Many American moms are ignoring recommendations of health experts to introduce solid food to their newborns later, a new study said.
Breast milk and formula milk are the best recommended foods for babies after birth. They provide all the nutrients and vitamins required for the baby's growth and development in the initial stages. According to health experts, any time between four and six months, mothers can start supplementing breast milk or formula milk with solid food.
However, the study reported online Monday in Pediatrics, found 40.4 percent of the 1,300 participants introduce solid food before four months. The trend was high among mothers who fed formula milk (52.7 percent) than mothers who breast-fed their infants (24.3 percent). A closer look revealed the method more prevalent among younger, unmarried and less educated moms.
The most concerning facts were that, many moms introduced solid food very early, within one month after baby's arrival and many introduced solid food before four months after consulting their doctors.
"My baby was old enough," "My baby seemed hungry," and "It would help my baby sleep longer at night," were reasons new moms gave, according a news release appeared in the official website of American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Babies learn to coordinate and swallow foods only after four months, plus the early introduction can have a negative impact on the baby's immunity and invite chronic diseases, experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics, while highlighting the risks behind the trend, said.
"Clearly we need better dissemination of the recommendations on solid food introduction," Kelley Scanlon, an epidemiologist with the CDC and an author of the study, told The New York Times. "Health care providers need to provide clear and accurate guidance, and then provide support to help parents carry out those recommended practices."
According to experts from Mayo Clinic, any single-grain, iron-fortified baby cereal, added either with formula or breast milk is one of the best solid foods to start with. Once the baby gets used to the habit of solid foods, pureed meat, vegetables and fruits can be introduced. By eight or 10 months, babies become capable of eating finely chopped finger foods like cheese, ground meat and soft fruits.
