Hi Fabangel,
Good question
I would not worry about growth chart, as each child is very unique -- so much depends on ethnicity, family history, etc etc
If you provide him good balanced nutrition, opportunity for physical activity, accommodate his sleep and emotional needs, and he is happy active baby, then even if he is "lower" on the growth chart I would not give it a second thought.
My daughter was really early walker ( 8 months) and was very physically active ( and she was on a smaller side, but both me and my husband are
). She did not have any meat till she was about 1.5 yo, and even now she is not much of a meat-eater. Sometimes she would have some chicken that is all She nursed till 11 months. And we had healthy high calorie diet for her.
Some things that I would highly recommend --
Avocado -- perfect food for an active baby. They are low in sodium and cholesterol-free, contain quite a bit of vitamin A (which is good immune booster), vitamin B-6, folic acid, niacin, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron. Ounce-for-ounce avocados contain more potassium than 45 other fruits, juices, or vegetables, including bananas, peaches, carrots, and green beans, and they are one of the only fruits that contain monounsaturated fats, which are essential for baby's development.
Avocados also are higher in calories than any other fruit or vegetable. This is a plus for babies, since feeding infants calls for foods that contain a lot of nutrition per unit of weight and volume. For variety, we mixed avocados with baked apple or pear, cooked squash, baked pumpkin ( great vitamin A content and natural energy booster) or sweet potatoes.
Agree with Kerileanne99 on lentils and other legumes -- excellent protein source and there are so many tasty ways to make those. At one point we lived in Indian Neighborhood and had lots of friends in Indian community, we have learned many excellent ways to make vegetable dishes in tastiest manner. A good tip - soak or pre-boil them with pinch of regular baking soda, and dump that water before using them for different recipes, they will be much easier on your baby stomach. One of our baby's favorites were pancakes made with mashed legumes
We made them slightly salty with some herbs, eggs, buckwheat flower, and both of our kids loved them. Excellent protein snack or even a meal.
The problem with both of my kids was that they would not eat any baby/mashed foods, they did not like texture, so we had to improvise
You really dont need to introduce any sugar to him at all. Its pretty bad for their immune system, and there is no reason to do it, since there are so many nice natural alternatives. Bananas, dates, raisins to name just a few.
What we often did, and it is still my daughter's favorite, -- smoothie with adding all high nutrition ingredients to it.
Here is a winner recipe in our house:
Kefir ( excellent for immunity building, it is like taking expensive pro-biotics! And high in protein, calcium and healthy fat -- we are making it from whole organic milk. You can also buy kefir in health food stores. But it is so easy to make it, and it turns out to be so-o much cheaper!)
Ripe bananas ( excellent source of potassium, high energy food, great for baby's stomach because of their antacid effects, contain pectin, a soluble fiber, are an exceptionally rich source of fructooligosaccharide, a compound called a prebiotic because it nourishes probiotic (friendly) bacteria in the colon. These beneficial bacteria produce vitamins and digestive enzymes that improve our ability to absorb nutrients, plus compounds that protect us against unfriendly microorganisms. When fructooligosaccharides are fermented by these friendly bacteria, not only do numbers of probiotic bacteria increase, but so does the body's ability to absorb calcium! Winning combination, plus it makes the smoothy taste nice and sweet)
Avocado ( dont know even where to start with its benefits -- here is an excellent article about it, which I highly recommend:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=5 It gives smoothy great taste and high nutritional value)
Coconut oil -- excellent source of omegas
Little bit of blackstrap molasses (In addition to providing quickly assimilated carbohydrates, blackstrap molasses can increase energy by helping to replenish your iron stores. Blackstrap molasses is a very good source of iron. In comparison to red meat, a well known source of iron, blackstrap molasses provides more iron for less calories and is totally fat-free.
It is also a very good source of calcium. Calcium, one of the most important minerals in the body, is involved in a variety of physiological activities essential to life, including the ability of the heart and other muscles to contract, blood clotting, the conduction of nerve impulses to and from the brain, regulation of enzyme activity, and cell membrane function. Molasses is also an excellent source of copper and manganese and a very good source of potassium, and magnesium. We use organic unsulphured kind, as it is free of chemicals)
Pinch of Kelp ( minerals, iron, iodide and antioxidants)
And then you can add ( depending on a day, and what you have available
)
Boiled beetroot -- super messy, when you peel it, will make the smoothy look nice and pink ( of course my daughter's favourite color
), great anioxidants!
Steamed carrots
Wheat grass, any kind of greens etc, etc
And then blend it all together on high for delicious smoothie!
We waited with any nuts and eggs till after they both were over 1.5 yo ( due to allergy history in my family) They both eat them now and have no problem.
If at any point you would decide giving peanut butter, this is one of the foods that you for sure would want to go organic. Conventional peanuts are one of the most contaminated foods. They actually plant peanuts to "clean the soil" that was contaminated, and they are heavily sprayed with pesticides. Also in organic peanut butter you would not find all other unhealthy additives that you find in conventional one.
My kiddos love almond butter and sunflower seed butter for variety.
We also use dry fruits for snacks -- dry apricots, cherries, dates, apples, pears -- great for vitamin energy boost
That was a good tip about iron skillet, I will second that! Another good tip to go along with cooking in a skillet -- use coconut oil! It is is only one oil that is stable enough to resist heat-induced damage, and it is good for your baby! What we do -- we use coconut oil for cooking and backing and olive oil for salads.
Hope these tips help!
Oh, and of course eating healthy yourself will help your breastmilk to be high calorie
Digg
