Baby food diary chart

Article content

• What is a food diary
• What exactly should be recorded in a child's food diary
• Why this information is needed
• What is useful to write in a diary additionally
• What information is useful for the doctor from the baby's food diary
• Sample food diary

We all want to see our babies like in the fairy tale about the Cat walking by itself: pink, plump and actively exploring the world. Even if the mother does not manage to redo all the affairs because of the active baby. nine0008

But children don't always grow up fabulously perfectly. They put something wrong in their mouths, break out in a rash from who knows what, or embarrass their mother with stools of the wrong color and consistency. And the worries about a sudden, but rather ordinary ailment, are also tiring. When a baby sprinkles or his tummy hurts, I want to know why this is and how to avoid it. Answering such questions is much easier if you imagine how events unfolded. And it is better to write down - to keep a diary. nine0008

What is a food diary

A child's food diary is a journal with a table in which you make entries every day. You note everything that the baby ate - even unplanned - and what happened next: nothing special or some kind of unwanted reaction. Write down the menu for the whole day in the morning, mark the “response” to food immediately - in the evening there is rarely time for this, and the little things are forgotten. Come up with a simple notation for repeating entries, write down the transcript on the cover. So you save time. The easier it is to fill out a diary, the more likely you will write in it regularly. nine0008

What exactly should be recorded in a child's food diary

In your food diary, write down:

• date;
• time of each meal;
• what the child ate, from what initial products it was prepared, with what additives;
• brand of purchased products;
• composition of prepared meals, if eaten for the first time;
• how much he ate;
• how he felt during the day, how he slept at night; nine0013
• if he started taking medicines or vitamins, the name from the label and dosage;
• scheduled vaccinations - to give new food not earlier than 3 days after vaccination;
• if the child ate or put something in his mouth that you did not intend to give him. So that he does not drag something dangerous into his mouth, create a safe environment for him at home: household chemicals and medicines - under lock and key;
• sudden "treats" from relatives whom you did not have time to warn; nine0013
• changes in your diet if you are breastfeeding - even one-time and "wrong".

A food diary helps to record everything that enters the child's body. Although such meticulousness seems boring, there are advantages to the habit of taking notes regularly.

Keeping a food diary is useful practically and psychologically:

• When you regularly write down what and how much your baby eats, and how he feels during the day, you will track down inappropriate meals for him. You will appreciate how varied his menu is. You will be able to clearly check the potential allergen - and do not forget to exclude it for the required period. nine0013
• If your baby is having trouble picking up solid foods, a diary can help solve that problem. You will draw up an action plan and follow it if you are allergic to “everything in a row” or if he “eats nothing at all”. You will feel that the situation is under control.
• Some children find it difficult to keep to a schedule. The diary will help to establish a diet for the child.

What is useful to write in a diary in addition

Not only eaten affects the condition of the skin and intestines of the child. The rash can be from contact allergies, childhood diseases, or age-related features - for example, infantile acne. Diarrhea can be a manifestation of intestinal infections. nine0008

Note additionally:

• if you change to a different detergent for his clothes;
• changed baby cream;
• using a different soap, shampoo or bath;
• bought a different brand of diapers, a new carpet, or something else that comes into contact with the baby's skin;
• if the weather turned out to be uncomfortable during the walk: too hot or icy wind;
nine0012 if ill;
• an important or stressful event has occurred;
• took the baby to the dacha: it is easy to quietly eat earth or grass there.

Most of these situations will go unnoticed. Think of yourself as an observer, but take care of the child.

If the baby has a rash or weight deviates from the norm, the doctor will be interested in information from the child's food diary. A neatly filled out table about what and how much the child ate will help the doctor correctly diagnose if an allergy is suspected. If you need to check which complementary food product the child reacts to, then it is easier to write a check scheme with a diary. nine0008

Underweight or overweight? The doctor will assess whether the child is getting the right amount of nutrients by reviewing the recorded menu.

Don't forget to include delicious Nutrilak Premium PROCEREALS in your baby's diet. They do not contain unnecessary ingredients and retain the beneficial properties of whole grains.

Is it difficult for your baby to find complementary foods? From your food diary, the doctor can easily see what you have given and can suggest other foods. nine0008

If, after a new type of feeding, the baby has swelling or it becomes difficult for him to breathe, his voice becomes hoarse - first of all, you need to call an ambulance, and not write it in a diary. This condition requires immediate medical attention.

Sample food diary

To make it easier for you to start keeping a food diary, here is a sample page.

You can print the pages and collect in a folder or draw in a notebook. nine0008

Sources:

1 - https://pitaniedetskoe.ru/pishhevoj-dnevnik-rebenka

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Nutrition diary for a child up to a year: diary template, explanations of specialists

Published: 02/10/2021

Reading time: 4 min.

