6 month and older calorically dense foods for babies that need a little help

This is meant to be used as a calorie high density for babies who are at low volume but need more. As always check with your provider on the advisability of this plan for your baby. Talk to your provider about starting food with your baby.

6 month plus caloric increase

Plan

Do remember that high density plans tend to be very constipating. If baby is straining with stools at all start adding some stewed prunes or stewed apricots to the day. You can take some dried apricots mix them with water, microwave them until they're soft and mushy if baby doesn't like prunes. We don't want to do juice as it is fairly empty in calories.

 ***starches need to be cooked to decrease “resistant starch” which can make it more binding gut-wise and decrease the bodies’ ability to absorb the calories. Oils have already been processed no need to cook. Cooking food generally increases absorption and can decrease the gas produced by gut bacteria.

BOTTLES Additives (please clear with your babies healthcare provider)

Formula 20 calories per oz

Breastmilk 21 calories per oz

1/2 teaspoon avocado oil is monounsaturated fat at 20 calories.

 Coconut oil is 1/2 TSP at 20 calories and saturated fat.

Flaxseed oil is 20 calories per teaspoon and high in monounsaturated +polyunsaturated fat. Oatmeal is 10-12 calories per tablespoon.

Rice cereal is 12-15 calories per tablespoon

FOODS

Banana 21 calories per tablespoon

Mango 8 calories per tablespoon

Pineapple juice 8 calories per tablespoon

Coconut milk 28 calories per tablespoon

1 tablespoon stewed prunes 22 calories

Hummus mashed chickpeas is 25 calories per tablespoon.

Avocado is 30 calories per tablespoon

Chicken dark meat 27.6 calories per tablespoon

1 tablespoon butter 100 calories

Egg yolk cooked 55 calories

Sweet potatoes 15 calories per tablespoon

Quinoa cooked 14 calories per tablespoon

Brown rice cooked 16 calories per tablespoon

Glutinous rice flour 27 calories per tablespoon.

Potato starch 36 calories per tablespoon (must heat this to make it bioavailable or it is a resistant starch.)

Tapioca flour Bobs red Mill 35 calories

White rice cooked 13 calories per tablespoon

1 tablespoon of ricotta cheese has 24 calories.

 ¼ cup soybeans green 94 calories

Black beans 41 calories per tablespoon

Tahini 89 calories per tablespoon

1 tablespoon lentils 15

Tofu 16 calories per tablespoon

Almond butter has 98 calories per tablespoon

Soy butter has 100 calories per tablespoon

Cream cheese has 49 calories per tablespoon

Mascarpone cheese has 67 calories per tablespoon

Apple sauce 9 calories per tablespoon

EXAMPLE A

 Mix 1/2 teaspoon of avocado oil, plus one teaspoon of rice cereal will increase calorie load by 26 calories when added to a bottle.

1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese with 1 tablespoon applesauce 78 calories

Hummus one tablespoon one tablespoon avocado is 55 calories

1 tablespoon chicken dark meat plus one tablespoon sweet potatoes 47.5 calories.

6 bottles per day at this with each bottle being at least 4 ounces is a total caloric intake for 24 hours of bottle = 636 calories, solids 180 calories. 816 calories total for the day (increase of 336 calories with supplemental foods and bottle additives. This is equal to an extra 16.6 oz of milk calorically)

***Cereals are an additive never a meal.  Calorie poor on their own.  Works well with avocado oil to slow the laxative effective of oils.

Example B

Mix 1t of avocado oil with 1 teaspoons of rice increases calorie load per bottle by 52 calories.

Breakfast Soy butter one tablespoon with 1 tablespoon bananas 121 calories

Lunch Mascarpone cheese + egg yolk + ½ tablespoon butter 205 calories

Dinner 1 tablespoon stewed prunes + 1 tablespoon ricotta + 1 tablespoon avocado 76 calories

6 bottles per day at 4 oz each is 480 Without additives. 

With additives 276 calories bottle total calories 756 (rice + oil + milk)

Meals 402 calories = 24 hr. Total 1194 calories. Increase total of 714 with supplemental foods and bottle additives. This is equal to 35 oz of milk or formula

Sweet fat rice Pina colada style

Starting solids baby

1 Tablespoon glutinous rice flour 27 (amazon small bag/Asian market)

2 tablespoon pineapple juice warmed 16 (mix with rice flour till paste)

1 tablespoon coconut milk 28

1 tablespoon mash banana 21

92 calories total

Sub bobs red mill tapioca flour for 8 extra calories (you may need more of this than a tablespoon.)

Older baby

Can make into pasty little balls

Beans and rice baby style

1 tablespoon white rice 13

½ teaspoon avocado oil 20

1 tablespoon mashed black beans 41

74 calories

Sub glutinous rice flour for rice and increase calories to  98 calories

A jar of baby food may not be calorie dense.

2.5 oz jar turkey and gravy Gerber 80 calories

Understanding the difference between breastfeeding help resources.

One question I get asked a lot is, “who can help me with breast feeding?”

Years ago, your choice was your grandmother or Le Leche league. Now we have CLC, IBCLC, RNs, support groups, Facebook and so much more. 

