A balanced and nutritious diet can help your child to reach his full growth potential. His doctor will likely keep track of his growth and ask you questions about his eating habits. Talk to his doctor if you are concerned about his growth or nutrition intake.
Nutritional Needs
Your baby needs calories, vitamins, minerals, fat, protein and carbohydrates to help her grow and develop properly. The National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families states that if your baby is malnourished, she could experience inadequate brain growth. Nutrition also helps her to reach her full potential for height and weight. Your baby's specific needs may vary according to her activity level and metabolism.
Birth to 4 Months
From birth to about 4 months of age, your baby needs only breast milk or infant formula in order to grow and develop. His digestive tract is too immature to handle other foods. About 50 percent of your baby's total calories need to come from fat, and breast milk and formula provide the fat and other nutrients necessary. It is normal for your baby to lose some weight in the first few days of life, but you can expect him to return to his birth weight by the time he is about 2 weeks old. After that, nourishment from breast milk or formula will help him gain weight steadily.
4 to 8 Months
At around 4 to 6 months of age, your baby will be ready to start getting some nutrition from solid foods. Babycenter states that she may be ready if she can hold her head up, sit supported and shows an interest in foods. She will double her birth weight around this time. You can start by giving her one teaspoon of rice cereal mixed with 4 to 5 teaspoons of breast milk or formula and then gradually increase the consistency as she gets used to it. By the time she is 8 months old, she can have pureed meat, fruits and vegetables, but she will still need breast milk or formula as her primary source of nutrition.
8 to 12 Months
Shortly after 8 months of age, your baby may be able to get some nutrition from cheese and yogurt. By the time he is 12 months old, he will be able to handle food that the rest of the family eats. Just make sure that he doesn't get his hands on anything too hot or anything slippery that could be a choking hazard. With the proper nutrition, at 1 year of age your baby will have grown about 10 inches and tripled his birth weight.
12 Months to 2 Years
Shortly after her first birthday, you may notice that your baby's appetite drops considerably and that her eating habits become unpredictable. Kids Health states that her growth will also slow considerably. At 2 years of age, she will start to grow at a rate of only 2 1/2 inches per year. She still needs to have a balanced and varied diet consisting of meat, poultry, dairy, grains, fruits and vegetables. Offer her about one-qquarter of an adult portion and provide nutritious meals and snacks to encourage her growth.
References
- National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families: How Does Nutrition Affect the Developing Brain?
- MayoClinic.com: Nutrition for Kids: Guidelines for a Healthy Diet
- Kids Health: Your Child's Growth
- Healthy Children: Feeding and Nutrition: Your One-Year-Old
- Healthy Children: Optimizing Nutrition for Toddlers
