Does baby milk powder need to be changed frequently?

Many mothers who have no breast milk or whose breast milk cannot meet the baby's needs after giving birth will feed their babies formula. Infant formula is different from adult formula. There are many precautions. It cannot be easily replaced and must be mixed in slowly during the replacement process. It cannot be changed immediately, otherwise it will put a lot of pressure on the baby's stomach. Infant formula powder also needs to be based on the baby's age group. Milk powder that is older than the baby's age group contains more nutrients and will cause absorption pressure.

Don’t change milk powder too often

There are often mothers who change milk powder because they see their children are not growing or their stools are green, not realizing that changing milk powder will bring great pressure to the children. Changing milk powder will reduce the intake in the initial stage, causing indigestion, and some may even cause vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and other symptoms. At the same time, we should also avoid the practice of some mothers changing milk powder just because they hear that a certain milk powder is good. Apart from occasional milk allergies where special protein milk powder is needed, the most important thing is to stick to the same type of milk powder.

Do not overdose on baby formula

Parents are afraid that their children will be hungry, so when feeding their babies, they always want to make the milk powder thicker. Some even think that as long as the child can eat it, the thicker the milk powder, the more nutritious it is. Is this really the case? In fact, the baby's gastrointestinal tract cannot fully absorb milk with too high a concentration, especially the protein. Instead, it increases the gastrointestinal burden on the baby, causing abdominal distension, diarrhea, and hindering nutrient absorption. Therefore, the amount of milk powder fed to babies must be appropriate to the baby's age.

The general formulation is: within half a month, every 100 ml of milk contains about 9 grams of milk powder. Contains 12 grams within 2 months and no more than 15 grams within 3 months.

If the monthly intake of infant formula exceeds the standard, the baby may develop anorexia or become obese. Obesity can easily increase the body's fat tissue, put too much burden on the heart, cause the baby's slow movements, reduced activity, and affected development. If the baby is over 3 months old, the daily food intake should be controlled within 1000 ml. If the baby still feels hungry, do not add milk powder at this time. Only add milk substitute powder to increase carbohydrate intake, which is beneficial to the baby's growth.

Under normal circumstances, parents do not need to worry about their baby's malnutrition, so any practice of fortifying the baby to increase his or her food intake is not advisable.

Four things to note when feeding milk powder

1. Be sure to use boiled water that has been cooled to body temperature or room temperature. Use raw water or tap water, and avoid using mineral water or unboiled raw water. Other soups such as anchovy soup or cricket bone soup should be avoided because of their high mineral content, which can put too much strain on a child's heart.

When feeding milk powder to a child, if the child has indigestion, there will be white residue in the child's feces. Some mothers will dilute the milk powder for this reason. Some adults make the milk powder very thick in order to get their children to eat as much as possible. In fact, both methods are inappropriate. If the milk powder is too dilute, the child will have diarrhea, and if the milk powder is too thick, the child will have constipation. Therefore, the child's digestion and absorption capacity should be considered and the appropriate concentration should be fed.

2. Feed the baby immediately after mixing the milk powder. Because if it is left at room temperature for more than 30 minutes, it is in danger of spoiling. Throw away any leftovers, no matter how much. Because when saliva comes into contact with milk powder, the bacteria inside it also enters it, causing the milk powder to deteriorate.

3. When a child has diarrhea, the lactose-degrading enzyme on the intestinal wall is also lost, so it cannot decompose the lactose component in the milk powder. Anti-diarrhea milk powder is made for this situation, and its lactose content is lower than that of ordinary milk powder. This milk powder is used in cases of severe or long-term diarrhea. Lactose plays a role in promoting the development of the central nervous system, including the brain, promoting the growth of Bifidobacterium ⑨ in the intestines, and preventing intestinal spasms. Therefore, long-term consumption of milk powder with low lactose content to prevent diarrhea is not good for children's health. It can be consumed for a short period of time when diarrhea occurs. The current trend is to promote breastfeeding and feeding with formula milk of original concentration rather than feeding with formula milk, even if diarrhea may occur.

4. Children will swallow air when drinking milk powder. When air enters the child's stomach, the air pressure in the stomach increases, and the child will definitely feel uncomfortable. This requires a process, which is to release the swallowed air through the esophagus, which is called burping. When children are breastfeeding, sometimes the milk rises up and they vomit. This is because the air in the stomach flows back up through the esophagus, causing the milk to rise up. In fact, there is no need to worry about it. An adult's stomach has muscles above and below it, so food is not easily vomited out. However, in children, the muscles above and below the stomach are not fully developed, so food can easily flow back up. If you encounter this situation, reduce the amount of feeding a little. If the baby hiccups, stop feeding within 15 minutes. Holding the child for a while and then letting him lie down can alleviate the situation.