Help your baby to
thrive by understanding the best ways to get healthy nutrients into his adorable little self!

You want to breastfeed but you think maybe a bottle now and then ... you wonder about formulas and marvel at the various brands on the baby aisle — and then there’s the baby food. To help you sort through the questions you have of how best to feed your baby, we rounded up top pediatricians and baby experts to answer your burning baby food questions. Bonus: The answers might even save you money!

Q: Is it safe to switch from Similac to the store-brand infant formula? I hear the store brand is so much cheaper.

 A: It’s definitely safe to switch from name-brand infant formula to the store brand and it is a lot better for your bottom line, too. Store-brand formulas, labeled with the names of retail-store brands, such as Target (up & up), Wal-Mart (Parent’s Choice) and Babies R Us (Babies R Us), are as nutritionally complete as national brand formulas, yet cost up to 50 percent less — which can add up to a savings of $600 per year. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), all formula marketed in the United States must meet the same nutrient specifications, which are set at levels to fulfill the needs of infants. Although infant-formula manufacturers may have their own proprietary formulations, brand-name and store-brand formula must contain at least the minimum levels of all nutrients specified in FDA regulations, without exceeding maximum levels, where those are specified. Skeptical? Compare nutrition information on the labels for yourself and talk to your pediatrician before switching types of formula, such as from regular (cow’s milk) formula to soy formula.

Q: Is it safe to put a partially eaten jar of baby food back in the fridge for next time?

A: You can stash it in the fridge for later as long as you haven’t fed your baby from the jar (or yogurt container). If that’s the case, toss it. Harmful bacteria from your baby’s mouth can grow and multiply in the jar. If your baby typically doesn’t eat a full jar, spoon a portion into a bowl and put the jar in the refrigerator for later, but keep in mind that the clock is ticking. Opened jars of fruits and vegetables will keep for up to three days in the fridge. Meats are good for one day. You’ve got two days, tops, for meat and vegetable combos. Date open jars with permanent marker on the lid so you’ll know what went into the fridge and when.

Q: How long can I leave infant formula or pumped breast milk out?

A: You can leave prepared infant formula or pumped breast milk out of the refrigerator (without a cold pack) for two hours. If it has been sitting out longer than that, you’ll need to throw it out. That includes other perishable items, too, like baby food, dairy products and meat. But play it safe and throw them out after an hour.

Q: Are there any special dietary recommendations for breastfeeding, like there are when you’re pregnant (such as avoiding soft cheese and raw fish)?

A: There are, but not many. When you’re breast-feeding, you’ll need to continue avoiding fish high in mercury, just as you did during pregnancy, as per U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendations. Don’t eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury. And if there’s a family history of serious food allergies, such as peanuts or shellfish, you may be advised to avoid both, even if it’s your partner who is allergic. “Otherwise, you can go ahead and eat your normal diet,” says Jennifer Trachtenberg, M.D., a pediatrician and author of Good Kids, Bad Habits: The Real Age Guide to Raising Healthy Children (William Morrow Paperbacks; $21.95). If you’ve heard that avoiding drinking milk yourself can prevent your baby from becoming gassy, or that sticking to a bland diet prevents colic, don’t believe it. That’s just not true, Trachtenberg says. Similarly, you don’t need to avoid soft cheeses like feta, Brie and Camembert, or sushi or sashimi like you did during pregnancy because the bacterium that may be found in these foods that could cause infection doesn’t transfer to breast milk. Caffeine and alcohol also aren’t off limits if your baby is healthy and not preterm or past due, “but moderation is the best thing,” she says. Ask your baby’s pediatrician for advice if you want to consume either.

Q: Do I need to shell out for a bottle sterilizer or is the dishwasher good enough?

A: The dishwasher will do the job, especially if you have city (not well water), which is chlorinated, says Trachtenberg. Just wash your bottles in the top rack of the dishwasher, or wash them in hot tap water with dishwashing detergent and then rinse them in hot tap water. If you have well water or nonchlorinated water that doesn’t meet current safety levels, talk to your pediatrician. Instead of relying on the dishwasher, you’ll probably be advised to use a sterilizer or to boil bottles in water for five to 10 minutes before using them.

