Yummy Beginnings
PO Box 245 St Ives NSW 2075
Em: yb@yummybeginnings.com
www.yummybeginnings.com
Page 1 of 2
Healthy food for a good night’s sleep!
Hello I am Kasha Dubinska, a mother of a lovely baby girl and a home "chef" of
healthy baby food. Together with a nutritionist, I produced Yummy Beginnings, a
DVD with helpful hints about starting your baby on healthy solid food. The DVD
many comments from mothers, advice from our nutritionist and some tips from
me. For more information go to www.yummybeginnings.com.
Sleeping is essential for our health, for both baby and parents. Lets face it - when
she or he sleeps well and for a long time, we also have a good night's rest. From
my experience with my little girl, the best food that promotes a good night sleep
is something that has a low GI, (Glycemic Index) as the last meal of the day.
The best food to give to your baby at around 6 months, would be something that
fills her up so she dose not wake up hungry in the middle of the night.
For dinner, I give my Olivia meals such as sweet potato mixed with rice cereal
and some home made fruit jelly for dessert. The jelly is made with fresh fruit juice
such as apple juice. Some cottage cheese with a bit of avocado mashed together
is also great and filling. A few whole meal noodles she can hold in her hand, as
she does like to feed herself, seems to be a favourite. Yoghurt, some grated
fresh apple, mashed banana, carrot and potato mash are also suggested to keep
your baby healthy and well feed. I usually choose 2 different dishes for any meal
time. Porridge is a food she likes anytime of the day, it is warm and filling
especially as the last thing at night.
In our house we are very big on vegetables. We try to live by the 2 x fruit and 5 x
vegetables per day rule.
At first, when I gave Olivia a lot of vegetables in the evenings, I found she was
dirtying her nappy through the night. I had to keep checking her nappies, as a
dirty nappy irritated her skin when it was left on for a long time. This did not
promote sleep for either of us!
Yummy Beginnings
PO Box 245 St Ives NSW 2075
Em: yb@yummybeginnings.com
www.yummybeginnings.com
Page 2 of 2
I also found that if I gave her citrus fruits she developed nappy rash. From this I
learned to feed her the bulk of the fruit and vegetables early in the day.
Her diet is now has the following structure:
• Fruit for breakfast and morning tea
• Vegetables for lunch and as a snack during the day.
• Carbohydrates, protein and dairy foods at night.
This seems to produce dirty nappies in the day which is fine - much quicker and
easier to deal with than in the middle of the night! Oli has lots of wet nappies
during the day and less leaky nappies at night. She has stopped waking up
crying in the wee morning hours because she was all wet. A better night sleep
thus results for all of us!
This type of eating may seem a bit strange, with the heaviest meals at breakfast
and lunch, but it is the type of diet pattern followed in Europe, where I am
originally from. The
pattern of a biggish breakfast, a main meal at lunch with lots of vegetables, and a
light, but filling evening meal, with lots of carbohydrates, protein and dairy foods
may suit your baby’s growing and developing needs very well.
It may be hard to follow at times, as we cannot always have a main meal at lunch
time. Where possible, make the meals at home and take your plastic containers
filled with the nutritious food with you wherever you go. For more information
and DVD fun, look up www.yummybeginnings.com.
Kasha Dubinska Bachelor of Science (Honors) The University of Sydney
Mother and home chef of healthy baby foods.
