One of the vulnerable populations that need much health attention is infants. For infants to grow healthy, they need breast milk. Breast milk contains nutrients required to improve the immunity of an infant, including vitamins and minerals. Since some mothers cannot breastfeed their babies, infant formula is available. Mothers are supposed to introduce solid foods to infants at the age of six months. It is also necessary for the mother to consult the health care provider as they introduce any solid foods to infants. They should also introduce solid foods one at a time to be able to note in case of any allergies. Infants need breast milk which protects them from nutrition related conditions.
Some allergic reactions infants might have when solid foods are introduced the them include vomiting, diarrhea, and rush. Some foods that can affect infants when introduced at an early age include honey, cow’s milk, pasteurized drinks, and sugars. Honey may contain bacteria that can lead to botulism in babies (de Silva et al., 2020). Cow’s milk does not have the nutrients babies require and is not easily digestible. On the other hand, pasteurized drinks may contain E Coli, a harmful bacterium that can lead to reactions such as diarrhea. Infants are also not supposed to take sugary drinks before they attain one year.
The nutrition-related conditions for infants include obesity, iron deficiency anemia, and type 1 diabetes. Obesity is one of the causes of diseases and early mortality. Obesity in infants is associated with maternal nutrition in addition to the foods introduced to the infant. For instance, when a mother introduces desserts and candies to the infant, they are most likely to be obese. Sugary drinks and fruit juices also contribute to infants gaining weight.
However, obesity in infants is associated with diseases such as type 1 diabetes. Another cause of type 1 diabetes in infants is weak immune systems, whereby the infant’s body which should fight viruses and bacteria, mistakenly fights the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Infants are at the highest risk of iron deficiency, especially those born prematurely or with a low-weight body (Zimmermann, 2020). In addition, introducing cow’s milk at an early age in infants causes iron deficiency. The reason is that cow’s milk is difficult to diet in babies and decreases iron absorption from other sources of iron.
Mothers should breastfeed their babies for up to six months before giving them solid foods. Breast milk is crucial as it helps boost immunity and prevent the baby from getting nutrition-related conditions (Lyons et al., 2020).
It also has all the nutrients a baby needs, so a mother does not need to give her baby anything else before six months. They also need to introduce the foods one by one to monitor the infant’s reaction to each, making it easy for the mother to know which foods suit their infant well. It is easy to counsel mothers on how to take care of their infants, as all one needs to do is give them guidelines on what to do and what not to do. Encourage the mothers to keep breastfeeding their babies and wait until they are six months old to give them solid foods. Discourage them from introducing sugary foods and cow’s milk to babies, as it will lead to diabetes, obesity, and iron deficiency.
References
de Silva, D., Halken, S., Singh, C., Muraro, A., Angier, E., Arasi, S., Arshad, H., Beyer, k., Boyle, B., Toit, G., Eigenmann, P., Grimshaw, K., Hoest, A., Jones, C., Khaleva E., Lack, G., Szajewska, H., Venter, C., Verhasselt, V., Roberts, G., & European Academy of Allergy, Clinical Immunology Food Allergy, Anaphylaxis Guidelines Group. (2020). Preventing food allergy in infancy and childhood: Systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 31(7), 813-826. Web.
Lyons, K. E., Ryan, C. A., Dempsey, E. M., Ross, R. P., & Stanton, C. (2020). Breast milk, a source of beneficial microbes and associated benefits for infant health. Nutrients, 12(4), 1039-1044. Web.
Zimmermann, M. B. (2020). Global look at nutritional and functional iron deficiency in infancy. Hematology 2014, the American Society of Hematology Education Program Book, 2020(1), 471-477. Web.