Nutrition of a child at 1 year old: diet and feeding regimen

Healthy nutrition is one of the most important factors that influences the process of formation of a growing body. Reactions to poor nutrition may be as follows:

• developmental delay;
• decreased functioning of natural defenses;
• weakening of acquired immunity to infectious diseases.

Food rations for children must contain all healthy nutrients (fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, micro- and macroelements) in optimal proportions according to the age-related physiological needs of the child.

Food should be well prepared, fresh, tasty, varied and nutritious. In addition, it is worth taking into account the individual characteristics of the child’s body (his state of health, habits, physiological development, etc.).

Organizing a proper diet for a child is necessary for the formation and strengthening in him from an early age of a conditioned reflex to eat food at the same hours.

Diet for a 1 year old child

During the first year of life, a child’s diet is determined by his development and health status and changes as he grows. For the first time after the birth of a child, for the purpose of feeding, they are applied to the mother’s breast six to twelve hours later and then continue to feed every three to three and a half hours, while a night break of six to six and a half hours must be observed.

The duration of feeding should not be more than twenty to thirty minutes. If the newborn does not suck the milk quota within the specified time, he should be supplemented with expressed milk.

In a situation where the mother’s lactation process has not normalized, and the child is hungry and restless, it is worth using expressed milk taken from a donor woman. Supplement feeding from a spoon, not from a nipple. If milk is collected under aseptic conditions, it should be given to the child unboiled. When expressed milk is stored in the refrigerator for more than two hours, it is better to boil it before feeding.

At first, after the child is discharged from the maternity hospital, he continues to be fed according to the regimen that was established there. In the future, the mother reduces the number of feedings. In the first two months, the baby is fed six to seven times, that is, every three to three and a half hours, taking a break at night for six to six and a half hours.

If the child develops normally, then from the age of one and a half to two months he can be fed six times a day. After the mother introduces complementary foods, the number of feedings is reduced to five times. By the age of one year, children who are developing well are transferred to four feedings a day.

Throughout the day, in each individual case, any feeding hours are set, which depend on the mother’s lifestyle. These hours should be maintained every day for a long time, maintaining constant intervals between individual feedings.

When a rational feeding regimen is observed, the child develops a conditioned reflex for time, the rhythmic functioning of the digestive organs is established, which generally promotes optimal absorption of food.

When determining the number of feedings, factors such as the child’s appetite, the amount of food eaten, changes in his body weight, and health status are taken into account. If the baby has poor health and poor appetite, the frequency of feedings is determined individually. As an exception, breastfeeding may be prescribed after two to two and a half hours (each in turn). When a baby is often applied to the same breast, this injures the nipples and cracks appear, which prevents further breastfeeding and milk suction. Congestion that occurs in the mammary glands and cracked nipples cause inflammation and, accordingly, a decrease in milk production.

Doctors do not recommend placing the baby first on one breast and then on the other during one feeding, since he develops a reflex to receive food without much effort, which will ultimately cause incomplete emptying of milk from the breast and injury to the nipples.

Even if the mother has a small amount of breast milk, it should be preserved for as long as possible to feed the baby in the first months of life. However, in some cases, infants are forced to switch to mixed feeding. In addition, the amount of food per day and the number of feedings remain the same as with natural feeding. The amount of supplementary feeding is determined by weighing the baby at various times before and after feeding, thus establishing the mother's milk supply.

Based on this information, the child is fed additionally after some feedings or after each, or alternating them with feeding exclusively with formula milk. The latter option is preferred to be used in a situation where the child has adapted to new food.

When supplementary feeding is small in volume, it is preferable to give it using a teaspoon, since children who receive food through a nipple are less willing to breastfeed afterwards. If you use a pacifier, you need to make sure that it is not too long, elastic, and has several small holes at the end.

When mixed feeding, dry or freshly prepared milk formulas are used.

