Is your baby eating enough?

"Doctor, it seems to me that he does not eat enough" - guaranteed care somewhere between the first and second birthday. The question is, does the child eat enough to satisfy his mother or grandmother( no child eats so much!) Or to meet the needs of his own organism? Use this step-by-step approach to become your child's personal nutritionist.

First point: record your child's progress in the growth and weight chart

Using the table, note the height and weight of your child. Your doctor does this without fail during each routine examination, and you can ask for a copy of the table of indicators from birth to two years when you examine your

one-year-old child and ask how to mark further increases in it. These tables are not flawless guides on the nutrition of the child, but give some support for the beginning.

If your child's indicators are closer to the maximum normal growth and weight in the table, you, without a doubt, do not have to worry about feeding your baby. Chances are that your child is getting enough essential food. If your child is constantly around one line, there is rarely any reason to worry about eating it. When completing the table, take heredity into account. If both parents are miniature children and the child is at the lowest percentile for a given age, it is probably the most normal for him. Children with different body types have different indicators. Children of the ectomorphic type( slender) may have a growth above the average, and weight below the average. Children of the mesomorphic type( strong build) and in terms of growth rates, and weight indicators are in the middle. Children endomorphic type( low and broad) show a greater percentage of weight gain than in growth. All these options are normal.

Constant drop to lower values ​​for several months can be a warning sign indicating malnutrition. For example, if a child has always been on a 60% line and suddenly falls to a 40% line over the next few months, evaluate the nutrition of your child. Many children, however, naturally lose weight during the period from six months to a year, when they learn to crawl, and also from one to two years, when they start walking and running, because they burn more energy at this time.

Point two: examine your child in search of symptoms of malnutrition

In addition to the table, learn and your child, from head to toe. Here are the most obvious signs of undernourishment:

• Hair: brittle, easy to fall out, dry, like wire, sparse

• Skin: wrinkled, loosely attached to muscles, dry, scaly, easily vulnerable, especially in areas not usually(sprained blood vessels in the skin), uneven pigmentation, slow healing, areas of thickened or thin skin, pallor

• Eyes: dull, without gloss, with bursting capillaries, night blindness, oily dischargeDark circles under the eyes

• Lips: poorly healing cracks in the corners, pale, swollen

• Gums: bleeding, soft

• Teeth: caries, brittle

• Language: smooth,cracked, pale

• Nails: thin, concave, brittle

• Bones: feet with the wheel, bulging ribs

• Muscles: weak, soft, brittle tissue between the outer layer of the skin and underlying muscles

• Feet:

Review of a child's nutritional needs from one to two years

• Average consumption: 1000-1300 calories per day *

• Protein requirement: 2 g per kilogram body weight per day

• Perfectly balanced nutrition: 50-55% of carbohydrates, 35-40% fat, 10-15% of proteins

• Vitamins and minerals

• Water

• Vitamin and fluoride additives if prescribed by a doctor **

• More frequent feeding

* Use only as a guide: the need for calories varies significantly depending on preferences and development.** Vitamin supplements are rarely necessary for children who are breastfeeding;1 liter of artificial infant formula contains a daily norm of vitamins for children born on time. Fluoride additives are prescribed depending on the natural content of fluoride in tap water in your area and how much water your child drinks.

Point three: lead a nutrition card

Get a nutritional chart of your child. Mark in it the type of food you eat, the number and the number of calories in each serving.

Fourth point: compare your child's diet with the average

Fill the diet card for seven days in a row and then add up the number of calories consumed each day. For a child's dietetic chart, it is normal to have day-to-day data. That is why it is necessary to calculate weekly more accurately the average consumption. Approximately a child of up to a year should on average consume about 100 calories per kilogram per day. For example, an average one-year-old child weighing 10 kg needs about 1000 calories a day. On some days, it can consume 700 calories, while in others it can consume 1300 calories. Do not try to be accurate until the last calorie. Even professional dieticians can not do it. If your child at the age of one to two consumes, according to the weekly calculation of the arithmetic average, approximately 1000 to 1,300 calories per day, the likelihood that he gets enough food is high. This includes the number of calories from milk, so if your child still drinks a lot of breast milk, the amount of calories from solid foods will be slightly less. If you are still worried that your child is not eating enough, discuss the records that you are conducting with a professional dietitian or pediatrician of your child. There are many variables that affect the optimal calorie need of a child, and professional help may be needed to determine this amount.

The right food

Determine if enough calories your child consumes, this is just the beginning. If you want to move to a higher level, determine not only whether the correct amount of food consumed by your child, but whether it consumes the right food. This means that you need to take your notes and decompose each portion as a percentage of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Fold in grams of all proteins, fats and carbohydrates every day, and then add up to get a weekly result. A balanced diet should have such a weekly percentage: carbohydrates 50-55%, fats 35-40% and proteins 10-15%.Do not expect a balanced day. Strive for a balanced week.

Body Wisdom

Usually, counting calories is enough to determine whether your child is getting enough nutrition. Studies have shown that if

provides children with a wide range of nutritious foods, they naturally consume nutrients in the right proportions over a certain period. Dietitians are convinced that the body has inner wisdom and requires the right balance of nutrients. In addition to calorie counting, determining nutrition balance is a useful exercise to learn about your child's food preferences and learn the principles of healthy eating.

Point five: see if there are other circumstances that affect the growth of your child

Be prepared to reduce the increase, especially in weight, during a prolonged or recurrent disease, such as diarrhea or frequent colds. Appetite is reduced, and nutrition, which would go to growth, is sent for recovery. Wait for a period of compensating growth when your child recovers.

In addition to diseases, slow down growth and reduce appetite can be emotional shocks. If something happens that disrupts the child's relationship with parents( for example, premature separation, premature separation of mother and child, problems in family life, family crises), a child may lose a few points on the growth scale. One

of the most amazing fields of research is the need for some children to achieve optimal growth in a strong parental affection. We are already seeing the day when researchers will discover a biochemical relationship between caress and growth.

Point Six: Complete a Medical and Dietary Examination of

If, after going through the preceding paragraphs, you concluded that your child is receiving inadequate food, contact a nutritionist so that he or she can get acquainted with your child's nutrition card and give professional advice.

In addition to examining your child's nutrition, it is advisable to undergo a full medical examination, which can reveal the reasons for the child's inadequate development. Insufficient weight gain may be physiological or emotional causes. Your doctor can perform laboratory tests to determine if your child is getting enough protein, iron, vitamins and minerals.

Food allergies are great maskers. I've heard people attribute food allergies to almost any problem from