5 Things You Should Know About Sterilising

5 things you should know about sterilising!

1. It’s important to keep sterilising all your baby’s bottles, soothers and feeding equipment until at least 12 months of age.  Stale milk is a particularly ripe breeding ground for bacteria and your baby will only just have started producing antibodies so is therefore still very vulnerable to infection.
2. Always refer to the manufacturers guidelines to ensure the product is safe for sterilising otherwise it could be damaged when exposed to high temperatures involved in sterilising (soft soothers be warned!)
3. Before you start to sterilise each time, be careful to wash all your baby’s bottles, teats, utensils etc in hot soapy water and then rinse well with hot water
4. There are several ways of sterilising your baby’s equipment. Electronic steamers, microwave sterilisers, cold water sterilisation using special tablets and of course the good old fashioned boiling in a pan for 10 minutes (for just in case your on holiday and have forgotten the electric lead to the base of the steriliser).
5. After your baby is 12 months, your safe to put her bowls and bottles in a hot cycle in the dishwasher instead of sterilising.  The cycle should be above 80*c to ensure the products come out clean enough for your baby’s developing immune system (don’t forget to keep your dishwasher clean as per recommended by the manufacturer).

6 Food Mistakes Parents Make

Here’s a look at six common mistakes parents make when feeding their children.

1. Sending Children Out of the Kitchen

It is understandable that parents don’t want children close to hot stoves, boiling water and sharp knives. But studies suggest that involving children in meal preparation is an important first step in getting them to try new foods.

2. Pressuring Them to Take a Bite

Demanding that a child eat at least one bite of everything is likely to backfire. Studies show that children react negatively when parents pressure them to eat foods, even if the pressure offers a reward.

3. Keeping “Good Stuff” Out of Reach

Parents worry that children will binge on treats, so they often put them out of sight or on a high shelf. But a large body of research shows that if a parent restricts a food, children just want it more.

4. Dieting in Front of Your Children

Kids are tuned into their parents’ eating preferences and are far more likely to try foods if they see their mother or father eating them. Parents who are trying to lose weight should be aware of how their dieting habits can influence a child’s perceptions about food and healthful eating.

5. Serving Boring Vegetables

Calorie-counting parents often serve plain steamed vegetables, so it’s no wonder children are reluctant to eat them. Nutritionists say parents shouldn’t be afraid to dress up the vegetables.

6. Giving Up Too Soon

Eating preferences often change. Parents should keep preparing a variety of healthful foods and putting them on the table, even if a child refuses to take a bite. In young children, it may take 10 or more attempts over several months to introduce a food.

Sources:

• New York Times September 14, 2008

Study Shows Probiotics Reduce Newborn’s Eczema by 58%

A new study from the Netherlands has shown that daily probiotic supplementation may reduce the risk of eczema by 58% during the first three months of a child’s life.

In the study, 157 pregnant women were randomly assigned to receive the probiotic mixture or placebo for the last two weeks of pregnancy.  The infants then received the supplements for their first year of life.  The probiotic supplement contained a mixture of Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium lactis (infantis) and Lactococcus lactis.

Results showed that parental-reported eczema was 58% lower in the intervention group, compared with placebo during the first three months of life, after which the incidence of eczema was similar between the two groups.

The researchers commented, “The results of this study suggest that primary prevention of eczema by perinatal administration of probiotic bacteria indeed involves modulation of the early colonisation of the intestinal microbiota, which may result in modulating the development and maturation of the infants’ immune system”.

Eczema is an early sign of allergy during the first few months of life and experts believe is due to delayed development of the immune system.  According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, it affects between 10 to 20% of all infants.