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Nutrition for Babies beyond Twelve Months

Healthy eating is important in the second year to:

1) provide the energy and nutrients needed to grow and develop;

2) develop a sense of taste and an acceptance and enjoyment of different foods;

3) instill attitudes and practices which may form the basis for lifelong health-promoting eating patterns.

During this time toddlers are transitioning away from the foods and eating habits they had as infants, they transfer to adult's food and that means they are moving towards a diet more like your own. Your job is to keep broadening your child's palate, by introducing new flavors and textures. Food preferences are established early in life so help your child develop a taste for healthy foods.

Toddlers have little tummies, so it's vital to make sure that the food you serve is packed with the nutrients your child needs to raise healthy and strong, and limit the sweets and empty calories.

Your toddler will continue to explore self-feeding during this time, first with fingers, and then with utensils around 15 to 18 months. Give your child many opportunities to practice these skills, but lend a hand when he or she runs into major frustrations.

Allow your child to respond to his or her own internal cues for hunger and fullness, but you set the boundaries. It's also a time when your toddler will start to assert his or her independence.

Remember: you decide what variety of healthy foods to offer at a meal, and your child decides which of those foods to eat, how much to eat, and whether to eat at all.

Small, frequent, nutritious and feedings of a variety of foods that is full with energy from the different food groups are important to meet the nutrient and energy needs during the second year.

When food choices are limited, ensure that food intake continues to assemble nutrient and energy needs.

Some Issues in Infant Nutrition

Constipation	In infancy, true constipation is infrequent. Parents need to be educated about the wide variation in normal bowel function in infants and toddlers to avoid over treatment of normal variants.
Diabetes	The exact role of early infant nutrition as a possible etiologic factor for infants genetically at risk for diabetes has not been proven.
Iron deficiency anemia	Limit your child's milk intake to 16 to 24 full ounces a day Increase iron-rich foods in your child's diet like iron-fortified snacks, meat. poultry, fish, beans, tofu Continue serving iron-fortified cereal until your child is 18 to 24 months old If you're concerned that your child drinks a lot of cow's milk or isn't getting enough iron in his or her diet, it's a good idea to talk with your child's doctor.
Cow's Milk	Milk is an important part of a toddler's diet, because it provides calcium and vitamin D, which help build strong bones. Kids under age 2 should have whole milk to provide the dietary fats they need for normal growth and brain development. Offer cow's milk in a cup after the child has begun the meal. If you are breastfeeding, only offer milk in a cup and avoid the bottle habit. Some kids don't like cow's milk at first, because it's different from the breast milk or formula to which they're accustomed. If that's the case, it's OK to mix whole milk with formula or breast milk, and gradually adjust the mixture so that it eventually becomes 100% cow's milk.

Dental caries

Prevalence of dental caries is lower if infants and children have access to fluoridated water and long-term exposure of teeth to nutrient-containing liquids is avoided.

Fluoride supplementation is not recommended for infants less than 6 months of age.

For infants between the ages of 6 months to 2 years who are living in areas where the household water supply contains less than 0.3 ppm (mg/L) fluoride, daily supplementation with 0.25 mg fluoride is recommended. Where the principal drinking water source contains 0.3 ppm (mg/L) fluoride, supplementation is not recommended.

Avoid the use of a bottle during sleep time or as a pacifier. Avoid nocturnal and long-term use of baby bottles containing liquids other than water.

Do not dip pacifiers or nipples in sugar or honey.

Avoid excessive intake of fluoride.

Excessive fluoride intake can cause dental fluorosis.

How Much Should Baby Eat

It's a good idea to offer your child three meals and two or three snacks a day, but keep in mind that it's not uncommon for toddlers to skip meals. Allowing a child to skip a meal is a difficult concept for many parents, but children should be allowed to respond to their own internal cues for hunger and fullness. It's important to have regular schedule of meals and snacks so that your child will come to expect that food will be available during certain times of the day.

Remember that your baby's appetite may decrease and become pickier over the next few years as his growth rate slows.

Until your child is at least 4 years old, you should avoid foods that can cause choking, including chewing gum, nuts, raisins, popcorn, chunks of peanut butter, hard candy, or hard, round foods (such as chunks of raw carrots, celery, grapes, or hot dogs).

Large amounts of sweet desserts, soft drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, sugarcoated cereals, chips or candy, should be avoided, as they have little nutritional value.

Also avoid overfeeding. Do not encourage your child to eat after he is full, as this can lead to a habit of overeating.

Following these simple advices will help you give your baby the good nutrition he or she needs to grow up to his or her full potential and a healthy life.