Resources

Want official, reliable and unbiased resources about baby and toddler growth and nutrition?  Get resources from the authorities like WHO, Unicef and government agencies! They are not tainted by sponsors and advertisement so you're sure to get honest and unadulterated information to guide you.

Here's a collection of the charts, books and other publications i've used in my mommy research so far! I hope they serve as a useful guide for you as well!

BREASTFEEDING FACT SHEET

• Are curious about how many Filipina mommies are breastfeeding? Click here to download Unicef's Breastfeeding Fact Sheet.

[caption id="attachment_2160" align="aligncenter" width="230"] Breastfeeding by the Numbers[/caption]

• This publication by Unicef has breastfeeding statistics in the Philippines. Did you know that while 6 months is the recommended period for exclusive breastfeeding but in the Philippines, the average duration of exclusive breastfeeding is just 24 days!!!

WHO GROWTH CHARTS

• Want to know how your child's growth fares among his peers? For example, when you plot your child's weight for age, she falls on the 40th percentile. this means that 40% of babies her age weigh less or the same as her. 60% weigh more than her.
• Get this chart from World Health Organization.
  • Click here for girls
  • Click here for boys

[caption id="attachment_2161" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The chart from WHO makes breastfeeding as a standard, rather than formula feeding. So this is a more accurate basis for breastfeed infants, refer to this if you are a bit wary of your child's weight.[/caption]

•  Avoid using growth charts from milk companies since they can be bias towards their own research on weight gains for formula fed babies. In general, formula fed babies gain weight faster than breastfed babies.

SAMPLE MENU FOR CHILDREN

• Are you always haunted by the thought of what to serve for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Are you looking for ideas for merienda for your child? Click  here to down the sample menu. Food and Nutrition Research Institute is the Department of Science and Technology's arm to fight malnutrition and food research in the Philippines.

[caption id="attachment_2162" align="aligncenter" width="300"] This is a very useful guide for clueless moms who are planning what for to give the toddler! You can get an idea on what foods to give as well as how much to give for your growing little boy or girl![/caption]