Formula not the only healthy way for kids<\/p>\n
By Maria Kegel<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The effects of the rupiah's fall in value have
\nbeen far-reaching, but no one has been hit worse than low and
\nmodest income families with young children.<\/p>\n
Among the household items whose prices have skyrocketed are
\nimported milk formulas for babies and infants. For some families,
\nthe new price means the difference in what their baby will drink.<\/p>\n
However, some doctors are also troubled about a heavy reliance
\non a product they consider unnecessary if proper nutritional
\nrequirements for infants are met.<\/p>\n
\"Aileen\", a new mother, is disturbed about her daughter's
\ndependency on an imported milk formula. On the one hand the
\nformula is a blessing, allowing her to feed her baby while she
\ncontinues to work at the office.<\/p>\n
However, her daughter has grown dependent on that particular
\nbrand, and Aileen is having problems weaning her off it.<\/p>\n
\"After she's been sick, or during teething, she spits out her
\nsolid food, rejecting everything except that baby formula,\" she
\nsaid, adding that \"Dita\" usually enjoyed eating soup, fish,
\ncarrots and melon.<\/p>\n
Dita, aged one year and nine months, was breast-fed until
\nthree months.<\/p>\n
When Aileen went back to work, she continued breast-feeding
\nin the morning, and at night after she returned home, while the
\nbabysitter gave formula milk at midday.<\/p>\n
But by the time Dita was nine months, Aileen had stopped
\nproducing milk.<\/p>\n
\"I tried another brand that was cheaper, but she had stomach
\naches and lost weight. I took her to the doctor, telling him I
\nwas confused about what brand would be suitable for her, and he
\nswitched her to this brand that she is on now, which is for
\nsensitive stomachs.\"<\/p>\n
Since then, that is all Dita will drink, and Aileen said her
\ndaughter's mind was made up -- she refuses to drink other kinds.<\/p>\n
\"Now I'm combining it with a local brand because it's just too
\nexpensive, but the one she is on now does have better
\ningredients,\" she said, adding that she hoped to eventually
\nswitch to the local product by the time Dita was two years old.<\/p>\n
Each month Aileen buys eight 400 gram boxes of formula,
\ntotaling Rp 200,000. This is an increase of about Rp 30,000 from
\nthree months ago, due to the rupiah's fluctuation.<\/p>\n
\"I'm lucky because my husband is working, but think of the
\nfamilies who have a baby and can't continue buying milk. I don't
\nknow how they manage, because milk is so important if a mother
\ncan't breast-feed,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Tini, a mother of two children, spends about Rp 500,000 a
\nmonth on local infant formulas for her two boys, Maximilian, aged
\nfour and a half years, and Bertus, aged two.<\/p>\n
But she said she was more concerned about the quality of the
\nproduct than the price, and she always consulted her doctor first
\non the type to buy, changing the brand to meet their nutritional
\nrequirements.<\/p>\n
Her complaint has been that her sons drink a lot of milk, and
\nwill continue to until they are eight years old, the age
\nrecommended on the package.<\/p>\n
\"Max drinks five glasses a day -- I can't stop him, while
\nBertus downs two or three glasses a day.\"<\/p>\n
Max drinks a milk formula recommended for children aged four
\nto eight years old, and Bertus drinks one for his age group. All
\npackages come with the recommended ages printed on it.<\/p>\n
Breast-feeding<\/p>\n
Pediatricians Dr. Sri S. Nasar, Dr. Aryono Hendarto and Dr.
\nDamayanti R. Sjarif from the Department of Children's Health at
\nthe University of Indonesia's Medical School and Cipto
\nMangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) all agree that breast milk is best
\nfor babies. They advise mothers to breast-feed for as long as
\npossible, or at least for the first four months.<\/p>\n
\"We don't recommend baby formula. It should only be given if
\nthere is insufficient breast milk, and since not all mothers
\nproduce enough, sometimes formula has to be used,\" Damayanti
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Although manufacturers' advertising can be persuasive, all
\nthree pediatricians said moms could skip baby formula altogether
\nif they started complementary feeding with breast-feeding from
\nfour months old.<\/p>\n
\"But that's the advertising (from formula manufacturers).
