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Is my child growing properly? |
Food |
 Children move through growth spurts throughout their childhood. Usually, a child will grow about 2 1/2 inches and gain about four or five pounds each year between the ages of 2 and 5. By 15 months, most children have developed fine motor skills to feed themselves without help, if allowed to do so. Appetite varies with young children as well as adults. Parents and caregivers need to help promote a healthy pattern of eating rather than using controlling techniques such as restricting food intake of heavier children or pressuring smaller children to eat more.
Attitudes and habits formed during the early childhood years can help establish lifelong health habits. Children's basic nutrition needs are very similar to those of other family members, although amounts of food needed differ because of age. Offer your child a variety of foods from the basic food groups:
 Breads, cereals, rice and pasta
Vegetables
Fruits
Milk, yogurt and cheese
Meats, poultry, fish, dry beans and peas, eggs, and nuts
 It is important to offer a variety of foods within each food group. For example, in the fruit group, it is better to eat an orange, half a grapefruit, and a banana over a three-day period rather than eating three oranges. Over time, young children will take in adequate nutrients when offered a wide variety of healthy food.
Different nutrients are needed for different functions in the body. Protein is needed for growth. Most of the proteins in the diet is supplied by milk, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese and dry beans and peas. Calcium is needed for strong bones and teeth. Dietary calcium is primarily found in milk and milk products such as cheese and yogurt and to a lesser extent in leafy green vegetables. Iron is an important mineral that comes from meat, poultry, fish, eggs, green leafy vegetables and iron-fortified breads and cereals.
 Iron from the cereal will be absorbed better when served with a food rich in vitamin C. Citrus fruits and their juices and dark green or yellow vegetables are good sources of vitamin C and vitamin A. Water is needed to regulate body functions in young children. As a percentage of body weight, children have more water in their bodies than adults. Children can become dehydrated more quickly than adults. Offer water to young child several times during the day.
Fat is a necessary nutrient in a child's diet. It helps to provide extra calories and the required nutrients for active and growing children. No fat restriction should be applied to children below the age of 2 because their fast growth requires a high percentage of calories from fat. The following pattern is recommended by the American Heart Association for children over the age of
2.
 Saturated fatty acids – less than 10 percent of total calories; total fat – an average of no more than 30 percent of total calories; dietary cholesterol – less than 300 milligrams per day. Each of these numbers refer to an average of nutrient intake over several days. You can help your child (2 and older) develop beneficial low-fat dietary habits by offering items such as reduced fat milk, non-fat yogurt and lean meats. Sugary foods provide few nutrients and should be limited. Chewy, sticky, sugary foods may promote tooth decay if left on the teeth. Children should be taught to properly brush their teeth daily to help reduce tooth decay.
 A growth chart is a reliable way to tell if your child's diet is meeting what the body needs. These charts are available from pediatricians, public health clinics and child health agencies. Since children grow in spurts, their needs will vary. Changes in appetite may reflect these needs. Allow the children to eat until they are full, regardless of how much or how little. To examine what you offer your child to eat, keep track of everything your child eats for two or three days and compare it to the Food Guide.
Check to see if you are offering at least the lowest numbers of servings in each food group as well as variety within each group. If you think your child is too heavy, remember that physical activity also is needed to maintain a healthy weight. Playing games that use physical exercise is important to a growing child. To promote a positive attitude toward good food habits, it is important that parents and care givers help children understand they are "good kids." What children "do" may be unacceptable at times, but who and what they "are" inside are normal, healthy and ok kids.
(Based on Net resources)
Published on 14th April
2002
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