Baby steps
BY CARLOTTA MAST
Small choices that can make a big
difference in your child’s development
If raising a happy and healthy child were easy, the
world would be full of happy and healthy adults.
But with health care issues topping our list of
national concerns these days, it’s clear that maintaining a wholesome lifestyle can be challenging.
And for new parents, choosing what to feed and how
to raise a child can feel especially confusing. While
specifics on how to bring up kids fill many a big
book, there are a number of subjects on which most
experts agree. Heed the following advice to help give
your baby a jump-start on life.
Choose nature’s perfect food. During the
first six months of life, mother’s milk provides
baby just the right balance of carbohydrates, fats,
protein, vitamins, and minerals. “After that, add
in an iron supplement or iron-rich foods, such as
iron-fortified cereal,” says Matthew Baral, ND,
pediatrics professor at the Southwest College of
Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona. The
essential fatty acids in breast milk—particularly
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic
acid (ARA)—are crucial to a baby’s cognitive
development. Research shows that breast-feeding
also helps reduce the risk for many health
