Babies Health

Healthy brain and nervous system development for your baby

Your Baby's Health:

Your little one’s health is vital. And it can be overwhelming when faced with so much information and the wide range of products in the market place. The best advice? Keep your baby’s diet focused on fresh, natural ingredients.

Breastfeeding and good health

Breast milk is the perfect food for your baby. When you’re breastfeeding it’s important to have a well-balanced, nutritious diet. All the nutrients your baby receives come either from the food you eat or from your body’s own stores.

What to eat each day^208,209:

Fruit 5 serves. A serve is one medium piece of fruit (apple, pear, banana); two small pieces (plums, apricots), half an avocado, a cup of chopped or tiny fruits, one and a half tablespoons of dried fruit.
Vegetables 7 serves. A serve is half a cup cooked vegetables, one cup of salads, one medium potato.
Wholegrain bread and cereals 5-7 serves. A serve is two slices of bread, a cup of pasta, rice or cereal (half a cup for muesli).
Meat, fish, nuts, poultry, and legumes 2 serves. A serve is around 100grams of cooked meat or fish, two small eggs, half a cup of cooked legumes, one third of a cup of nuts.
Dairy 3 serves. A serve is a cup of milk, 40 grams of cheese, a small pot (200 grams) of yoghurt.

Foods to watch out for:

Fatty, salty, sugary processed foods – they add lots of kilojoules, but few important nutrients, so limit the amount you eat.
Alcohol passes into your breast milk, so the National Health and Medical Research Council recommends not drinking while breastfeeding is the safest option²¹⁰. It further advises not to drink any alcohol in the first month, and after that no more than two standard drinks a day – timing these so they are not immediately before breastfeeding. The Australian Breastfeeding Association suggests having any drink immediately after a feed to allow the longest possible time before the next feed²⁰⁹.
Caffeine in tea, coffee and some soft drinks can also pass into breast milk and affect your baby and the composition of your breastmilk²¹¹. So limit the amount of caffeine in your diet.

Yummy solid food ideas and recipes:¹¹

Avocado cut in half, this time the seed is missing image

When it comes to your baby's health, variety is the spice of life. If your baby has started eating solids, avocado is one of the most nutrient packed and tasty foods they can eat. They'll love the texture and creaminess. Plus as well as being completely unprocessed, they're full of beneficial fats, vitamins and minerals.

Avocado recipes:

From 6 months old:

Mashed avo:

De-skin and de-pip your avocado. Place into a bowl and mash until it's got a smooth consistency.

8 months old and above

Green Power - Puréed Avocado and zucchini

1 avocado
1 zucchini, cooked
1 tsp of basil

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. The mixture will keep for two days in an airtight container.

If you have your own Avocado Baby Recipes that you think others may like to try, you can submit it in our Recipe section.

Healthy brain and nervous system development for your baby:

Avocados contain important essential healthy fats that are needed for brain and nervous system development. Making sure your diet includes sources of healthy fats is especially important when you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, and for your baby²¹².

The healthy fats in avocados also help increase the absorption of the colourful carotenoid pigments²¹³ - lutein/zeaxanthin and beta-carotene - as well as fat-soluble vitamins. Carotenoids are important for infant eye development and since avocados are also a source of antioxidants²¹⁵ – avocados play an important role in a healthy diet for mothers and babies.

Skin as smooth as a baby's bottom:

The beneficial fats found in avocado may help maintain skin health, in particular one of the monounsaturated fats called oleic acid. While there is no evidence that eating avocados has a direct effect on skin we do know that essential fatty acids such as oleic acid found in avocado plays a role in the skin’s defence system.^219,220

Traditionally oils such as olive oil, another rich source of oleic acid, have been used as moisturising oils for skin.²²¹ To help keep skin soft and protected this avocado and oat moisturizer may help.

Avocado and oat baby bath time moisturiser:

1 whole avocado
1 cup of instant oats

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mix into a smooth paste. Put all the ingredients into a stocking, run a warm bath and put the stocking into the water. You will notice the water goes a lovely milk green colour. You can also very softly run the stocking over the skin of your baby. This will help keep your baby's skin wonderfully soft.

To get that soft baby skin yourself, browse through our Beauty Recipes for adults.