There comes a point where every parent has to decide when to introduce their child to cow's milk. The challenge is that a baby's digestive system is often not really ready for cow's milk until they reach their first birthday. Even if a baby's digestive system could successfully process cow's milk, cow's milk does not have all the vitamins and minerals that a baby needs for growth and development in the first year. In fact, according to some pediatric experts, giving a baby cow's milk might potentially contribute to the development of an iron deficiency as well as possible internal bleeding. No less important is the fact that an allergic reaction could potentially develop, too. That said, there will come a point when introducing your baby to cow's milk will make a lot of sense and be an important step in the right direction.

Cow's milk has been shown to provide protein that can help encourage growth for your baby. In addition, cow's milk provides a lot of carbohydrates. These carbohydrates will give your baby a lot of strength and energy. Another important benefit stems from the fact that if your child gets enough calcium from the time they are very young, there is a very good chance that your baby will have lower risk of high blood pressure, stroke, colon cancer, and hip fractures.

In terms of how to get your baby into drinking cow's milk, you might want to try giving your baby a little bit of cow's milk. Maybe just a few tablespoons and wait to see if your baby asks for more. You can mix it with some cereal or another appropriate food item. And remember, just because your baby is drinking his or her own cow's milk from a cup does not mean that you need to stop nursing your baby. Most medical experts recommend that you ensure that the breast milk is not your baby's primary source of nourishment. Remember, your baby has grown to where more is needed insofar as nutrients and vitamins and minerals.

Here's the bottom line: cow's milk plays an important role in helping your baby develop into a healthy toddler. It's great that you're taking an interest in figuring out when and how to make this important transition.

Parents have long often wondered if it made more sense for their baby to drink juice or water. There are arguments to be made for both. For example, when a baby drinks juice, the baby is getting more nutrients and is also getting essential vitamins and minerals. However, given the fact that a baby's kidneys are still developing, some people believe that giving them juice will put too much of a strain on their developing organs. By contrast, some people feel very strongly that water is a better item for a baby to drink. The rationale being that water is critical to sustaining life and that it's better at keeping the baby well hydrated.

As you can undoubtedly imagine, a lot of parents are confused about what makes the most sense for their baby. One innovative solution that some parents and child health experts have been suggesting is that juice be diluted with water. This creates a hybrid substance that is less stressful to the baby's organs while at the same time provides some vitamins and nutrients while also providing a health dose of hydration as a result of the higher amount of water that's included. Some family doctors have even suggested that the ideal approach is to primarily give your baby water and to ensure the proper amount of vitamins and nutrients that are needed are derived instead from the food that the baby is given to eat during meals.

This is an issue that might seem a bit basic, but many parents really DO wonder which of the two -- juice or water -- makes the most sense of a baby to drink. When in doubt, just give your baby water. That's the safest bet. But to the extent that you and your baby's doctor feel it's appropriate, there's nothing inherently wrong with providing your child with some juice from time to time. Whereas water comes in just flavor, juice comes in a variety of flavors that might appeal more to your baby. Don't simply assume that water is the ONLY option that you have available to you. But if you're in doubt about the health and safety of your baby if you give it juice, then provide it with water.

You and your spouse are enjoying parenthood and are delighted every day by your growing baby. Becoming a mother and father has brought the two of you closer together and you are trying to work together as a loving team in raising your son or daughter. Your baby is approaching 4 to 6 months in age and you wish to start introducing him or her to solid foods. You are concerned, however, since you have heard that certain foods should only be introduced at specific ages and some foods should be avoided altogether. Read on to learn about which foods to wait to introduce until a certain age.

Food: Citrus or Acidic Fruits
Wait Until Baby is This Age: After 1 Year

Citrus and acidic fruits are not common allergens, but they may cause your baby to have digestive problems and a rash because of their acidity. You may add a squeeze of lemon or orange juice to a fruit puree, however.

Note that tomatoes are acidic and should be avoided until your baby is 12 months old.

Food: Raw Strawberries, Blackberries and Raspberries
Wait Until Baby is This Age: After 1 Year

You may feed your baby blueberries and cranberries starting at 8 to 10 months of age.

Food: Corn
Wait Until Baby is This Age: After 1 Year

Corn may be an allergen for your baby.

Food: Peanut Butter
Wait Until Baby is This Age: After 1 or 2 Years

Food: Tree Nuts
Wait Until Baby is This Age: After 1 or 2 Years

Nuts can be highly allergenic. An allergy to various types of nuts is common and can range in severity. Nuts may also create a choking hazard for your baby.

Food: Honey
Wait Until Baby is This Age: After 1 Year

Babies aren't typically allergic to honey, but it may cause botulism in babies less than 12 months old.