Diet for a 4 – 5 month old baby

At 4–5 months, the child receives complementary foods as a supplement to mother’s milk, starting with two to three spoons. They start with complementary feeding and then breastfeed. After seven to ten days, the mother gives the baby a full portion of complementary foods (150–180 g), after which there is no need to supplement with breast milk.

The second complementary feeding should be carried out two to three weeks after the first, during which time the child’s body adapts. There is no need to introduce two new complementary foods at the same time. Starting from five months, a child should be taught to eat from a spoon, and from seven months to drink from a cup.

If feeding is mixed and artificial, then complementary foods are introduced two to four weeks earlier than natural feeding.

As a first course of complementary feeding, 5% semolina porridge with milk diluted in half with water with added sugar is often used. After two to three weeks, 5% porridge is replaced with 10% porridge prepared with whole milk.

At the end of the first half of the year, a second complementary feeding is introduced, while another breastfeeding is canceled.

Diet for a 6 – 7 month old baby

From the age of six and a half to seven months, the mother can begin to give the baby meat broth, which contains pureed vegetables and roots (from ½ - 1 teaspoon to 25 - 50 ml) with the addition of soaked white crackers. From ten to eleven months you can add a piece of black bread.

Meat broth has pronounced juice properties. For this reason, it is prescribed according to doctor’s indications for children under six months of age who have poor appetite, are underweight, or are premature: start with ½ - 1 tsp. once a day before lunch.

By six and a half to seven months, broth turns into the first dinner dish, and vegetable puree into the second.

Baby's diet at 8 - 9 months

At eight months, the child can also be given meat puree, starting with one teaspoon, then move on to one tablespoon.

At the age of eight to nine months, a child’s lunch can already consist of three dishes (volume 200 – 220 g):

• meat broth or vegetable soup based on meat broth;
• vegetable puree with meat puree;
• fruit juice.

At first, the child receives a meat dish no more than three times, then four to five times a week. It is also recommended to cook fish dishes once every seven to ten days.

Baby's diet at 11 - 12 months

Upon reaching eleven to twelve months, the mother should gradually wean the baby from the breast, replacing mother's milk with kefir or cow's milk. A child’s daily diet in the first year of life should include at least 600–700 ml of milk, including what is used in the preparation of purees, porridge and other dishes. Fruit purees and juices should be given to the child during or after meals, dividing the daily portion into two to three doses.

Criteria for proper feeding of a child during the first year of life:

1. Increased height.
2. Smooth increase in body weight.
3. Correct motor and neuropsychic development.
4. Normal stomach function.
5. Pink color of the skin and mucous membranes.
6. No disease.

Physical development

A person’s somatic health depends on his physical characteristics. The main indicators of the level of physical development of a child are:

• body mass,
• height,
• head circumference (measured in children under 1 year of age),
• chest circumference and other standards that are measured by anthropometry.

REFERENCE.
Anthropometric research is the main method of studying the main indicators of the physical data of the human body. The values ​​of anthropometric data depend on the sex of the baby, his heredity, and individual developmental characteristics. They may differ from the norm in one direction or the other.

Table 1. Anthropometric data of a child aged 1 year 5 months. Height.

Table 2. Anthropometric data of a child aged 1 year 5 months. Weight.

At this age, the child has from 8 to 12 teeth. The incisors erupt first, then the canines.

What should a child be able to do at this age? Here are the basic skills that the baby has:

• holding a spoon
• eats thick food
• drinks from a cup
• asks to go potty.

Preschooler's diet

For a child over one and a half years old, four meals a day are recommended at precisely set hours. Four-hour intervals between meals at meal times increase the excitability of the food center, creating a healthy appetite.

For a kindergarten that is open until 5-6 p.m., it is recommended that the child eat three meals a day: breakfast (8-8.30 a.m.), lunch (12-1 p.m.) and a hearty afternoon snack (4-4:30 p.m.). The fourth meal is at 19 - 19.30 - a light dinner.

They indicate two points of view regarding the distribution of the diet of preschool children according to energy value and volume.