Number of reads: 11928

Author of the article: Ponomareva Yuliya Vladimirovna

Pediatrician, candidate of medical sciences, allergist-immunologist

Each stage of a baby's development corresponds to a certain type of food. This is due to the gradual maturation and functional activity of the main organs and systems, primarily the gastrointestinal tract. So, in the first months of life, a child is able to absorb only mother's milk, the composition of which ideally matches the capabilities of the baby's body and dynamically changes in accordance with its needs. nine0008

The nutrition of a nursing mother should be varied and complete, but she needs to adhere to some restrictions that are associated with the possibility of penetration of many substances into breast milk, and hence into the baby's body. It is undeniable that alcohol, smoking and coffee are incompatible with breastfeeding, as they can harm the baby. But often, ordinary foods, such as milk, nuts, honey or chocolate, can cause deviations in the baby's health. nine0008

Contents: Hide

1. Food is not always healthy
2. Prevention is better than cure
3. Food intolerance
4. What is a food diary?
5. Food diary template

Food is not always healthy

Mother's milk is the best food for a baby, but in some cases, due to various reasons, breastfeeding has to be abandoned. Scientific and technological progress, advances in pediatrics and dietology allow the development and production of formulas for artificial feeding that are most adapted to the child and replace mother's milk. nine0008

However, even the best of them are still very far from the “gold standard”. Therefore, formula-fed babies may experience reactions to the mixture being administered. This is primarily due to a food allergy to cow's milk protein. In addition, with a further expansion of the diet and the introduction of new complementary foods, deviations in the health of the baby are also possible. They are associated with individual intolerance and the development of allergies, or with the age-related unwillingness of the body to perceive and assimilate new food. nine0008

Prevention is better than cure

All of these factors explain the need to gradually expand the baby's diet and introduce foods in accordance with the child's readiness to digest certain foods.

This is important! According to current national recommendations for feeding children in their first year of life, complementary foods are introduced no earlier than 4 months. Experts recommend starting to include in the menu each new food group from low-allergenic foods. nine0008

So, for example, in the line of baby food Bebi Premium "Porridges for the first feeding", low-allergenic products based on buckwheat, rice and corn groats are specially developed. These cereals do not contain cow's milk proteins, gluten, lactose and sugar. The dish can be prepared on the basis of breast milk, adapted formula or baby water. The composition is enriched with prebiotics, which is very important for the formation and maintenance of your own intestinal microbiota and the prevention of allergies.

Food intolerance

Food allergy is one of the most common diseases in young children. Every second child aged 3-6 months living in large cities has manifestations of food intolerance. What symptoms suggest an allergic reaction? Most often, these are skin rashes and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Skin rashes with bright redness and peeling (often also with severe itching) appear on the face, buttocks, arms and legs of the baby. The child often has stool disorders, regurgitation and intestinal colic. In some cases, there is a delay in weight gain and growth gains. nine0008

Find the cause

Diagnosis of food allergy is not difficult, any mother will immediately pay attention to the characteristic changes in the child. It is much more difficult to find the "culprit" of an allergy - a food product that triggered and maintains this condition. A successful search will be the most effective treatment for the baby, because by removing the causative allergen from the diet, we can stop the allergic reaction. In order to establish a relationship with the reactions that have occurred and the products introduced, parents need to keep a diary of the child's nutrition. nine0008

What is a food diary?

It is a regular detailed record of all the foods that the baby has tried or eaten, and his individual reaction to them. The food diary is filled out daily, it indicates the time of eating, a detailed description of the product with all its ingredients, cooking and serving size.

Other obligatory columns include information about the change in the state of health of the baby, indicating the time of occurrence of the reaction and its nature. Parents need to note any changes that occur when a new product is included in the diet. In the "Notes" column, you need to write down new events in the child's life that are not related to nutrition, but which could also affect the occurrence of the reaction. This can be a change of washing powder or skin care products, vaccination, medication. nine0008

It is convenient to present these data in the form of a table, individual columns of which include the above information. At the end of this article, an approximate template for filling out a food diary is presented. If the child is breastfed, then the mother also needs to keep a food diary.

Important task

Perhaps many parents take these recommendations lightly, believing that special tests will be more informative. However, with a responsible attitude, when adults carefully and timely record absolutely all the foods that were present in the baby’s diet even in a minimal amount, this will be very valuable data. The pediatrician will be able to analyze the information and build a safe individual diet for your crumbs. Ideally, any baby needs to keep a food diary throughout the first year of life, tracking reactions to the introduction of all new complementary foods, but this is especially important for children with allergies or babies with a high risk of developing allergic reactions. nine.00 1. Dairy-free porridge “5 grains with banana Bebi Premium” with breast milk.
2. Dry fruit compote 120

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