Nurturing with Nutrition: Everything You Need to Know About Feeding Infants and Toddlers

Copyright © 2019 by Dr. Melanie Bazarte &

Lucille Beseler, MS, RDN, CDE, FAND

Library of Congress Control Number:             2014914232

ISBN:                  Hardcover                     978-1-4990-5692-1

                   Softcover                        978-1-4990-5693-8

             eBook                             978-1-4990-5691-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 08/31/2019

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Contents

Introduction

  1.   Breastfeeding

  2.   Bottlefeeding

  3.   Feeding All Babies

  4.   Starting Solid Foods

  5.   Feeding Toddlers

  6.   Special Concerns

  7.   The Picky Eater

  8.   Nutrition Basics

  9.   Healthy Families

10.   Mealtime Power

11.   Menus

12.   Cooking And Recipes

DR. MELANIE BAZARTE

Dr. Melanie realizes that teaching begins at home and at birth. Her passion for early education and parenting was evident, and when she obtained her doctorate she became The Parent Doctor. She has helped literally thousands of families by developing and teaching her own Baby & Me, Toddler & Me, and Daddy & Me programs, pre-birth Parenting 101, and classes for children expecting new siblings.

Dr. Melanie uses the latest technology to deliver her unique parenting classes. She addresses important parenting issues with blogs, as well as videos on her website and YouTube.

She counsels families in-home, via phone and Skype. She is a popular professional speaker specializing in parenting workshops and teacher training.

Dr. Melanie holds a degree in Child Development and Teaching from Michigan State University. She attended the prestigious Merrill-Palmer Institute of Human Development and Family Life in Detroit, and earned a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, as well as a doctorate in Early Childhood Education from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. Florida.

Dr. Melanie’s other books:

PARENTING 101: Because Kids Don’t Come with Instructions

DISCIPLINE 101: Because Kids Don’t Come with Instructions

LET’S PRETEND! The Why and How of Dramatic Play

THE CARE or REPAIR of CHILDREN’S SELF-ESTEEM

Dr. Melanie’s 115 FINGERPLAYS and ACTION SONGS

www.parenting101.net

www.parenting101classes.com

LUCILLE BESELER, MS, RDN, CDE, FAND

Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Educator, known as the Kids’ Nutritionist, and the Kids’ Dietitian, Lucille founded the Family Nutrition Center of South Florida in 1991 as a comprehensive practice providing in-office nutrition consultations. Family Nutrition Center provides consultative nutrition services to hospitals and community organizations. In 2009, she started the Family Nutrition Center Foundation to provide free nutrition service to families through grant funding.

Lucille is a professional speaker in demand for her upbeat motivational approach. She speaks at national and state meetings, as well as corporate events. She has experience in both television and radio. Working with families for many years, Lucille felt compelled to write Nurturing with Nutrition: Everything You Need to Know about Feeding Infants and Toddlers. The book gets rave reviews. She was the nutrition consultant at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood. She is an advisor to hundreds of pediatricians and has worked on nutrition education projects with The American Academy of Pediatrics and Mead Johnson Nutritionals.

Lucille Beseler was elected as the 91st President of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, an organization serving 100,000 nutrition professionals. She has served as President of the Florida Dietetic Association, as well as Chairman of the Dietetic Nutrition Practice Council of the Florida State Licensing Board for 9 years. During her time as President of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics she had the privilege of being invited to speak at the United Nations at the 2nd International Day of Girls and Women in Science and Math. Her quote Nutrition is a science, Nutrition is not a fad has been referenced many times in the scientific community.

Awards and Recognitions:

• 2010 Florida Dietetic Association’s Outstanding Dietitian

• 2009 Florida International University, Miami: Recipient of The Path of Public Health Award in Dietetics for community work in childhood obesity

• 2007 Florida Dietetic Association’s Public Service Award

Education: New York University, New York City, Masters of Science Nutrition

www.nutritionandfamily.com

[email protected]

www.feedinginfantsntoddlers.com

INTRODUCTION

Nutrition has never been more important. Good nutrition in their developing years ensures optimal growth, increased cognitive skills, and the future health of our children. Still we find it is increasingly difficult to eat well in today’s fast-paced world. Few parental concerns rival that of:

What should my kids be eating?

How do I get them to eat it?

