Nutrition for children 1-3 years old: Things mothers do not know!

It does not take much time to prepare baby food. At this point, mothers can "build" a baby's nutrition regimen based on a common menu. However, instead of focusing on the amount of food, the nutritional content in each dish is what mothers need to care about

Nutrition for your baby is still the top priority, but instead of focusing on the amount of food in each meal, you should pay attention to the amount of nutrients your baby can absorb. In addition, mothers should also practice babies to enjoy delicious and nutritious foods, thereby creating healthy eating habits. This will help your baby have good health, enough resistance against many diseases in the future.

Nutrition for children 1-3 years old: Things mothers do not know!

Instead of turning the meal into a "battle", the mother should let her baby comfortably enjoy the joy of each meal

Your baby's nutritional needs

How much your baby needs to eat depends on age, weight and activity level of the day. Most babies from 1 year old need 1,000-1,400 calories / day, equivalent to about 1/4 of an adult serving. Therefore, mothers do not need to calculate the exact number of calories, just estimate to adjust the suitable diet for the baby.

 

To serve the development of children, baby's meals are indispensable for the following 5 groups:

 

Cereals: Children under 2 years old need about 85 grams of cereals / day. Meanwhile, children from 3 years old need 113-140 grams of cereal / day.

Green vegetables: 220 grams / day for babies under 2 years old and 330 grams / day for babies from 3 years old.

Fruit: 220 grams / day for babies under 2 years old and 330 grams / day for babies from 3 years old.

Milk: About 400-500 ml milk / day

Protein: 56 grams / day for children under 2 years old and 85-113 grams / day for babies 3 years and older

Note about nutrition for your baby

From 12-24 months old, mothers should give their baby whole milk to ensure brain development. Children with signs of overweight or obesity or a family history of overweight obesity should consult a doctor. You can choose less fat milk (reduced fat content about 2%). 2-year-olds with no health problems can drink low-fat or fat-free milk.

Children who do not like to drink milk can be fortified with calcium from other sources such as soybeans, calcium-rich juices, whole grains, cooked dried beans and dark green vegetables like broccoli, bok choy, etc. Kale.

Every day your baby needs about 7mg of iron. Babies 12 months of age and older are at high risk of iron deficiency anemia. Therefore, mothers should feed babies fortified foods with iron supplements or consult a doctor if they need to take iron supplements.

Let your baby choose foods

Every child is excited to go to a crowded, bustling place to discover fresh foods. Mom should stimulate the child's curiosity, ask them what they like to eat ... The baby will and let the baby be very excited to choose food, fruits, vegetables that are eye-catching and will surely enjoy it. what I have chosen.

Don't worry too much about fat

For normal growth and development, your kid needs to get half of the calories from fat through his diet. It sounds like a lot, but in fact baby only eats 1,000 calories a day, mom! There is no need for mothers to worry too much about the baby's weight. Only when the baby reaches 2 years old, the mother should slowly reduce the amount of fat in the diet until it is less than about 1/3 of the daily calories.

Cut the food into small pieces

Even for a 4 year old child, chewing food is not really good. Therefore, mothers should divide the baby's food into bite-sized pieces. If you feed your baby vegetables, mothers should cook softly and chop vegetables so that the baby can eat more easily. Foods that can cause choking include peanuts, grapes, tomatoes, carrots, pumpkins and sunflower seeds, peanut butter, celery, and cherries. Special note, mother!

Be flexible

It's not uncommon for your child to suddenly lose interest in a favorite food. Your baby may want to eat the same lunch for several days and then suddenly don't want to eat anymore. This is easy to make the mother angry. Instead of getting angry at the baby, however, mothers should have healthy alternatives available. When introducing new foods, let your baby try only a few and eat with familiar foods. Me also do not overdo it, do not insist on forcing the baby to eat the whole new diet when the baby has never eaten. Persistently introduce new foods to your baby in the future. For a child to learn or become interested in something, it may take at least 10 attempts. So, if the first failure, the mother can "revenge" the next time.

Cook with your baby

Cooking with your baby is a good way to increase excitement, to make your baby feel like and excited about their meals. The excitement of waiting to enjoy the results will stimulate the baby's appetite more than ever. Assign age-appropriate tasks to your baby such as washing vegetables, adding and stirring ingredients, and shredding vegetables.

Should the baby skip meals?

Instead of letting your baby eat a lot at a time, you should divide into several small meals. Average 5-6 meals / day includes three main meals and two or three snacks. It will not be too serious if your baby misses 1 meal a day. At this age, your baby can recognize the signs of hunger, fullness of the body. Your baby may not feel hungry now, but will make up for the next meal. However, mothers should avoid letting this situation repeat many times. Avoid giving your baby junk food, milk or juice before meals. Your baby will have a full stomach and reduce appetite when the main dish is really "on the floor".

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