120 Where There Is No Doctor 2011
THE BEST DIET FOR SMALL CHILDREN
THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF LIFE
For the first 6 months give the baby breast milk and nothing
else. It is better than any baby food or milks you can buy. Breast
milk helps protect the baby against diarrhea and many infections. It
is best not to give extra water or teas, even in hot weather.
Some mothers stop breastfeeding early because they think that their milk is not good
enough for their baby, or that their breasts are not making enough milk. However, a
mother’s milk is always very nutritious for her baby, even if the mother herself is
thin and weak.
If a woman has HIV, sometimes she can pass HIV to a baby in her breast milk.
But if she does not have access to clean water, her baby is more likely to die from
diarrhea, dehydration, and malnutrition than AIDS. Now medicines can prevent the
spread of HIV to babies through breast milk (see p. 398). But only you can evaluate the
conditions in your home and community and decide what to do.
Nearly all mothers can produce all the breast milk their babies need:
♦ The best way for a mother to keep making enough breast milk is to breastfeed
the baby often, eat well, and drink lots of liquids.
♦ D o not give the baby other foods before he is 6 months old, and always
breastfeed before giving the other foods.
♦ If a mother’s breasts produce little or no milk, she should continue to eat
well, drink lots of liquids and let the baby suck her breasts often. After each
breastfeeding, give the baby, by cup (not bottle), some other type of milk—
like boiled cow’s or goat’s milk, canned milk, or powdered milk. (Do not use
condensed milk.) Add a little sugar or vegetable oil to any of these milks.
Note: Whatever type of milk is used, some cooled, boiled water should be added. Here
are two examples of correct formulas:
#1 #2
2 parts boiled, cooled cow’s milk
1 part boiled, cooled water
1 large spoonful sugar or oil for
each large glass
2 parts canned evaporated milk
3 parts boiled, cooled water
1 large spoonful sugar or oil for
each large glass
If non–fat milk is used, add another spoonful of oil.
♦ If possible, boil the milk and water. It is safer to feed the baby with a cup (or
cup and spoon) than to use a baby bottle. Baby bottles and nipples are hard
to keep clean and can cause infections and diarrhea (see p. 154). If a bottle is
used, boil it and the nipple each time before the baby is fed.
♦ If you cannot buy milk for the child, make a porridge from rice, cornmeal, or other
cereal. Always add to this some skinned beans, eggs, meat, chicken, or other
protein. Mash these well and give them as a liquid. If possible add sugar and oil.
WARNING: Cornmeal or rice water alone is not enough for a baby. The child
will not grow well. He will get sick easily and may die. The baby needs a main
food with added helper foods.