 Lets break it down.

 IBCLC are nurses or lay people who have the highest certification for breastfeeding assistance.  In fact, IBCLC stand for International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant.  In short terms I can take this certification and practice anywhere in the world with it.  Pretty amazing RIGHT!! Getting this certification is not for the faint of heart.  When I first became an IBCLC in 2008 I had to prove 5000 hours of hands on helping moms breastfeed and I needed about 75-100 hrs of specific breastfeeding education and then after all that I had to sit in a room full of other candidates and take an 8 hour test by hand. OH my you say well you then had to wait another 3-4 months for results and if you failed you had to wait until the next year to take it again.  YIKES! 

As an IBCLC I have to renew my licensure every 5 years by education of 75 hours of approved breastfeeding education and at the 10-year mark I have to take the dreaded boards again

An IBCLC should be at the top of the breastfeeding pyramid.  The IBCLC should be comfortable in most aspect of managing breastfeeding and be able to assist in the breastfeeding journey from start to finish.  We can besides taking care of our Moms and Babies be able to teach, and help create policy and procedures to promote breastfeeding in every setting.  Now that being said not all IBCLC are the same, some are stronger in certain areas of lactation and are more comfortable with say the NICU infant, or with home visits, and some prefer hospital care. We are all individual just like you.  So, as I go through just some of what the IBCLC can do be sure you find the one that is right for you. 

IBCLC can

Create policy and procedure to assist with breastfeeding goals.

Make care plans regarding breastfeeding

Assess oral function but not diagnose oral tethers. AKA Tongue tie and lip tie.  

Assist with latch and observe feedings make suggestion on how to improve transfer.

Help moms increase milk supply.

Help with nipple soreness and wound healing.

Help create back to work plans

Assist with feeding baby with cleft palate, or any oral dysfunction.

Do test weights to assess transfer of milk to baby.

Assist NICU babies with home care plans.

Work within a team of health care professionals help moms and babies obtain feeding goals.

How to use supplementer tools such as a SNS, finger feeding and proper bottle feeding.

Assist with poor weight gain or loss

A CLC takes a 45 hour class and then an exam and must recertify by 18 hours of education every 3 years.  There is no hands-on time

CLCs are excellent for

Basic breastfeeding needs

Latch and positioning

Back to work planning

Evaluate for complex problems and refer to IBCLC

Helping with sore nipples

They can help with feeding plans

Le leche League and Postpartum Support groups.

We in honesty I cannot say enough wonderful things about LLL.  Leaders are trained in their topics and those groups are usually wonderful places to meet new mommy friends.  Postpartum support groups run by anyone?  Well some are and some aren’t.  It for me is important to have someone who has training in Postpartum. I also prefer them to be run as cohorts.    This is where I feel we can help so many moms with postpartum depression and anxiety. I almost feel like they should be mandatory for all first-time moms.  Moms never open up until the middle or the end of the group about how its truly going.  In my group we have guest speakers that can include a  Postpartum depression therapist, an occupational therapist for tummy time education, a financial[MM1]  planner, infant massage therapist, pelvic floor therapist, a photographer on how to get great pics with your phone.  These are all geared for this time in a new moms life.

 Ok guys now lets talk about where you really like to look for help.  I belong to a few of the breastfeeding boards on Facebook. (OK, OK so I TROLL them).  This seems to be many moms first stop for breastfeeding advice.  Now I LOVE these for moral support, LOVE them when they are kind and supportive, LOVE them to help a mom keep going during her struggle of breastfeeding. 

I really dislike them for the shaming of moms who do something different then advised by them, I really dislike how some will pick apart a moms self confidence in her breastfeeding decisions.  I can also some of those people that are giving out advice are not actually breastfeeding even though they post words and pics like they are.  I dislike when they diagnosis other moms tongue ties, milk allergy, gluten allergy, soy allergy, nut allergy, and whatever allergy.  There are more diagnoses on these pages then in a 1000 bed hospital.  You should not and will usually not see IBCLC comment freely on these pages.  We can’t say “hey that not a tongue tie it’s a………”  that is diagnosing we as medical professionals cannot diagnose, we also cannot just give out medical advice we need to be careful. The average person can say all sorts of things with no repercussions.  I ethically and legally cannot. 

Example “Blue Gatorade increases milk supply” In one group 27 times this is mentioned. Red Gatorade not as often but its there.  I’m sure you can guess that blue Gatorade does nothing for milk supply except belief that it can.  Believe in the placebo affect its real.  

 In all of this IBCLC can really help with your breastfeeding needs.  I stay with my clients for a year if they need me.  We usually end up being friends by the end. Its true I can’t help it I love all my clients.

If it’s a simple latch issue a CLC is a great bet and should be more reasonably priced.

If you’re on the boards and they are treating you well then great if they shame you or make you feel bad get out of there.  If they give you crazy advice, please contact  an IBCLC, or pediatrician  to sort through the info.

But for the best feeling and most support in real life a NEW MOMS GROUP of some kind is wonderful. 

 [MM1]