Health And Nutrition

After your child has turned a year old, one of the biggest changes is in food exposure.   The jump to cow’s milk is a big deal for some parents.  In a way, it kind of confirms that your child has graduated from being a baby and is now a toddler!  When you introduce cow’s milk, right now it should be whole (full cream) milk because your baby needs the fat from it and less salt and protein that low-fat milk contains. Consult your pediatrician for suggestions on how long you should give your baby whole milk.

Another food that can be introduced at this time is honey.  As you know, honey is withheld from your child’s diet until he is a year old because it may contain botulism spores.  Some people think that if you use honey in baking, the heat of the oven will kill the bacteria.  However, it does not and could be potential harm to your child.  But at this time, honey can be used as a natural sweetener for your cooking – not too much though because it contains more sugar than regular table sugar.  Honey, unlike table sugar, however, contains vitamins and minerals.

Since your child has been eating solids for about 6 months or more and probably started on fruit juices, his teeth have been exposed to a lot.  Dentists recommend that once your baby cuts a tooth, to use a very soft child’s toothbrush to clean it or use a soft cloth to wipe his tooth.  The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry states that children should see a dentist when they get their first tooth and not later than 1 year of age.