Infants and toddlers have the highest calorie need per pound because they are growing so rapidly; good nutrition is essential to your infant's growth and development. Infants should receive breast milk or an appropriate infant formula for the first 6 months of life to meet their nutrition needs. After 6 months of age, other foods should be added into the diet to meet their changing needs. Providing your infant with a well-balanced diet can help keep them healthy through infancy, childhood and adulthood.
Requirements
Calorie needs for infants vary based on body size, gender and activity level. However, requirements approximately range from 500 calories per day as a newborn to 800 calories per day at 12 months old. Infants from newborn to 6 months old require approximately 60 g of carbohydrate per day and 9 g per day of protein. From ages 7 to 12 months, up to 95 g of carbohydrate and 11 g of protein per day are recommended. At all ages until 12 months, approximately 30 g of fat are recommended daily.
Weight
If your infant is not consuming adequate calories and nutrients, he will not have adequate weight gain and growth. Healthy, well-nourished infants should double their birth weight by 6 months, and should triple their birth weight by 12 months. Your doctor will monitor your child's growth, and if she is not meeting these benchmarks, her nutritional and medical status will need to be assessed for possible failure to thrive, or inadequate growth over a certain time period.
Brain Development
Good nutrition is necessary for brain development in your infant. Your brain depends on a number of nutrients, including essential fatty acids that are found in breast milk and formula. When your infant begins drinking cow's milk, whole milk should be given until age 2 for its high fat content. Additionally, other nutrients including protein, carbohydrates and iron are necessary to your baby's brain development.
Immune Function
In newborns, the immune system is only just starting to develop. Certain components of human milk help assist in immune development of infants. According to "The Journal of Nutrition," breast milk contains antimicrobial agents that help infants fend off infection. Additionally, human milk contains leukocytes, macrophages, lymphocytes and neutrophils. These are different types of white blood cells which make up the immune system and promote a proper immune response. Providing your infant with breast milk or a comparable baby formula can help shape his immune system for the rest of his life.
