how to pretend to play with objects, like pretending to talk on the phone or talk to toys like they having a conversation. By the end of their baby phase, babies begin taking their first steps, the highly anticipated event parents wait for besides their first word.

Nutritional Challenges

Babies who are breastfed are at risk for vitamin D deficiency because breast-milk only produces a small amount of vitamin D. Ensuring that babies get enough iron in their diet to avoid iron deficiency is also critical. Iron needs are increased during this time, which means the risk for anemia is increased. Mothers who breastfeed should be careful about the products they consume, because whatever they consume can wind up in breastmilk and into their baby’s mouth, like caffeine or alcohol. It is not recommended to introduce babies to solid foods until they are about 4-6 months old. However, babies can’t just immediately start eating what older children can eat, they need to start slowly with solid baby foods like creamy broccoli, or smashed peaches or other fruits. Whole grain cereal and oatmeal are also good ideas.

Baby’s Nutrition Plan

Babies should be breastfed from the time they are born until they are six months old. According to the CDC, breastmilk has all the nutrients a baby needs at this time. At around 4-6 months, babies can begin eating solid foods along with continued breastfeeding. Infants need a diet plan that provides 8-15% protein, 35-55% fat, and 30-50% carbohydrates. It’s best to avoid giving infants cow's milk or other dairy products until at least one year of age because a baby's kidneys can’t handle the high protein and mineral content until they are a year old. They need at least 10 mg of iron a day as well.

Breakfast: 28-40 ounces of breastmilk along with 1/4-1/2 cup of pureed fruit.

Lunch: 1/4-1/2 cup of oatmeal.

Dinner: 1-2 Tbs. of pureed chicken.

This feeding plan ensures that a baby will get the right amounts of protein, calories, and fat to grow into a healthy child and prevent the risk for weak bones and osteoporosis later in life.