Food: Egg Whites
Wait Until Baby is This Age: After 1 Year

Food: Cow's Milk,  Whole Milk
Wait Until Baby is This Age: After 1 Year

Allergies to milk proteins and lactose are rather common. Your baby might show allergic reactions or experience stomach problems as lactose and milk proteins are difficult to digest. However, you may introduce your baby to plain whole milk yogurt beginning at six to eight months and cheese beginning at eight to ten months.

Whole milk should not be introduced as a replacement for breast milk or infant formula until your baby is 12 months old.

Food: Wheat
Wait Until Baby is This Age: After 9 to 12 Months

If your baby is not allergic to oats and barley and does not have a problem with wheat allergy or gluten intolerance, you may consider introducing wheat products after eight months of age.

Food: Grapes
Wait Until Baby is This Age: After 10 to 12 Months

Although grapes pose little risk regarding allergies, they may be a choking hazard for your infant.

Food: Shellfish and Crustaceans
Wait Until Baby is This Age: After 1 or 2 Years

Many babies and children may be very allergic to shellfish and crustaceans.

Consider if you and your spouse wish to raise your baby as a vegetarian.

Food: Chocolate
Wait Until Baby is This Age: After 1 Year

Be careful about introducing chocolate or other forms of sugar into your baby's diet. A diet based on vegetables, fruits, and grains is best for your infant.

One of the biggest challenges that a new parent will face is determining when their baby is ready for solid foods. If it were as easy as simply looking at their age and making a decision based on that factor alone, it would be fairly simple. However, it's not quite that easy. There are two basic things that most pediatricians will use as a basis for making that type of determination. The first factor is whether or not the child is at least over the age of one. While it's true that this factor relates to a child's age, it's an important metric that can't be ignored. Not only will the baby have a more developed set of teeth, but there is a high likelihood that all of the necessary development has taken place as it relates to their mouth, throat, and stomach.

Many pediatricians will often suggest that a baby be brought in for a full checkup prior to starting to move the baby towards foods that are more solid. This makes sense given the many variable that can potentially contribute to a baby not being ready for solid foods. For example, some baby's may have stomach ailments that make it difficult for them to handle solid foods. This needs to be determined on a case-by-case basis. But once the determination has been made, it's safe to give your baby solid foods.

A concern that a lot of parents naturally have relates to choking. In fact, that's a major concern that should be addressed in the best way possible -- learning the techniques and strategies that you might have to use as a parent to help keep your child safe and to know what to do in the event that solid foods might cause a child to start choking. You cannot simply "put off" starting your baby on solid foods as a way to avoid dealing with the issue of solid food safety. Also, don't let yourself be persuaded to start your child on solid foods simply because people who you know have already started their baby's on solid food items. It's ultimately the type of situation where you need to have confidence in the fact that your baby is ready for solid foods.

Here's the bottom line: every baby will get started with solid foods at slightly different time periods. By consulting with your pediatrician and observing your baby, you'll know when it's the right time to get started.

There's a great deal of debate over whether or not it makes sense for a woman to breastfeed her baby. Some medical experts believe that it's imperative because breast milk often contains very important nutrients that wouldn't otherwise be found in traditional milk that's provided to a baby. With the advent of medical technology, there now is a very real question of whether or not it even makes sense for a mother to go through the process of breastfeeding her baby. Now, to be clear, we're not necessarily saying that women need to go around literally breastfeeding their children in public or anything like that. Many women will often bottle their own breast milk.

When you look at this from an evolutionary standpoint, it was only very recently that human mothers had the option of providing their baby's with something aside from breast milk. Think about that for a moment. We are who we are today in large part thanks to the evolutionary process that has been unfolding over thousands of years. To suddenly tinker with that and introduce synthetic breast milk into the equation, regardless of how good its supposed to be, can't possibly be the "ideal" solution, is it?

So how important is it for you to breastfeed your baby? Most medical experts agree that it makes sense to breastfeed your baby if you're able to do so. This doesn't mean you have to run out and start doing so immediately, but you might want to seriously consider doing so. Now, one thing to keep in mind is that anything you eat and drink will eventually find itself into your baby's body through your breast milk. That's why you need to speak to you doctor and find out if you are healthy enough to begin breastfeeding your baby. Odds are you'll get the green light you're seeking and you can start right away.

Here's the bottom line: there are a lot of people who wonder if they should breastfeed their baby. The short answer is that yes, you should seriously consider doing so. But, if for one reason or another that's not really a practical option, then thankfully the options DOES exist to use specially made baby formula in lieu of breast milk.