Good nutrition is critical for an infant’s growth and development during the first year of life. It’s essential to provide your infant/toddler all the nutrients that he/she requires to maintain a steady development, both physically and psychologically.
New parents have a lot on their minds, including feeding their newborns the best foods. The good news is that once you know what nutrients babies require, providing them the best nutrients is rather simple.
Keep on reading this article to find out why nutrition in infants is important, and how you can tackle nutritional needs of your baby.
Table of Contents
Why is Nutrition Important in Infants?
Your child is about to have an incredible growth spurt.
Babies triple their birth weight in their first year. They require a lot of nutrition to develop that much — more than at any other moment in their lives.
It’s clear as day that breast milk is the best source of nutrition for babies during the first six months, but formula can be a good substitute.
Considering how dizzying those early days are, it’s a big relief knowing that — at least when it comes to feeding your baby — you’re pretty much covered.
But what happens when your baby crosses his 6 months? That’s the time when you need to think about giving solids to your baby. It’s also the time to understand the nutritional needs of your baby. Research shows that poor nutrition in infancy leads to growth failure and metabolic disturbances in later life.
Nutritional Needs of Your Baby: What to Keep in Mind?
Your baby covers his/her nutritional needs from five major food groups:
Vegetables and Fruits
Fruits and vegetables provide energy, vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, and water to your toddler.
These nutrients assist to prevent your baby against problems such as heart disease, stroke, and several malignancies later in life.
Offer your baby fruit and vegetables at every meal and as snacks.
Choose fruits and vegetables with a variety of colors, flavors, and textures, both fresh and cooked. Cut into very small pieces.
Wash the fruits to remove any dirt or pesticides, but any edible skin should be left on because it contains nutrients as well.
Many kids appear to be ‘picky’ about their fruits and vegetables. Being a healthy eating role model can assist. If your child sees you eating a variety of fruits and veggies, he or she is more inclined to try them as well.
Grains
Grains include bread, pasta, noodles, breakfast cereals, couscous, rice, corn, quinoa, oats and barley.
These foods give children the energy they need to grow, develop and learn.
Grain foods with a low glycaemic index, such as whole grain pasta and breads, will provide your child with more energy and keep them fuller for longer.
Dairy
Milk, cheese, and yogurt are all important dairy foods. Protein and calcium are abundant in these foods.
Introduce dairy meals around the age of six months.
However, breastmilk or infant formula should be your baby’s main drink until approximately the age of 12 months, when most toddlers begin eating family meals.
According to the top reviewed pediatrician in Karachi, Dr. Syed Uzair Maqsood “Babies need full-fat dairy products until they reach the age of two. That’s because they are growing rapidly and require a lot of energy.”
Protein
Lean meat, fish, chicken, eggs, beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, and nuts are all high in protein.
These nutrients are essential for your child’s muscle development and growth.
Other vitamins and minerals included in these foods include iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Iron and omega-3 fatty acids from red meat and oily fish are very vital for your child’s learning and brain development.
A Nutritional Regime: When to Give What to Your Baby?
Between the ages of 7 and 1, your baby still gets the majority of their calories and nutrients from breast milk and/or formula.
This time around, your baby will also attempt to try foods with his hands.
Here’s a breakdown of what your baby might eat between the ages of 7 months and one year. Keep in mind that every baby’s diet and feeding schedule is different.
6-8 Months Old
Feed your infant half a cup of soft food two to three times a day from the age of 6–8 months.
Don’t feed your baby honey until he is 1 years old. Except that, he can try any food.
You might begin to include a healthy snack between meals, such as mashed bananas.
Your baby should continue to receive the same amount of breastmilk as she consumes more solid foods.
9-12 Months Old
Your baby can eat half a cup of food three to four times a day, including a healthy snack, starting at 9–12 months old.
Instead of mashing soft foods, you can now cut them into little bits. Your child may even begin to consume food with his fingers.
Each meal should be both simple to prepare and nutritious for your infant. Make each bite matter.
Energy and nutrient-dense foods are required.
Along with grains and potatoes, your kid should eat a variety of vegetables and fruits, legumes and seeds, a little amount of energy-rich oil or fat, and – most importantly – animal foods (dairy, eggs, meat, fish, and fowl) every day.
What Foods Should You Avoid for Your Baby?
Whole cow’s milk is one item you should avoid giving your kid throughout the first 12 months.
Your infant doesn’t get enough iron, vitamin E, or critical fatty acids from it. It also has too much protein, salt, and potassium for your child’s body to absorb, which might be harmful. Wait till your infant is a year old before introducing cow’s milk.
You should also avoid giving your child soy milk or homemade formula.
These alternatives might not provide the correct balance of nutrients for your infant right now.
What to Do If Your Baby is Not Eating Enough?
Your child is undoubtedly getting enough to eat as long as he continues to develop at a healthy rate — that is, along his own unique growth curve (not that of your friends’ infants), which your pediatrician will evaluate using a growth chart.
Still, if you believe your infant isn’t getting enough nutrition, consult a well-known pediatrician, who can conduct a more thorough examination or recommend you to a nutritionist or feeding facility.
