Baby Feeding Myths Every Parent Should Know

“Breastfed babies need to drink water too” False Breastfed babies do not need to be given water, or any other fluid. The consistency of breast milk acts as a perfect feed and thirst quencher. Giving a baby water can affect her sodium levels and dampen her appetite. A breastfed baby should only be given water if she develops a medical condition and your GP recommends introducing other fluids. Otherwise water should only be given when she is at the weaning stage of baby development and eating solid food at between four and six months old. “You can't get pregnant while you are breastfeeding” False Oh yes you can. If a woman is exclusively breastfeeding it is less likely she will conceive in the first few months following delivery. But it is certainly not impossible. A woman will become fertile again as soon as her periods return to normal (so ready to conceive before she gets evidence of this) and this can happen as soon as 5-6 weeks after giving birth. Breastfeeding is NOT a form of contraception and new mums should see their GP to sort out their birth control before getting intimate with their partners again. “Toddlers should only drink full fat milk” False Whole milk used to be recommended for all toddlers. However this has been relaxed in today’s baby feeding guidelines because of the increase in childhood obesity. Babies considered at risk of being overweight can drink semi-skimmed milk from one year old and even skimmed from the age of two. Your GP will be able to advise you on what is best for your little one as they will consider the family history of heart disease or cholesterol problems. Babies should not be given any cow's milk until their first birthday. For more advice on baby feeding check with your GP or a specialist baby website. “Your food allergies will be passed on to your baby” False While certain allergies appear to run in families, it is not necessarily true that a child will inherit their mother or father’s allergies. If your baby has a family history of allergies like eczema, asthma, hayfever or food allergies, it's recommended that you breastfeed her exclusively for the first six months. When you start the weaning phase of baby development introduce the foods that commonly cause allergies (milk, eggs, wheat, nuts, seeds, fish and shellfish) one at a time so that you can quickly pick up on any reaction. Don't introduce any of these foods before she is six months old. Most children outgrow an allergy to milk or eggs, but a peanut allergy is generally life-long.