Child nutrition is a tough and confusing topic for parents. They are always worried if their kids are getting the proper nutrition or not. When the child is at different stages of life, his/her nutrition needs change. In this article, we have tried to shed some light on the food choices and needs of child nutrition as per their age group. Dr. Nalin Agarwal is an experienced pediatrician in Noida for all the child health care advice as well as child nutrition suggestions.
Infants
Mother’s milk is the best nutrition for infants and formula milk can be added to the baby’s diet as per the requirement after 3 months. After About six months, the baby is ready for semi-solid foods such as mashed banana, boiled veggies, and lentil soup, etc. Fortified cereals and other clear soups without any spices are a good choice for infants.
Toddlers
When your baby is a toddler or a preschooler, the body’s needs change. As the baby is learning to stand up, crawl and walk, s/he needs more calcium in their diet. This helps in making the bones strong that is particularly important to take their first step. Calcium can be given in the form of milk and milk products. Adding Fiber is also important to help in digestion and make the baby poop regularly. As vegetables are a great source of fiber, adding them in their macaroni salad and giving them the big bites of it to munch on is a good idea. Adding beans and milk is essential as well.
School Going Children
The school-going children have many options to eat pretty much everything that the adults have. Keep the spices low and make sure that they always have something healthy in their tiffin boxes such as vegetable salad, legumes, sauteed veggies, 2-3 servings of fruits, a few dry fruits, and other protein sources if you are a non-vegetarian.
Things to Consider about Child Nutrition
- Milk and dairy products should never be skipped.
- Don’t skip breakfast as it is the first and one of the most important meals of the day.
- Give kids all the information about food, how it’s grown and how it reaches our table. This helps in increasing their interest in plant-based food and they are likely to make healthy choices in the future.
- The value of food, as well as the habit of taking just the right amount to eat and not leaving anything on the plate, should be taught to the children. So that no food will go to waste.
- Try to introduce homemade nimbu-pani/lemonade instead of carbonated soda or other soft drinks.
Introducing good eating habits is a crucial step that parents should take during the early growth period of the kid. If your child suffers from allergic reactions or diarrhea after eating dairy products then s/he may be lactose intolerant or some children can have wheat or gluten allergy as well. If you observe any such symptoms then you can visit our child care clinic at Sector 26 Noida, call now at 08588880662 to book an appointment with the best pediatrician in Noida.
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