FAQ

As an overall tip, you should have a balanced diet from all food groups which will provide you the nutrients that you need every day. In planning your meals, a good tip would be to avoid uncooked meat and shellfish, as they contain high amounts of harmful microbes. It’s a good idea to also avoid fish which are high in mercury content, such as shark and marlin.

Exercise is key to a healthy body, and there’s no reason to stop exercise completely during pregnancy unless advised by your healthcare professional. Moderate exercise will help you fight fatigue and stress. More importantly, it helps you feel good about yourself. Low impact exercises are recommended during pregnancy such as swimming, or stretching at home. You can also go for a walk in the park with your partner every once in a while.

When planning your diet, there are a few key nutrients you need to pay more attention to during pregnancy. Dark, leafy greens such as spinach can contain folate, as well as a host of other nutrients like vitamin A, C and K. On the other hand, bright, colourful fruits and vegetables will ensure that you and your child have a variety of vitamins and minerals. They’ll help support your gastrointestinal system during pregnancy. Throughout your pregnancy, remember to have a balanced diet that includes a variety of foods from all 5 food groups. Discover how the right nutrients can make a difference here.

It’s common to feel stressed at certain points of your pregnancy. After all, you probably have a lot on your mind. Your first big step, is to accept that there are changes you will face in your journey of motherhood. Then, speak to experienced mothers and new mothers alike. You’ll find that you aren’t alone. With a support group, you can discuss any issues you have or get tips for pregnancy. More importantly, make yourself feel good. Splurge on yourself every once in a while. Small breaks will definitely help you reduce your stress levels. Explore the different ways you can manage your stress.

It’s normal to feel fatigued during your pregnancy. What you can do is exercise. Exercise will encourage overall well-being, and give you energy to fight fatigue. Take a short walk in the park, or go for a light swim. If you’re really worn out during the day, take a 15 minute nap to recharge. Reduce pregnancy fatigue with these simple steps.

If your child isn’t eating, the main reason may be because he just isn’t hungry. By understanding your child’s hunger and fullness cues, you can plan your child’s meals. You can also entice your child’s appetite with a variety of colourful food, such as fruits and vegetables. Arrange them in interesting ways, like rice in animal shapes, or make flowers with fruit slices. Another way is to remove distractions. Ensure that your child’s focus isn’t on a tablet, phone or television, but on his food. If your child hasn’t been eating his regular portion for a while, it may be due to a medical condition. Visit a healthcare professional for advice. Try these steps to encourage healthy eating without your child throwing a tantrum, click here.

During your child’s growing years, overly large chunks of food may cause choking. This includes bones from meat and fish. Your child should also avoid eating junk food, which have no nutritional value. A balanced diet of foods from all groups such as cereals, meats and dairy products as well as fruits and vegetables will benefit your child. Don’t forget your child’s iron needs; your child needs iron to support healthy growth and development. Learn more about the food your child should avoid, click here.

Some major signs of iron deficiency don’t appear until iron deficiency anaemia occurs. However, if your child’s iron levels become lower, your child may have symptoms including tiredness, shortness of breath, dizziness, headache, coldness in hands and feet or pale skin. If you suspect your child is developing iron deficiency anaemia, you should consult your healthcare professional. For some tips on how to detect iron deficiency anaemia, click here.

Your child should have a balance of macronutrients and micronutrients from a variety of foods. Macronutrients are nutrients required in big quantities for our bodies, like carbohydrates, protein and fats. These nutrients are essential to provide energy and support the growth and development of your child. Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals that we all require in trace quantities to further support the overall growth and development as well as your child’s future physical health. Iron is one such micronutrient, which supports your child’s growing potential. Learn more about macronutrients here or micronutrients here.

A child’s tummy is still small, therefore a high consumption of milk could fill him up within minutes. Milk as a stand alone option will not be a compatible nourishment for your child after 6 months. Instead, give him milk at least half an hour after eating his solids to avoid spoiling his appetite. With CERELAC^®, offering a range of food with different textures is a good alternative to keep in mind.

*Learn more on how to feed your growing child

The only way to approach this situation is to have several alternatives. Offering your child milk after half an hour or so from eating his solids will be suitable, otherwise it may spoil his appetite. Having a range of food in different textures, bread, spaghetti or soup are good options too. Providing finger food would be good if he likes to pick up food or feed himself while playing. During this age your child is more active, therefore you should remove all distractions when feeding. To add to that, presenting the food in an interesting manner would definitely be an eye catcher especially when there are cute faces or colourful elements.

*Here are some tips to help you with your little picky eater

To begin with, you can try to feed your little one calorie dense food like peanut butter, margarine or butter on bread. Including sources of protein like chicken, egg or fish to the meal will be good too. It is important to also maintain a balanced diet by avoiding snacks as main meals. Lastly, it will be good to consult your pediatrician for more advice.

*Learn more on the importance and how to provide balance diet for your little one

It’s a plus point that your child loves to eat, however you can offer your little one milk preferably half an hour after eating solid food to avoid spoiling his appetite. Alternatives to that would include preparing a variety of food with an interesting twist to it, or giving your child some finger food. These include healthy snacks like CERELAC^® Nutripuffs^® or biscuits.

There should not be a problem as it is solid food for children 6 months old and above. However, you should add more ingredients like chopped vegetables or minced chicken as it improves your child’s chewing skills and will benefit from other nutrients in these foods.

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It is important to stress on the benefits of fruits and vegetables as they provide fibre and nutrients. By doing so, you can include them or rather hide them in his meals. This includes vege- meatballs, fruit puddings or omelette with small pieces of veggies.

*Find out how you can encourage your child to consume a healthier eating habit*

It is important to stress on the limit of food given to your child in order to maintain a balanced diet. It is advisable to limit his milk intake to 3 times per day as your child is 1 year and above, he should get most of his nutrients from solid food. Please consult with your child nutritionist or pediatrician for in-depth advice.

*Learn more on how you can ensure your child remains on a balanced diet*

Allocate a special and interesting bottle for your child. An option you can consider would be a mixture of milk with fruit juice or fruit cocktail and increase the amount of water while you’re at it to dilute the juice.

*For more drinking recipes to encourage your child’s feeding habits, do head over to the recipe finder*

As your child would have developed his chewing skills, it is advisable to give food that has more texture to develop his skills further. CERELAC^® Citarasa Ibu™ is an option as it has more texture from the rice crisp. You could look to CERELAC^® Nutripuff^® and Nutribites™ as other options as well, both can help practice his motor skills, food intake and encourage independent eating.

During your child’s development, his taste preference is relatively narrow and every child may have different taste preferences. The range of variants that CERELAC^® Nutripuff^® offers can help your child to explore and discover new taste preferences and different flavours.

First move would be to consult your pediatrician for in-depth advice. On a side note, you can add more fruits and vegetables to your child’s meals. An increase in your child’s water intake is important. You can look to give your child LACTOGROW^® 3 OR 4 as it contains Probiotic Lactobacillus Reuteri which helps in gut comfort. However, every child is different so you should slowly transition your child to LACTOGROW^®.

*Learn more on probiotics and how you can ensure your child has a healthy immune system*

Look to introduce solid food that has milk in it, for instance, pancakes with milk. Use a sipping cup that has an attractive design to it. However, you should continue feeding calcium-rich food such as cheese and tofu.

*For more drinking recipes to encourage your child’s feeding habits, do head over to the recipe finder*