Q: When preparing infant formula, can I just use tap water or do I need to buy bottled water?

A: You can use tap water to prepare infant formula unless you have your own well, experts say. (Yes, we’re back to that pesky well issue again.) If you have well water, before making infant formula, have it tested. Contact the Tennessee Department of Health and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s water supply division at 532-0191 (they should have a list of available certified labs). All babies younger than 6 months of age are at risk of nitrate poisoning, according to the EPA, which can cause a condition called methemoglobinemia or “blue baby syndrome,” which robs the blood of oxygen. Public water supplies are tested regularly for nitrates. If your water doesn’t meet EPA’s standard for nitrates and your baby is younger than 6 months old, talk to your pediatrician. You can’t eliminate nitrates by boiling water. It actually concentrates the levels. So you’ll probably need to use bottled water.

You’ll also need to be concerned about lead. Whether you have city or well water, your baby can still be exposed to lead from the pipes in your home. To avoid exposure to lead, as a general rule, use water from the cold tap for making baby formula, drinking and cooking. Also, if you haven’t turned the water on for six hours or more, the EPA advises letting it run for a minute or more first before filling your baby’s bottle.

Q: What’s a great way to save money on baby food?

A: Make your own! The main difference between baby food and regular food is that it’s pureed, but a small hand grinder or a blender can take care of that. If you do buy jarred baby food — especially convenient when traveling — you’ll save by choosing single-ingredient meats, vegetables and fruits, then mixing them to your baby’s liking instead of buying ready-made combos, like herbed chicken with pasta.

When your baby is ready for “solid” food (typically around 4 to 6 months), always introduce one food at a time and wait three days. Start with iron-fortified infant cereal mixed with breast milk or formula. Then, slowly introduce pureed vegetables, fruits and meats according to your pediatrician’s time table. If your baby doesn’t have a reaction such as diarrhea or rash to a certain food, the coast is clear to add another food to his menu. Don’t spike your baby’s food with sugar or corn syrup and no honey for the first year. Also during your baby’s first 12 months, steer clear of foods loaded with fat and sugar, such as bacon, lunch meat, hot dogs, French fries, creamed veggies, pudding, cookies, candy, cakes and sweetened drinks such as iced tea and soda. And don’t give your baby hot dogs, peanuts, whole grapes, berries, raisins, hard candies and popcorn (radar: choking hazard).

Q: Besides infant formula or breast milk, what else can my baby drink during his first year?

A: You’ll need to keep feeding your baby formula or breast milk through the first year, even when your baby starts eating solid food. But when your baby is 6 months old, you can add 100 percent fruit juice (check the label to make sure) to your baby’s repertoire. Go easy though. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting 100 percent fruit juice to no more than four to six ounces per day from 6 months to 6 years of age, and making it part of a meal, not a snack. Too much juice can cause diarrhea and gas, contribute to tooth decay and fill your baby up so that he has less room for more nutritious foods. To limit juice, offer one to two ounces at a time in a sippy cup, not a bottle. The juice should be pasteurized (flash-heated to kill pathogens). Fresh-squeezed juice isn’t pasteurized. And keep in mind that juice fortified with calcium isn’t a substitute for formula or cow’s milk, which your baby can have after his first birthday.

Q: How can I help my baby switch from infant formula to cow’s milk?

A: After your baby’s first birthday, it’s safe to make the switch from infant formula or breast milk to whole cow’s milk. But if your baby’s not buying it, try introducing whole cow’s milk gradually. Over several weeks and months, add a little whole milk to the formula you prepare and slowly increase the proportion of milk to formula until your baby is drinking straight cow’s milk. Don’t buy low-fat milk, thinking it’s healthier. A baby’s rapidly-developing brain thrives on the high percentage of butterfat whole milk contains. Just think: A child’s brain grows to 80 percent of its adult size by age 3 and much of that development happens by age 2. After your child’s second birthday, brain growth begins to subside. That’s when it’s time to switch to foods low in artery-clogging trans and saturated fat, such as low-fat and nonfat milk and yogurt. For more on what to feed your baby, visit kidseatright.org.

Sandra Gordon is a freelance writer.

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