Women should feed their newborns only through breastfeeding for the first six months, then start adding solids and other liquids, according to a new recommendation by the Canadian Pediatric Society.
The new guideline brings the society in line with the World Health Organization, which came to the same conclusion in 2001. The society had previously advised moms that solid food or formula could be fed to babies after they are four months old.
The pediatric society also said that breastfeeding can continue for up to two years as other foods are added. It also says young babies in Canada should be given supplements of Vitamin D to prevent rickets, a condition that softens the bones. Babies in warmer climates get the so-called "sunshine vitamin" naturally. Dr. Margaret Boland, an Ottawa-based pediatrician who chairs the society's nutrition committee, says studies have shown that consuming nothing but breast milk in an infant's first half-year of life increases health benefits for the child. That's partly because breast milk contains antibodies that help babies fight disease and infections. Boland warns cereals marketed for babies are not sterile and may introduce micro-organisms into the infant's system before it's equipped to handle them.
No comments:
Post a Comment