Nutrition plays a major role in health maintenance and disease prevention, yet national surveys suggest that Americans do not dedicate enough time to planning, cooking, and serving healthy meals. This creates problems, especially for growing children. More children are overweight and obese than ever before, while others are malnourished, food intolerances and allergies are on the rise. Developing good nutritional habits is essential to a family’s physical health and well-being, as well as to the prevention of food-related behavioral problems and power struggles.

Children’s fundamental attitudes about food are formed early with the influence, both intentional and unintentional, of parents and other caregivers, as well as by peers and the media. In America, we are heavily invested in food and feeding. Social media can have a significant negative influence on our children’s dietary habits and body image. Food is often used as the expression of love and attention, comfort and entertainment, power and control, reward and punishment. Feeding time becomes a social experience, and may be the only time children get the touch, tenderness and undivided attention they need. Our own views about food directly influence what and how we serve our children. We are overly interested in weight, and forget that kids need to gain weight to grow. We don’t eat breakfast or enough fruits, and vegetables. We over indulge in fast food and junk food, and still expect our kids to eat properly and make good food choices when it’s their turn to do so.

We need to change our thinking about food, what we serve to kids and how. We need to know, and teach our kids, that healthy eating

is not fat-free eating nor counting calories nor any restrictive dieting.

Many nutrition books are written on conjecture, opinion, anecdotal material, and observation. This book is based on scientific information, as well as years of personal experience, study, and research. We have sifted through the latest nutritional information to glean the freshest ideas in our goal to help you and your family eat better and feel better.

Nutrition education is necessary for everyone, young and old, and will:

• Enable you and your family to make positive changes in your eating habits.

• Encourage your children to develop healthy attitudes toward food and eating.

• Help your children reach their optimal growth potential.

Seek out nutrition information from reputable sources.

May your meals be happy and nutritious!

Special thanks to our contributing writer Kacie Tapley MS, RDN.

KACIE TAPLEY MS, RDN

Kacie discovered the field of nutrition and dietetics with a passion for children, pediatric development, and feeding through the years. Early on she had the opportunity to experiencing children at a variety of stages in life with different developmental struggles, seeing first hand the impact healthy eating and good nutrition made in their day. As a graduate of Florida State University, she went on to continue working to educate new moms and children related to healthy eating, nutrition, and overall feeding from pregnancy through childhood working with the WIC program.

Kacie was able to complete her dietetic internship with a focus on community and education to become a Registered Dietitian. She has continued developing her skills in the field of nutrition, currently working as a clinical dietitian and completed her Masters in Dietetics and Nutrition throng University of North Florida. She enjoys spending time with her family and fiancé in her spare time, and always working with her niece and nephew to develop healthy eating habits. Working on the development of nutrition reinforcement and weight loss education using technology to reach people around the U.S. and beyond.

Kacie is excited to have the opportunity to work on this book and make an impact with educating families on the keys to feeding as your baby grows and develops. She hopes this book encourages you and takes the guess work out of feeding your baby and toddler, developing skills and healthy eating habits beginning day one!

Chapter One

BREASTFEEDING

Nourishing your baby with safe, developmentally appropriate and nutritious foods to help him reach his maximum growth potential is the primary goal of infant feeding. It is also an important step in owning your parenthood. Besides providing nutrition––the fuel for physical growth––feeding is an important way for you to provide nurturing––the fuel for social and emotional development. Lifelong food habits begin in infancy; start your child out right. Your child receives his first and most powerful food messages from you, so it’s important to make them good ones.

Before your baby’s birth, you will need to decide whether to breastfeed

or bottlefeed. The following will help you make an informed decision.

Read about both breastfeeding and bottlefeeding and think carefully. Remember, it’s a personal decision and you’re allowed to change your mind.

Breastmilk is the best for babies because it’s the easiest to digest and absorb. Mother Nature takes care of the recipe and even makes antibodies for Baby’s immune system; she just forgot to include transparent breasts making it difficult to tell how much Baby’s eaten.

A woman’s feelings about her baby, her breasts, food, eating, and her power to satisfy her own needs as well as her baby’s needs all influence her attitude about breastfeeding.

Just as a stressed or crying baby needs to be soothed before feeding, mothers need to be clear on their motivation for breastfeeding and release any feelings of anger, fear, pressure, irritation, and resentment especially before and while nursing. These negative emotions are quickly transmitted to the baby, he becomes irritable and even cries, and the natural flow of milk shuts down.

To soothe babies, we use touch (cuddling, carrying), facial expression (smiles, eye contact), and voice (calming sounds, words, songs). To soothe mothers, we can use talking, and a powerful tool––affirmations (see