Your child needs the proper nutrition and breakdown of food groups in order to sustain the rapid growth that occurs throughout the first couple years of his life. Without a well-balanced diet, your child's body will not develop correctly, potentially leading to health problems like rickets and weak and brittle bones.
Infant Growth
According to the Nemours Foundation, babies tend to triple their birth weight and grow around 10 inches by the time they reach 1 years old. After the age of 1, your child's growth will slow down and usually continue at around two and a half inches each year until puberty. Your doctor should monitor your infant's growth, and while the rate may vary from child to child, it should be steady throughout the first year and into the second. Factors influencing this can include the circumstances surrounding your child's birth, his health and his nutrition.
Growth and Nutrition
As your infant's body grows by leaps and bounds, it needs a variety of nutrients to be able to develop correctly. When your baby is a newborn, all of his dietary needs are provided by your breast milk. However, when she reaches the age of between 6 to 12 months and begins transitioning out of breastfeeding, you have to be sure to provide appropriate food. For example, your child needs sufficient calcium in order to build strong bones. She also needs a diet high in healthy fats to provide the energy she needs to grow.
Diet Composition
An insufficient intake of nutrients can stunt your child's growth and hamper his mental development. According to the University of Chicago, an infant between 3 and 12 months should get 100 calories per kilogram of body weight a day. For example, a 15-and-a-half-pound infant weighs around 7 kilograms and needs around 700 calories daily to sustain healthy growth. These calories should comprise between 40 and 50 percent fat, 40 percent carbohydrates -- especially from fruits, vegetables and whole grains -- and 10 percent protein.
Guidelines
You do not have to be obsessive about making sure your child gets exactly enough calories. A good guideline to determine how much food your infant needs is her behavior. If your child has eaten enough, she may refuse to eat or eat with less enthusiasm. Your child will tend to eat until satisfied, so provide enough for her to eat. You should visit your doctor if your infant has stopped growing or started losing weight, especially when she is still eating nutritiously.
