Feeding Baby all the info you need for feeding your baby

It is of course inevitable that you will gain weight during pregnancy. First of all because your body has to adapt a bit in order to support the baby meaning that your blood volume will increase as well as the weight of your breasts, the weight of your uterus and placenta, the amount of amniotic fluid your body stores and most noticeable your fat storage will increase in order to support breastfeeding and the delivery.  Second of all, because you are growing a baby inside you which adds an additional weight of about eight pounds (sorry for kicking in this open door).

If you are at average weight before the pregnancy you can estimate that you should gain about 25 to 35 pounds during your pregnancy. For overweight women this is 14-24 pounds and for underweight women about 27 to 41 pounds. Remember that it’s sometimes better to lose or gain weight before getting pregnant if you are over or underweight. Especially women who are overweight before they get pregnant often have more difficulties regaining their original weight after giving birth. Some studies also suggest that children of mothers who were overweight during pregnancy have a higher change of becoming overweight themselves as well.  There are some risks for underweight women as well. Women who are underweight during their pregnancy or women that do not gain enough weight during their pregnancy are shown to have an higher change of delivering a premature baby and/or a baby that is underweight itself.

In order to make sure you gain an healthy amount of weight during your pregnancy your should follow a healthy diet. Things like excessive alcohol consumption and smoking could potentially harm the development of your baby. Your dietitian of paediatrician can give you useful tips and schedules on what you should eat during your pregnancy in order to maintain a healthy weight. They can also advise you on exercise programs you can do in order to lose some excess fat and stay fit.

During your pregnancy you will most likely get the feeling that you are eating for two. However, although being pregnant does require you to eat more then you are used to, actually eating twice as much is not advised. Usually an additional 300 calories is sufficient enough to fulfil your baby’s needs.

Flying with a baby can be really stressful. The tiny space you are confined to for long hours and the special needs a young child has can make travelling by air a real challenge for you as well as for you baby. Luckily there are some things you can do upfront and while you are on the plane to make everything a bit easier.

The first thing most parents underestimate is the amount of supplies they need to bring when flying with their baby. Most people have an attitude of “we’ll buy some when we get there” but this is not the right thing to do. First of all it happens sometimes that a plane is delayed or that the transfer time is unexpectedly longer. Especially when your transfer is delayed or cancelled and you get stuck on an airport, not having enough food and/or diapers for your baby can be a real problem. Most of the time, shops at the airport don’t sell baby supplies like diapers, formula or other kinds of food for you child. As a rule of thumb you should always bring supplies for at least two days. This ensures you have enough things for when you get stuck at an airport.

Second of all, if you bring a stroller with you on the plane, make sure you don’t stuff too many things in it because it has to be searched in order to pass through the security gates. If you have it fully packed with things it takes a long time to get everything out and back in again. Furthermore, keep in mind that you can´t have the stroller with you or have access to it while in air so don´t put any things in there you might need during the flight. Also remember to take out any food you had in your stroller and put it with your hand luggage before handing it over to the flight attendants. In some countries having food with you, aside from your hand luggage, is strictly forbidding and could result in a fine.

Also, if you have to change you baby during the flight, and you probably will when on an intercontinental flight, make sure you pick a strategic time to do so. During dinner or lunch time the toilets are often not so busy so this is the best time to change your baby. Keep in mind that after meals people often tend to use the toilets more so try to anticipate a bit on this.

Furthermore, when boarding a plane try not to be one of the first passengers to enter the airplane because the flight attendants will have to assist you when you have a stroller with you and will give you some special instructions for flying with your baby. This might cause a bit of a traffic jam because all of this take some extra time. Same applies when disembarking as well, wait for main rush to exit the plane so you don’t have to hurry with your baby.

When you are flying with your baby and the plane is taking off or when it is going to land your baby it might happen that your baby will cry due to the pressure changes and the ear pain this gives. There is not much you can do about this but to simply wait for the plane to level or touch ground so try not to stress out about this.

When preparing meals for you baby you really need to make sure he or she can easily swallow the food. This means that during the early months before you baby is able to sufficiently chew solid foods you have no other choice then to feed your baby mashed food. Of course, most super markets offer a wide variety of pre fabricated baby food but this is often quite expensive. A baby food grinder can therefore come in very handy if you want to have a wider choice in what to feed your child or if you simply want to cut back on the expenses.

One of the reasons that made baby food grinders such an hot item these past years is that when you are preparing the food by yourself you know exactly what you are feeding your baby. The baby food you buy in stores for example is composed from a variety of different ingredients but it’s hard to tell what’s exactly in it some times. The scientific wording of some of the ingredients that you’ll find in the baby food you buy in stores can be really confusing. The control you get over what you put into the grinder and eventually feed your child can give a great sense of reassurance.

Furthermore, when you have a baby food grinder the possibilities of things you can make for your baby are pretty much endless. If you search on the internet or if you go to your local book store you will find dozens of books with recipes of things you can make for you baby. This really does bring a new experience while you can now actually cook for you child. It’s also a lot of fun to do, especially if you can get your partner involved to make something together for your baby.

Also, if you are using a baby food grinder you can always use fresh ingredients. Baby food you buy in stores has often been fabricated quite some time before it finally hits the shelves. When you are using fruits or vegetables you’ve just bought you can be a lot more sure it’s fresh and you can also have a lot more variety in sorts of fruits and vegetables you use.

In addition, baby food grinders don’t have to be expensive at all. You can buy some really decent hand grinders for only a few dollars. Of course, if you want a more advanced system that works with the push of a button or one that almost completely liquefies your ingredients, it will become more expensive. Remember though that the initial investment of a food grinder is easily made back because you won’t have to buy as much pre fabricated food which is generally quite expensive.

If you want to buy a baby food grinder you should check out your local super market or a shop specialised in baby supplies. However, most stores don’t have baby food grinders or don’t offer a  such wide variety, therefore it might be best to buy one at an online store such as Amazon or something alike.