Growing Strong and Healthy: Helping Babies

For parents, grandparents, and caregivers, here are some important guidelines for growing strong and healthy babies.

Feeding

Breast feeding is the best source of nutrition the first year of baby's life and may decrease the risk of overweight children. When feeding a baby, take note:

• Give only breast milk or formula for baby’s first year. Cow milk starts after baby turns one year old.
• Continue to breast feed for as long as possible. Any amount is better than none.
• Stop feeding baby when he or she acts full. One sign is that baby pulls away from the breast or bottle.
• No bottles in bed.

Solid Foods

The taste for healthy foods starts in infancy.

• Offer baby different choices of fruits and vegetables daily.
• No fruit juices until baby is at least six months old.
• Limit fruit juices to 1/2 cup per day.

Understanding the Role of Food

Make wise choices for the long-term health of baby.

• Keep offering baby healthy foods. It may take up to ten times offering a new food before baby takes it.
• Crying does not always mean a baby is hungry. To comfort before feeding, pick up baby, check diaper, or try soothing movement or music.

Babies Need to Move

Babies need free movement to develop their muscles. Encourage this by remembering the following:

• Place baby on a clean blanket and allow free movement of arms and legs.
• Baby should not be kept in a crib, play yard, walker, or swing for long periods of time.

Babies Should not Watch TV

The early years count.

• No TV, video equipment, or computers in a baby's room.
• Turn off the TV when baby is in the room.
• Instead read books to baby, sing songs, take walks, and play simple games.

Now is the best time to teach children good habits to last a lifetime.

Adapted with permission from Growing Strong, sponsored by the American Medical Association Alliance, Iowa Medical Society, and Iowa Medical Society Alliance.