It takes about a year for a baby’s digestive system to mature. The types of food and when you introduce them to your baby can impact the health of your baby’s complex and sensitive digestive system. Before introducing solid foods, talk to your pediatrician to ensure that your baby is ready. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until your baby is between 4 and 6 months to introduce solid foods.
Breast Milk
Breast milk contains many nutrients that regulate your baby’s digestive system. Lipase is an enzyme found in human milk that breaks down fats. The proteins in breast milk are small and easily digested and are generally better tolerated than infant formula. The intestinal wall is protected by a mucus gel that prevents harmful bacteria from entering and provides a positive environment for healthy bacteria. Breast milk contains several components of this gel. Breast milk and some infant formulas contain prebiotics and probiotics, which maintain healthy bacteria in your baby’s gut.
Infant Cereals
When your baby is able to sit with support, is interested in food and can move food from a spoon to the back of his throat and swallow, his digestive system is probably ready for solid foods. This usually occurs between 4 and 6 months. Slowly adding infant cereal to your baby’s diet helps regulate his digestive system by introducing an easily digestible food in preparation for other solid foods. It contains a small amount of fiber that keeps food moving through your baby’s digestive tract.
Fruits and Vegetables
A variety of fruits and vegetables not only contain fiber, but also provide your baby with other digestive-regulating nutrients such as potassium and prebiotics. Potassium helps regulate your baby’s fluid balance. Baby foods high in potassium include squash, carrots, beets, green beans and bananas. Prebiotics help probiotics, or healthy bacteria, stay alive and well in the digestive system. Fruits and vegetables that contain prebiotics include asparagus, bananas, kiwi, strawberries and cherries. If your baby doesn’t get enough of these nutrients, she may suffer from constipation, diarrhea, dehydration or other gastrointestinal illnesses. Most babies are ready for pureed and strained fruits and vegetables around 6 months. However, if your baby experiences loose, watery stools or stools with mucus, her digestive system may not be ready.
Yogurt
A study in the July 2009 journal “Nutrition Research” found that infants and young children with persistent diarrhea improved when they were given a yogurt-based diet. Yogurt contains probiotics. Most babies can eat yogurt by around 8 months of age. If your baby doesn’t have milk allergies, it should be safe to add yogurt to her diet. Choose full-fat yogurts instead of low-fat or light versions. Babies need the fat for proper brain development.
Alternatives
An article in the November 2010 journal “Pediatrics” reviewed several studies showing that prebiotics and probiotics keep the digestive system healthy in infants and children. Prebiotics are added to infant formula and some foods and beverages marketed to babies and young children in the form of oligosaccharides. Nucleotides act like prebiotics and are also added to some formulas and baby foods. Infants and children who consume these products have fewer incidences of diarrhea and other gastrointestinal-related illnesses, thus allowing their digestive system to function properly.
–healthyeating.sfgate.com
