Weaning

Is the process in which an infant‘s

diet pattern is gradually changed
from liquid foods like breast milk
and preparation to solid foods.
• Weaning should start after six months
because breast milk alone cannot sustain the
growth of the infant after this age .
• The most important aspect of weaning is
introduction of solid foods and not stoppage
of breast milk . this helps the child :-
A-in getting introduced to different taste
B- becomes able to consume a wider variety of
food stuffs when he is fully weaned .
• The first solid food is normally introduced
at five to six month of age.
• Semisolid food may be given.
• Well-cooked non- fibrous vegetable such as
potato and pumpkin are fed along with rice.
• The number and kinds of foods given are
slowly increased as the child approaches
the first birthday.
• By the end of second year, the child is able
to eat the normal family meals.
 Kind of Food Given
• Cooked and strained cereals
• smashed and strained banana, mango
• Flavored fruits in small amounts
• Hard cooked egg yolk can be given at the
age of four to six months (it contains fat,
iron, and vitamins)
• White of an egg may be given after one
year of age.
 Artificial feeding
• If the quantity of breast milk is not enough,
then the infants diet should be
supplemented with some other milk after
suitably modified.
• Sometimes, breast milk may not be
available to the child in which case he has
to be entirely a bottle-fed baby.
• Cow‘s milk gives near about the same
calories as that of breast milk.
• The milk of cows and goats, is richer in
fat hence cow‘s milk has to be diluted with
clean water and a little sugar is to be
added because mother‘s milk contains
more of sugar.
• If cow‘s milk has to be given to the child,
then a suitable dilution is tow parts of water
to one part of milk in first week of life.
• Later on, water should be gradually reduced
• At the age of six months the infant gets the
pure cow‘s milk with 4 teaspoonful of sugar
in a day.
• The number of feeds have to be regulated
according to the need of the infant.
• It is essential that milk given to the infant
should be boiled, bottle should be properly
sterilized, otherwise he will develop
infection.
• Vitamins C in some form should be given to
the infant from 3 teaspoonful of orange or
tomato juice.
• Children fed exclusively on milk may
develop anemia which can be prevented by
the addition of iron in drop form.
Various Form of milk for infants
Condensed Milk
• This is prepared by applying lower degree
of heat.
• Cane sugar is added in large quantities.
• Final product may contain about 20% of
sugar.
• It should not be given to infant because
high content of sugar may result in
intestinal upset and irritation.
Evaporated Milk
• This is cow‘s milk from which water has been
evaporated under reduced pressure at a sufficiently
high temperature to destroy all bacteria.
• This resulting product is thick milk
• It can be given to infants after proper dilution
• once the container is opened , it has to be used
within a short period
.
• Dried of Powdered Milk
• This is cow‘s milk which has been rapidly
dried to power at a high temperature by
industrial process.
• By adding eight times water by weight, it
can be reconstituted into liquid milk
resembling human milk.
• Vitamin C should be supplemented to such
babies.
 PHYSIOLOGIC DEVELOPMENT

• Infants usually double their birth weight by

4 to 6 months of age and triple it by the age
of 1 year.
• The amount of weight gained by the infant
during the second year approximates the
birth weight.
• Infants increase their length by 50% during
the first year of life and double it by 4 years.
• Total body fat increases rapidly during the
first 9 months,
• Total body water decreases throughout
infancy from 70% at birth to 60% at 1 year.
• The decrease is almost all in extracellular
water, which declines from 42% at birth to
32% at 1 year of age.
• The stomach capacity of infants increases
from a range of 10 to 20 ml at birth to 200
ml by 1 year, enabling infants to consume
more food at a given time and at less
frequent intervals as they grow older
 Nutritional Need of Infants
Age (year) Energy (Kcal) Protein (gm/Kg) Fat (gm/Kg)
1-3 1240 22 25
 Nutritional Problems
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Allergies