Weaning means accustoming the child to alternative foods in place of breast milk or formula foods. After about 4-6 month’s of age, breast milk is insufficient to meet with the caloric as well as nutritive requirements of the child. Hence it has to be supplemented with food from outside.
Weaning is the first step in the development of diet pattern of the child and has far reaching consequences in defining the food habits in future. Successful weaning is an essential step in the overall growth and development of the child.
Weaning should be done gradually and with maximum comfort of the mother and the baby. Readiness is the key, at the same time voluntary efforts are needed to achieve it. One food item should be introduced at a time followed by another. Cereals, vegetables, fruits, eggs, dairy and lastly poultry and fish, is the sequence in which foods should be introduced. Foods rejected once should be reintroduced after a while. A balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibre and water is needed to prevent problems due to weaning.
Force feeding, anxiety, punishment are to be avoided completely. Rather, the child should be encouraged to participate in self feeding, lot of praise, cuddling and positive reinforcement are successful in achieving an effortless and happy weaning.
The commonest problems encountered are, resistance to weaning by the child, poor intake, lability of moods, rejection of food, vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation, disturbances of digestion, colic, nutritional deficiencies, growth failure, anaemia, infections and allergies. A patient approach is needed to tackle these problems and to get to the goal.
Homoeopathy helps greatly in treating problems in this crucial phase of development of the child. Right from emotional reactions to infections and allergies homoeopathy has answer to each. Homoeopathy treats every child distinctly, and provides holistic solution to the problem. Homeopathic and biochemic remedies are used to even treat nutritional deficiencies. Homeopathic medicines are safe and without any side effects which makes them best suited for long term use to tide over multiple problems during weaning.
Dr. Navin Pawaskar,
Director,
JIMS Healthcare.
