Hi, I'm Cathy with Level Up RN. In this video, I will be discussing infant nutrition, and at the end of the video, I'm going to give you guys a quiz to test your understanding of some of the key points I'll be covering. So definitely stay tuned for that. And if you have our Level Up RN, Nutrition Flashcards, go ahead and pull out your flashcards, so you can follow along with me. And pay close attention to the bold red text on the back of the cards, because those are the things that you are likely to see show up on a nursing school exam. Let's start off by talking about infant weight gain.
An infant will initially lose weight after birth but should be back up to their birth weight around 1 week of age. The infant's weight will approximately double by 4 to 6 months of age and triple by 12 months of age. During the first year of life, only breast milk or formula should be given to the infant. Cow's milk is not introduced until 12 months of age. In addition, supplemental water or other fluids should not be given to the baby during the first 6 months unless specifically ordered by the provider. And as a reminder, for bottle-fed babies, bottles should not be propped up, as this increases the risk for choking, ear infections, as well as tooth decay.
Solid foods should be introduced around 4 to 6 months of age when the baby has good head control and can sit unsupported. The first solid food that is typically recommended is iron-fortified rice cereal because it is easily digested, has important nutrients, and is least, likely to cause an allergic reaction. It's also important to avoid choking hazards when feeding an infant. This includes anything round or requiring a lot of mastication, such as hot dogs, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, raw vegetables, whole grapes, hard, sticky candy, popcorn, and chewing gum. Let's now touch on some important points regarding the storage and handling of breast milk and formula.
So breast milk can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 hours, and in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months and in a deep freezer for up to 12 months. You should never refreeze thawed breast milk, and breast milk should never be microwaved because that destroys nutrients and can also cause hotspots that can burn the baby's mouth. And then finally, unused breast milk remaining in the bottle needs to be discarded.
When it comes to the preparation of formula, it's important to use the exact water amount listed on the powdered formula label. Prepared formula should be used within 2 hours of preparation, or it can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Formula should never be frozen or microwaved. And just like with breast milk, unused formula remaining in the bottle needs to be discarded.
All right. It's quiz time, and I've got five questions for you. Question number one. An infant's weight will approximately triple by blank months of age. The answer is 12.
Question number two. Cow's milk should not be given to an infant until blank months of age. The answer is 12 again.
Question number three. How many milliliters per day of supplemental water should be provided to a 4-month-old baby? The answer is none, unless specifically ordered by the provider.
Question number four. Breast milk left in the bottle after a feeding can be refrigerated for later use. True or false? The answer is false. Any breast milk or formula left in the bottle after a feeding needs to be discarded.
Question number five. Prepared formula can be refrigerated for up to blank hours. The answer is 24. All right. That's it for this video. I hope it was helpful. Take care and good luck with studying.
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Cow's milk should be you should never refreeze, thawed, best milk.