\n'Your child will be healthier, and don't you want them smarter?
\nThen drink this',\" Damayanti said.<\/p>\n
Some mothers were unaware that while breast-feeding,
\ncomplementary feeding with cereal, porridge or solid food,
\naccording to the age, was better than giving formula. Children's
\neating skills can also be improved this way.<\/p>\n
\"If all mothers knew that, then formula would not be that
\nimportant anymore. Children can get all their protein and
\nnutritional needs from other food, that's enough,\" Damayanti
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
But the pediatricians said they did not advise mothers to take
\ntheir babies off formula milk if children were not getting enough
\nnutrients in their diet.<\/p>\n
Damayanti said formula was from the cow and meant for calves,
\na bigger mammal, and therefore was different in content with more
\nelectrolytes and protein. Baby formula manufacturers had adapted
\nthe milk for human consumption, she said.<\/p>\n
However, all three doctors said formulas on the market were
\ngood substitutes for babies whose mothers could not supply them
\nwith breast milk.<\/p>\n
\"Breast milk is still superior as not only does it have
\nenergy, and micro and macronutrients, but also immunology
\nfactors, that are not present in formulas,\" Damayanti and Sri
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Clinical studies have proven that breast-fed babies have fewer
\near infections and colds, and less diarrhea and vomiting.<\/p>\n
Breast milk is also easier to digest than formula, and is the
\noptimum food to give babies aged under nine months.<\/p>\n
How long a mother should breast-feed varies with each mother
\nand child. However, the World Health Organization recommends that
\nbabies be breast-fed for the first year to help them resist
\ninfections and other diseases.<\/p>\n
Disadvantages<\/p>\n
Store-bought milk also has disadvantages, being high in
\nsaturated fat but low in essential iron and vitamin B, which is
\nlost during the processing.<\/p>\n
Damayanti said lactose intolerance, which happens more often
\nwith babies in Asia, could be handled differently depending on
\nits severity.<\/p>\n
Sri said: \"If it's a mild intolerance, a mother can give a
\nlow-lactose milk, and if it's severe, the baby needs a lactose-
\nfree milk.\"<\/p>\n
But the pediatricians warned not to cut milk out completely
\nfrom the child's diet.<\/p>\n
\"Milk is a source of energy, and almost a complete source of
\nnutrients, except for iron,\" Damayanti said, adding that mothers
\nshould think about giving iron in the form of liquid drops to
\npreterm babies who were two months old.<\/p>\n
Dairy substitutes such as soya milk earned a thumbs down for
\ninfants, because of several lacking ingredients. One of these was
\nlactose, which facilitates calcium absorption.<\/p>\n
Galactose, a sugar necessary in infants to help brain
\ndevelopment, is also missing from soya milk and there is not
\nenough methionine, which contains essential amino acids.<\/p>\n
The doctors said Max was consuming too much formula, which is
\nan enriched milk, for children over one year, fortified with more
\niron and vitamins than regular store milk.<\/p>\n
\"A child might not want to eat anymore after drinking so much
\nas their stomachs would feel full, but he should continue
\ndrinking it as it is better than cow's milk. But it's not
\nnecessary to drink that amount (five glasses),\" Damayanti said.<\/p>\n
\"Usually toddlers will have problems in consuming solid food,
\nbut we can't expect all children under five to get all the
\nnutrients. One or two glasses of milk is good enough as a
\nsupplement.\"<\/p>\n
As for Dita, Sri said her attachment to one brand of formula
\nwas a food preference.<\/p>\n
Damayanti said: \"Parents can teach a baby to try other tastes
\nby introduce. At first the baby will refuse, but after repeated
\nattempts she might like it and if not, just stop and try another
\none.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/formula-not-the-only-healthy-way-for-kids-1447893297",
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