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别过早给婴儿添加辅食

　　Infants Are Fed Solid Food Too Soon
别过早给婴儿添加辅食

　　Despite growing warnings from pediatricians about feeding newborns anything other than breast milk or formula, many mothers appear to be introducing solid food well before their babies’ bodies can handle it, says a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics。

　　周一出版的《儿科学》杂志(Pediatrics)刊登了一篇研究，该报告称，尽管儿科医生强烈呼吁家长[微博]不要给新生儿喂母乳或配方奶以外的食物，但似乎很多妈妈还是在宝宝的身体并不具备消化能力时，就过早地给孩子添加了辅食。

　　In a national survey of 1,334 mothers, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 percent said they gave their baby solid food before they were 4 months old, with 9 percent starting as early as 4 weeks. Doctors now recommend waiting until a baby is at least 6 months old。

　　这项全国研究调查了1334位母亲，由美国疾病控制与预防中心(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)发起，研究发现被访者中有40%表示，她们在宝宝未满4个月时就开始添加辅食，有9%的人早在宝宝4周大时就开始添加。而现在医生 推荐家长应等到宝宝至少6个月大时才开始喂辅食。

　　For at least 20 years, the American Academy of Pediatrics had advised against feeding babies solid food before they turned at least 4 months old. Last year, encouraged by growing evidence of the health benefits of breast milk, the group raised that age, saying babies should be fed nothing but breast milk for six months. When breast milk is not an option, formula is an acceptable alternative, the group says。

　　在过去至少20年时间里，美国儿科医学会(American Academy of Pediatrics)一直建议要等到宝宝至少4个月大时才开始添加辅食。去年，受到越来越多的关于母乳喂养益处的证据的鼓舞，该组织进一步提高了添加辅 食的月龄，表示应等到宝宝6个月大时才开始喂辅食。美国儿科医学会说，如果母乳不足，配方奶粉是一个可以接受的选择。

　　But the survey suggests that mothers are not aware of the recommendations or find them difficult to follow. Popular reasons for giving solid food to babies before 4 months included “my baby is old enough,” “my baby seemed hungry,” “I wanted my baby to sleep longer at night” and — most alarming to researchers — “a doctor or health care professional said my baby should begin eating solid food。”

　　但美国疾控中心的这项调查显示，妈妈们要么并不清楚儿科医学会的推荐，要么觉得这项推荐很难执行。母亲们给出了一系列在宝宝不足4个月时就喂辅食的 原因，常见的理由包括“我宝宝长得够大了”，“宝宝看起来很饿”，“我想让宝宝在夜里睡得久一点”，还有——这也是最让研究人员警惕的一条理由——“某某 医生或卫生保健专家说，我的宝宝应该开始吃辅食了。”

　　“Clearly we need better dissemination of the recommendations on solid food introduction,” said Kelley Scanlon, an epidemiologist with the C.D.C. and an author of the study. “Health care providers need to provide clear and accurate guidance, and then provide support to help parents carry out those recommended practices。”

　　美国疾控中心的流行病学家、该研究的作者之一凯莉·斯坎农(Kelley Scanlon)说：“很明显，我们需要更好地宣传有关添加辅食的专家意见。卫生保健人员需要提供更明晰、更准确的指导，并向坚持执行专家指导意见的家长们予以支持。”

　　The study suggested that economics were a factor in the decision to introduce solid food, with poorer women who saw formula as too expensive more likely to feed solids too soon. Women who were feeding their children exclusively formula or a mix of formula and breast milk were not only more likely to introduce solid food early, but to say their doctors gave them the go-ahead。

　　研究表明，在决定是否让宝宝初尝辅食时，经济是一大因素，家境较贫困、认为配方奶价格太昂贵的女性更有可能过早让孩子吃辅食。采用人工喂养(即让宝宝完全喝配方奶)或混合喂养方式的妈妈们不仅更有可能让孩子早早地吃辅食，而且还表示她们的医生对此投了赞成票。

　　“It makes me want to know more about the other advice that those parents were getting on infant feeding,” Dr. Scanlon said。

　　“这不禁让我感到好奇：那些医生还向家长们提供了其他什么有关婴儿喂养方面的建议？”斯坎农博士说。

　　Further, the women in the survey who turned to solid food early were more likely to be young, less educated and unmarried. They also had lower levels of income or education, and were more likely to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children。

