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Food nutrition is one of the most
fundamental areas of concern for parents. As a parent, you
instinctively recognize the importance of food nutrition as the
foundation for good health, normal growth and optimum child
development. However, like many other parents, you may encounter
certain questions about what, how much and how to feed your child,
especially during his formative years.
Below are some of the critical areas in early child development years
(i.e. toddler hood and pre-schooler) that depend greatly on food
nutrition.
Height & Weight
Your child will grow most rapidly during
the first 12 months of his life. It would be normal for your toddler or
pre-schooler to now grow at a relatively slower and steadier pace. Slow
gains in height and weight in children aged between 1 and 10 are quite
normal. There's no remarkable surge as you saw in infancy or that you
will witness when adolescence comes along.
During toddler hood and the pre-school years, his weight may increase
at an average of 2 - 3 kg (4.5 – 6.5 lbs) per year while he grows
taller by about 5 – 7.5 cm (2-3 inch) per year. All the while, his head
would be growing, too, reaching its near-maximum circumference by about
2 years of age. This brain will achieve adult weight by the time he is
10.
Your child may also grow in an erratic manner - keeping a 'holding
pattern' for several months or longer, and suddenly having a spurt in
height and weight. This is nothing to get alarmed about. As long as
your child is on healthy diets, generally active, mentally alert and in
good health, he's growing fine.
Bones & Muscles
Bones and muscles have to grow as your
child matures and takes on greater physical tasks. Healthy bone and
muscle development are crucial if your child is to be able to act upon
his world and enjoy the experiences and opportunities it provides.
Healthy nutrition and food will supply your child with the raw material
he needs to develop healthy bones and muscle tissue.
Growing bones affect both height and body proportions. From age 1, the
limbs of a child starts to lengthen. The legs would also straighten as
the abdominal and back muscles tighten to give more support. All these
changes results in an increasingly more mature appearance.
Muscles are lean tissues which must develop in parallel to keep up with
the child's increasing mobility. By the time the child is 5 years old,
35% of the body weight will come from muscles, while the body fat
content decreases till reaching a minimum at about 6 years old. As
such, although many children at this age might appear 'skinny', but
they aren't necessarily weak or unwell!
Teeth
Your child should have his entire set of
baby teeth by the age of 2.5 years. Their presence stimulates his jaw
to grow and act as guides for the permanent set of teeth which will
eventually replace them when he is aged 6 years and onwards. Caring for
teeth is not just about regular brushing; it also has to do with
healthy eating habits.
Brain and Nervous System
Toddler hood and the pre-school years is
the time for active learning and encountering new experiences.
The brain's ability to absorb and digest information has an enormous
bearing on your child's potential. Good health and nutrition is just as
important to the brain and nervous system as is providing the right
stimulation.
Blood
Blood transports nutrients and oxygen to
a child's cells so that he could grow, move about and develop learning
skills well. Conditions that degrade the quality of blood (such as
anemia) can be prevented by providing well-balanced healthy diets to
the child.
Psychological Development
It is during toddler hood and the
pre-school years that behavior takes root and your child begins to
develop a sense of mental health. Good health nutrition enables him to
have a healthy sense of body shape and body identity, both of which are
important to his self-esteem.
Physical Activity
Your child is learning to gain control
over his physical movements to be better able to interact with his
physical environment. As your child becomes more coordinated
physically, he will want to run around and play more vigorously than
before. With good healthy foods fueling his physical activities, he
will have a lot of fun, improve his cardiovascular fitness, enhance his
bone and muscle strength while helping him maintain healthy body weight
by burning up the excess energy he gets from food. It can also
stimulate his appetite.
Staying Healthy
The more your child gets in contact with
other people, the more he will be exposed to a host of viruses and
bacteria that can cause common infections. While such infections are a
normal part of growing up, falling ill too frequently can disrupt
learning and development. Sometimes, health complications can result.
By feeding your child's maturing immune system, good nutrition diet
does provide some protection against common infections and also
promotes faster recovery. Milk, fruits and vegetables are particularly
important sources of minerals and vitamins (including vitamins A, C, E
and beta-carotene -- the so-called 'antioxidants') that can help
increase body resistance.
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