Handling & Feeding Infants HPC 3O March 20 th, 2013

Handling a Baby Neck muscles can’t support their head

Gentle Handling Shaken Baby Syndrome How to handle a stressful situation: Put baby down in a safe place and go to another room to calm down Ask a friend or relative to care for baby Take deep breaths or look out window Call someone and talk about your problem until calm

Feeding a Baby Not only about nourishment! Contact is also important! Sporadic feeding schedules when newborns 2 nd /3 rd month a pattern emerges

Feeding Methods 1 st year  breast milk or formula When feeding from bottle  head and neck to be supported, head well above stomach, hold an angle

Feeding Methods Warming bottle  place bottle in water boiling on stove until bottle is lukewarm Never use microwave!  hot spots in formula

Burping the Baby Burp the least twice!  once during feeding and when feeding is over

Introducing New Foods Age of 6 months  more foods can be introduced Show patience as baby adjusts

Introducing New Foods – Tips! wX0cmjM

Weaning Changing from drinking from bottle or breast to drinking from a cup No precise age!

Self-Feeding 8-10 months Provide finger foods as encouragement! Allow plenty of time for each meal

Self-Feeding Safely Cut into small pieces Choose feeds that are easy to break  dry toast, rice cakes, cereal pieces, etc; Stay away from raw veggies, whole grapes, candy, or popcorn Just a few a time!

Overfeeding Will look fat in the first months after birth  will become slim by age 3! Bottle-fed tend to be more overweight than breast-fed Young children need the same nutrition as adults except smaller serving sizes

Inadequate Nutrition Enough calories for growth Foods with nutrients Food that is easy to digest Adequate amounts of liquid If these points are not met, child may suffer from poor nutrition

Homework! Meeting the nutritional needs of an infant might be challenging for teens who are not themselves inclined to have good eating habits. Your task: Keep a record of the foods you eat for one week. Besides listing the foods, record nutritional values if you can.