　　此外，在该调查中过早让宝宝吃辅食的妈妈，往往是年轻、教育程度较低且未婚的女性。她们的收入或文化水平偏低，而且更有可能参加了“妇女婴儿孩童营 养补充计划”(Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children，简称WIC，是联邦政府面向美国贫困家庭的营养计划)。

　　While many pediatricians are sympathetic to the difficulties parents face feeding their child nothing but breast milk or formula for six months, they say little good can come from feeding solid food to a child before he or she is physically ready。

　　尽管很多儿科医生同情家长们的处境，知道他们在宝宝6个月前完全只喂母乳或配方奶要面对重重困难，但医生同时也表示，在宝宝身体还未准备好前就吃辅食，并不会带来什么益处。

　　“When a baby is ready to start eating food, he will put his hands in his mouth, and you will see him actually making chewing motions,” said Dr. T J Gold, a pediatrician with Tribeca Pediatrics in Brooklyn. “At 2, 3 months, they can’t even hold their heads up well, and they can’t sit,” making it difficult, if not dangerous, to put solid food in their mouths。

　　T·J·戈尔德(T J Gold)是布鲁克林翠贝卡儿童医院(Tribeca Pediatrics)的儿科医生，他说：“当宝宝准备好接受辅食时，他会把小手伸进嘴巴里，而且你能看到他真的做出了咀嚼的动作。在宝宝两三个月时，他 们甚至连头还不能完全抬直，也无法坐起来，”因此将辅食喂到他们的嘴里是件难事，而个中危险更不消提了。

　　They also have yet to develop the proper gut bacteria that allow them to process solid food safely, potentially leading to gastroenteritis and diarrhea, Dr. Gold said. The early introduction of solid foods has also been linked to increased risk of obesity, diabetes, eczema and celiac disease。

　　戈尔德医生说，小婴儿的体内还未产成帮助其安全消化辅食的肠道细菌，因此有可能会因吃辅食而得肠胃炎和腹泻。过早尝试辅食还可能增加婴儿得肥胖症、糖尿病、湿疹和乳糜泻的风险。

　　One reason parents turn to solid food early is the persistence of myths about solid food helping babies sleep through the night or put on weight。

　　家长让宝宝早早吃辅食的其中一个原因是，多年以来一直有传言说，吃辅食能让宝宝夜里睡整觉或者长得更快。

　　“That big fat bottle at the end of the night isn’t why your baby is sleeping — it’s a skill you acquire,” Dr. Gold said. “And if you think giving your child more calories is going to help him gain weight, but it gives him more diarrhea, then he’s not actually absorbing as much。”

　　“睡前喂一大瓶奶并不是让宝宝安睡的原因——睡眠是一项需要去学习的技能，”戈尔德医生说，“也许你认为让宝宝吃更多热量就能让他长胖，但如果辅食让宝宝拉肚子，那他就没有真正吸收多少营养。”

　　But even parents who are aware of the guidelines can have trouble following them, particularly if they are struggling to buy enough formula to feed a rapidly growing child. “The formula gets really expensive, especially in the 4-to-6-month window,” Dr. Gold said. “And if you have more than one child and you’re already preparing food for the whole family, it’s much easier to just start sweeping things off your plate。”

　　就算家长了解儿科医学会的辅食指引，也会觉得难以执行，特别是对于那些买不起奶粉喂养胃口渐长的宝宝的家长来说。“配方奶粉真的很贵，4到6个月这 个阶段的奶粉尤其如此，”戈尔德医生说，“而且如果你家里还不只一个孩子，你要给全家人做饭，那么，将你盘子里的东西拨一点让小宝宝吃，似乎是件顺理成章 的事情。”

　　Pediatricians can help parents delay solid food by helping them better understand their baby’s signals, Dr. Scanlon said. “When the baby is fussy, they need to help them understand that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re hungry and need solid foods,” she said。

　　斯坎农博士说，儿科医生可以通过帮助家长更准确地理解宝宝传递的信号，来延迟喂辅食的起步时间。“有时宝宝只是在闹脾气，儿科医生需要让家长们明白，这并不代表着宝宝肚子饿，需要吃辅食，”她说。

　　Parents should also know the signs that their child is ready for solid food, like sitting up, being able to take food off a fork and not closing the mouth when food is offered, Dr. Scanlon said。

　　斯坎农也说，家长同时也应了解宝宝可以接受辅食时的信号，比如能够坐直，能够咬下叉子递过来的食物，当食物喂到嘴边时不会紧闭着嘴巴。

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