As a parent, you control much of what your child eats from day to day. Taking care of your child's nutrition is important because not only does diet affect your child's growth and development, but the diet that your child follows during childhood will often affect the food choices he makes as an adult.
Importance
A child's diet is important for a variety of reasons. Because children are growing and developing, a well-balanced and nutritious diet is important for proper brain and organ development and overall growth. Conversely, eating too much of the wrong foods can result in your child becoming overweight, which can increase her risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other health problems later in life.
Guidelines by Stages
As your child grows, he will have different nutritional needs. Through the first two years of life, the most important nutrient for children is milk, be it breast milk or formula, HealthyChildren.org explains. Toddlers and preschoolers may experience sudden shifts in their appetite level, but it is important for parents to make sure they get enough calcium and fiber. From elementary school to the teen years, children typically have expanded calorie needs, but it is important to limit their fat, carbohydrate and sodium intake and to emphasize healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables.
Macronutrient Balance
Macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats and proteins---the three substances that provide calories in the diet. Although a child's caloric needs can range from 1,000 to 3,200 calories per day, depending on age, gender and activity level, the balance of calories she gets from the three macronutrients is generally the same. Children over the age of 3 years need to get between 10 and 30 percent of their calories from proteins, 45 to 65 percent of their calories from carbohydrates and 25 to 35 percent of their calories from fat. Infants have slightly lower protein needs and may need slightly more fat in their diets, the Mayo Clinic says.
Guidelines
Although no hard and fast rules should govern a child's diet, some general guidelines should be followed, KeepKidsHealthy.com notes. Children should eat a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, dairy products, whole grains and lean meats. Your child's diet should also be low in cholesterol and fat, particularly saturated fat. Make sure the diet is not too heavy on sugars and other carbohydrates, and make sure your child gets enough iron and calcium to support the body.
Vitamins
In theory, a well-balanced diet that is high in vitamin-rich vegetables and fruits, as well as fortified cereals, will provide most of the vitamins and minerals your child needs. On the other hand, you can take additional measures against vitamin deficiencies by having your child take a multivitamin each day, as the additional vitamin supplementation won't hurt.
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