What to look for when choosing food for your baby?

Diet of the baby becomes one of the most important and confusing things after the birth. Parents should always make some decisions like giving breast milk or baby formula, when to start giving solid foods, which brand is better to choose and many others. The main point is there is no right answer for each of the questions so parents have to make their minds on their own or with the help of a doctor’s advice. They just need to keep in mind some basic rules, which can help to choose the right products and ingredients that will be only beneficial for little ones.

From the very moment of birth, mothers decide on feeding their babies breast milk or baby formula. When everything is clear with breast milk that is just the perfect food for babies and enriches them with all the best, baby formula has some nuances that you need to take into account.

What to look for while choosing baby formula?

1. Safe ingredients

Even though organic baby formulas are so widespread among young parents and are considered to be safe and high quality, they can also have some adverse ingredients in their composition. In order to give the baby a wide range of healthy elements they can be rich in protein, fat, calcium, iron, zinc and many more vitamins and minerals. However, there is a list of things that you should definitely avoid.
These are corn syrup, fructose corn syrup and other unnecessary sweeteners, neurotoxin, palm oil, heavy metals, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. Check the composition of a baby formula on your own or just consult a doctor who is more competent in this case.

2. Certified organic baby formulas

No wonder why organic baby formulas are so popular nowadays. They just keep their composition on a high level. While choosing organic baby formula, young parents can be sure of its pure composition without any unhealthy ingredients that may cause negative reactions in their little ones. People all over the world prefer to use European baby formulas as they stick to the strict rules while producing their milk. So it will be only a benefit if you will choose a certified one.

3. «Use by» dates

Usually baby formulas have quite a long shelf life and it’s not so easy to find one that passed its «use by» date. But if you are a responsible parent don’t forget to check it and give it to the baby after that. Otherwise, baby formula can’t be mixed right and have a positive effect. It may only cause negative reactions and health issues. So you surely don’t want that to happen.

The period from 6 months onwards is quite life-changing as starting solids is a big deal. Your baby’s diet transforms completely and you need to pay close attention to it. You may buy some ready-to-use baby pouches that are created in a wide range of tastes that you can choose from or simply cook something by yourself. You can find quite healthy and high-quality options but still you need to remember some tips.

What to look for while choosing solid foods?

1. Organic foods

Children are at high risk of greater exposure to the toxins and getting allergic reactions to them. Organic baby foods are grown using manure and compost instead of synthetic chemicals. Therefore, it makes sense to buy organic products not only at the stage of baby formula, but also when introducing solids. Especially, it applies to fruit and vegetables that usually carry the highest residue levels. Moreover, don’t forget to carefully process them so that they do not contain any bacteria on their surface.

2. Labels

Always check the labels to understand what ingredients are used. This is super important. Make sure that you little one will not consume any sugar and sweeteners or other additives. Try to find foods with pure composition of fruits, vegetables or meat and nothing else. These products will definitely be nutritious and safe for your little one.

3. Check the depressed area on baby-food jars.

If the depressed area or «button», as people call it, is popped out, reject it. It means that the jar was previously opened or the seal is broken. In both cases it’s dangerous for a baby as the product can be just rotten or unfit for consumption.

So these are simple rules that you need to stick to and you won’t have any problems while choosing the best food for your baby.