In China, a three-month-old baby was given milk powder mixed with vegetable juice by his parents. They thought it would be more nutritious, but the child suffered severe nitrate poisoning and his life was in danger. Know what precautions should be taken while giving formula milk to children.
A shocking case has come to light from China, where a three-month-old baby’s life was in danger due to a mistake by the parents. To feed the child, he mixed milk powder with vegetable juice instead of water, due to which the child got severe poisoning.
According to the report of South China Morning Post, the child’s condition deteriorated so much that he had to be admitted to the ICU. The incident occurred at Zongshan Women and Children’s Hospital in southern Guangdong province. The parents told that immediately after drinking milk, the child’s lips turned blue and he started having trouble breathing. He admitted that he had done this thinking that giving milk mixed with vegetable juice instead of plain water would provide more nutrition to the child.
Reason became ‘Nitrate Poisoning’
After investigation, the doctors said that the child had ‘nitrite’ poisoning. After treatment in ICU for about two days, the child was discharged from the hospital in mid-June. Doctors clarified that the juice made by boiling vegetables for a long time contains large amounts of nitrite. Giving milk powder mixed with this juice is very dangerous for the health of children.
The digestive system and kidneys of a three-month-old baby are not fully developed. Therefore, their body cannot handle high amounts of nitrate. When nitrite gets into the blood, it reduces the blood’s ability to deliver oxygen to the body. Due to this, the child’s lips, nails and skin turn blue or purple.
Parents should keep these things in mind
- For children, always mix formula milk i.e. milk powder in lukewarm water.
- Do not use vegetable juice, rice water (maad), fruit juice or any other soup instead of water.
- If the child shows symptoms of nitrite poisoning, take him to the hospital immediately. Even a delay of a few minutes can be a threat to the child’s life.
- Don’t try to raise children based on your own understanding or social media trends. It is not necessary that every natural thing is beneficial for small children.
Such cases have already come to light in China. Last year, a 52-day-old baby in Henan province was hospitalized with botulism. The reason for this was that the child’s grandmother had mixed honey in the water she was feeding.