The Healthy Diet »

Type of milk	Human	Cows
Water (gm)	88	87
Total Protein (gm)	1.25 gm	3.5
Fat (gm)	3.5	3.9
Carbohydrates (gm)	7.5	4.9
Calories	68	69
Calcium (gm)	0.03	0.12
Phosphorus (gm)	0.02	0.09
Iron (gm)	0.1	0.07
Vitamin A (IU)	250	160
Thiamine (gm)	0.013	0.04
Riboflavin (gm)	0.04	0.17
Niacin (gm)	0.1	0.1
Ascorbic Acid (gm)	6.4	1

If Although human milk is better digested due to presence of oleic acid instead of butyric acid. Cow's milk is richer in buffer substances which may lowers the acidity on combining with material acids of gastric juice resulting in increased growth of bacteria and may interfere with digestion of proteins. Human milk is rich in carbohydrates. Although mother's milk is low in calcium and phosphorus yet minerals. of human milk are more efficiently utilized. Tomato juice, fish liver oil and egg yolk are a few such feeds which make good the deficiency in breast milk.

When cow's milk is to be given then add 2 parts of cooled boiled water in one part of cow's milk. Proportion of water may be reduced gradually so that child takes whole cow's milk without any dilution by 6th months. Amount of sugar added per day should be increased from 1-4 tsp. by 6 months.

(i) Substitutes for Breast Feeding :
Although Breast feeding is the best of all but still many mother's have to seek for some alternative for Breast feed. In that case mother's can use any other animal

milk with little or more variation but how should she give the milk to the child, many mother's give it with spoon but that is no good because if child is crying than chances are that milk goes to wind pipe instead of food pipe some babies don't like animal milk in that case it is not necessary to give them milk but it can be given to the child as curd, porridge, milk, puddings and cottage cheese.

(ii) Bottle or Cup.
Bottle is the best way to feed a child in first few months as he can neither have milk with cup nor with spoon. Bottles should be cleaned properly with soap and water then it must be boiled for 10 minutes for sterilizing. Also nipple should be boiled along with the bottle. Curds in the nipple can be cleaned with salt. It is very difficult to boil the bottle before every feed. So it will be better if mother have 4-5 bottles which can be boiled at a time once a day.

Sodium hypochlorite (Milton) available at every chemist shop can be used for cleaning bottles. As cups are easy to clean and use more hygienic hence mother's must try their children to switch on to cups as soon as possible.

(iii) Types of Bottles :
In todays market bottles of so many shapes and sizes are available but on broadly clarifying we notice only two types of bottles (1) Upright with a wide mouth and single nipple (2) Boat shapped with two narrow opening and two nipples. Former bottles are much better as they are easy to clean due to their wide openings, where as boat shaped bottles are very difficult to clean due to presence of so many angles.

On considering the materials of bottles again we notice that the glass bottles are better as one can see through whether the bottle is clean or not.

On the other hand plastic or metal bottles are not hygienic although they are economical in long run as they hardly break.

These feeding bottles must have clear and correct measuring marks. So that mother is able to knows that how much milk child has taken, whether he will be satisfied or not, etc.

As these nipples are of plastic one must be sure while buying the bottle that the plastic of nipple must with stand boiling.

(iv) Making hole in Bottle nipple.
Many nipples have already got a hole whereas in others either there is no hole or it is too small. For making hole in the teat, the best way is to make a sewing needle red hot by putting it in fire holding with tongs and then pearce the nipple. Otherwise too many holes appear and then it is very difficult for the child to have milk easily, too much quantity of milk starts coming out. It is not advisable to make hole with hair pin, common pin or with teeth s some mothers tend to do.

(v) Simple problems with bottle feed'
While feeding with bottles mothers, face so many problems and they don't know what to do, as when mothers giv4 bottle to the child and inspite of being hungry child rejects to take the bottle. It can be due to any reason.
(1) Milk may be too hot or too cold, to sweet or not at all sweet.
(2) At times a vacuum is created in the bottle so baby is unable to suck. It may be too short or worn out teat and can be dell with by lifting the edge of nipple. Some nipples are available now-a-days, which, have a device for dealing with this problem.
(3) Sometimes holes in the nipple is either too small or too big. For testing the hole the nipple should be pressed as a baby would, while sucking, if a thin stream of milk pour out then the hole is O.K.
(4) If the position of bottle is not right it should be held obliquely. So that its mouth remains full of milk. If the bottle will be horizontal, less of milk is available to the baby and the baby swallows lot of air with the milk, which distends his stomach and he vomits out later.