Childhood Nutrition

1. Childhood Nutrition

2. Newborn • The ideal food for newborn babies is breast milk • However mothers should not be made to feel guilty or inadequate if they choose not to breast feed • Do not feed newborns solid food before 4 months of age- their digestive systems are immature and they do not have enough control of their swallowing and chewing

3. Weaning The gradual introduction of solid food to the baby’s diet of milk alone. The reasons for weaning are: • to meet the baby’s nutritional needs • To develop the chewing mechanism; the muscular movement of the mouth and jaw also aids the development of speech • To satisfy increasing appetite • To introduce new tastes and textures; this enables the baby to join family meals, and so promotes cognitive and social development • To develop new skills- use of cup and cutlery (hand-eye coordination) • Never force weaning- wait until the child is ready. This can cause other feeding and behavior problems for the child

9. Guidelines for Making Mealtimes Healthy and Fun • Set an Example: children imitate both what you eat and how you eat it. Sit down to eat alongside the children. Try not to rush mealtimes: be relaxed, patient and friendly • Be prepared for messy mealtimes! • Be imaginative with presentation: cut sandwiches and fruit into interesting shapes • Encourage children to feed themselves: • Respect individual preferences: some families prefer to eat with their fingers, while others use chopsticks or knives and forks. Whatever tool is preferred, be patient as children need time to get used to them.

10. Never force a child to eat: if a child rejects food, don’t ever force feed them. Simply remove the food without comment. Give smaller portions next time and praise child for eating even a little • Don’t use food as a punishment, reward, bribe or threat: don’t give sweets or chocolates as a reward for finishing savory foods. To a child this might be saying “here’s something nice after eating those nasty greens”. Reward them instead with a non food treat like a trip to the park or a story • Avoid adding salt to any food at the table • Try not to pass on your own personal dislikes

11. Limit in-between meal snacks: to small portions like a milk drink or a cracker and cheese • Offer a wide variety of foods: give young children a chance to try new food more than once, any refusal on a first tasting may be due to a dislike of having something new rather than of the food itself • Never give a young child whole nuts to eat- particulary peanuts children can very easily choke on a small piece of nut or even inhale it, which can cause severe pneumonia. Some children have severe allergic reactions to nuts