HEALTH
VITAL HYGIENE FOR BABY
Many parents wonder if
they’re being overprotective when it comes to food
hygiene, but babies’ immune systems are most
vulnerable for the first six
months of life.
•
•
•
This is according to registered dietician,
Slava de Gouveia, who explains that at
around six months parents start to
introduce solid foods and so open up a
new world of tastes and textures for
babies to explore and enjoy. “But because
babies’ immune systems are still
developing, this is also a crucial time to
practise good oral hygiene habits and
eating patterns and it is vital to be as
hygienic as possible.
She offers the following guidelines:
• Start by ensuring that any utensil used
in baby food preparation is thoroughly
cleaned and sterilised where possible.
If you can, have a basic set of equipment and utensils that are dedicated to
preparing meals for your child.
• Always wash your hands before preparing food. Clean, wash and trim food in as
little water as possible but ensure that it
is done thoroughly.
• Avoid using kitchen towels or cloths
in the process. These are germ traps!
Rather use paper towels, which are
disposable.
• If cooking from scratch, cook the food
until tender, well-cooked but not overcooked, in as little water as possible.
•
•
Add just enough so the food can be puréed easily. Avoid adding sugar or salt.
Pour puréed food into ice cube trays and
freeze. When the food is frozen, you can
remove it from the ice trays and store in
freezer bags.
When you're ready to feed your baby, you
can defrost and heat only the amount of
food that will be eaten.
To check food temperature, many moms
pre-taste. The problem says Slava, is
that an adult’s mouth often harbours
bacteria and viruses. Rather spoon a
little food on the inside of your wrist to
check the temperature before feeding.
Another habit parents may not realise
could be harmful is feeding directly from
a food jar. “This is like a chef double
dipping!” says Slava. “By feeding directly
from the jar, you would be putting a
spoon with saliva on back into the sterile
jar and so contaminating the contents.
Saliva contains digestive enzymes and
bacteria predisposing the contents of
the jar to fermenting and spoiling.”
Another essential (and messy) part of
a small child’s development is playing
with their food. However, germs easily
pass from fingers to mouth and babies
and toddlers are especially susceptible
to gastroenteritis. When old enough,
allowing children to feed themselves
using cutlery helps them learn good
habits and prevents grubby hands from
transferring germs into the mouth, as
well as having the added benefit of helping them to develop co-ordination and
motor skills.
(Source: PHILIPS AVENT’S TODDLER FEEDING RANGE HELPS
BABIES AND TODDLERS GROW, LEARN AND ENJOY FOOD SAFELY,
October 2013)
frontShop NOVEMBER 2013 | 17
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