Motherhood for me is full of mistakes, many smiles, many tears, constant learning and daily challenges.
One of my biggest challenges continues to be learning the proper way to feed my kids because the rules keep changing. I'm currently pregnant with my fourth baby and my plan is to breastfeed for the first year of his life. I hope to begin the baby-led weaning process around 6-months. Baby-led weaning can require a lot of patience, but it is so worthwhile when you see your little one taking on the “big kid” status as they feed themselves new finger foods.
Because new science is always being discovered, experts often change the guidelines (for the better!) for feeding and introducing new foods to babies. This is why I try to keep up to date with this info. So in my case, three kids have each been fed differently already, and again, it's going to be different for baby #4.
For example, take the big news surrounding the introduction of eggs into my little guy's diet. Experts are now suggesting we introduce foods associated with allergies way before 12 months. In fact, they're also saying that introducing whole eggs, nuts, wheat and other allergens earlier can actually help lower an infant’s chance of developing allergies later on in life!
Eggs are now recommended by Health Canada, the Canadian Pediatric Society, Dietitians of Canada, and the Breastfeeding Committee for Canada to be introduced to infants at 6-months of age. I did this with my youngest and clearly I was ahead of the game with her. It just made sense to me. Lean proteins like chicken, beef and eggs are filled with iron and are so good for babies.
It makes me happy to know that now I can feed him eggs with no worries because they're such a great source of protein and are filled with vitamins. Basically, they are a nutritional powerhouse, so serving them to my family is a no brainer. Bonus: they aren't just great for babies. Eggs are a staple in my pregnancy diet because they are iron-fortified, omega-rich, and play an important role in developing my little baby's brain.
As a foodie, it makes me smile because this means I'll get to introduce more foods quicker to my little guy. So I've got the food part figured out, now all I have to worry about is getting him to sleep through the night!
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