1. Breakfast – 25%, lunch – 40%, afternoon snack – 10%, dinner – 25%.
2. Diet distribution of 20 - 30% for each meal.

The Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences offered the following recommendations:

1. For children from one to three years: 280–350 kcal for breakfast, 420–560 kcal for lunch, 140–210 kcal for afternoon snack, 280–350 kcal for dinner.
2. For children from four to six years old: 380–475 for breakfast, 570–760 kcal for lunch, 190–285 kcal for afternoon snack, 380–475 kcal for dinner.

Schoolchild's diet

The diet of schoolchildren is determined by the daily routine.

Students who attend school during the first shift must have breakfast at 7.30 - 8 o'clock at home, no later than thirty minutes before the start of classes. The best time for a second breakfast is 11–12 noon, usually during a big break. Schoolchildren have lunch at 15-16 hours, dinner - at 19-19:30.

Children who study in the second shift follow a slightly different diet: at 7.30 - 8 o'clock - first breakfast, at 12 - 12.30 - lunch, at 15.30 - 16.00 - afternoon snack, at 19.30 - 20.00 - dinner.

It is important that schoolchildren receive hot breakfasts during classes. A child's energy expenditure while at school is approximately 600 kcal. Therefore, school breakfasts should cover the energy expended, providing 12–15% of the total energy value of the diet.

The duration of meals for breakfast and dinners at school is approximately 15 - 20 minutes, lunch - 30 minutes.

It is worth taking into account that due to intensive growth and increased metabolism, the child’s body has a greater need for vitamins and minerals.

It is important that the child’s drinking regime is properly organized. For children, especially young children, restriction in drinking is harmful - symptoms such as fever, digestive disorders, and metabolic disorders are observed. Children's need for water is higher than adults. During the hot season, you should not drink large amounts of water at once to quench your thirst. It makes more sense to take a few sips every 10-15 minutes, since during this time the water penetrates the body tissues.

It is worth paying special attention to the nutrition of children in the summer. In summer, the child’s physical activity increases, as a result, metabolism becomes more intense, and the need for food increases. Taking this into account, you should increase the energy value of the diet by 10 - 15%, and include more vitamins and protein-carbohydrate foods (dairy products, fresh vegetables, berries, fruits, herbs). Since fatigue negatively affects the excretory function of the digestive glands, after walking, children should first rest before eating.

In various types of health institutions, an individual approach to the nutrition of a child with certain disabilities is required. For example, children who have poor appetite need small amounts of foods with higher energy value. If there is overweight with signs of obesity, it is required that meals be ordered and correctly distributed throughout the day. Overweight children should not be allowed to overeat; it is necessary to replace easily digestible carbohydrates and animal products with herbs, berries, fruits, and vegetables. It is also recommended to increase the physical activity of children and exclude daytime naps from the daily routine.

What not to feed a child with ARVI

One of the main immune organs is the intestines. It is surrounded by lymph nodes in which viruses and bacteria are processed, vitamins are synthesized and absorbed, and even happiness hormones are produced.

The main thing during ARVI is not to interfere with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Not interfering means not eating anything that will make their job more difficult.

Therefore, as soon as the snot appears or, on the contrary, does not go away for a long time, ARVI drags on with a long wet cough with sputum discharge, exclude :

• all products containing simple fast sugars : sweets, jam, premium white flour, etc. In addition to insulin surges, this provokes the growth of fungal and bacterial flora, which increases intoxication. Fungi begin to eat vitamins, loosen mucous membranes, making them sensitive to new viruses. Sugars also increase fermentation in the intestines, disrupting its protective functions;
• products containing yeast or fermentation products;
• juices and fruits also contain fast sugars and overload the pancreas, and vitamins during illness are still not absorbed from them;
• raw vegetables - the production of digestive enzymes in the pancreas is reduced during a virus attack;
• any dairy products and their derivatives are difficult for the liver, poorly digested by the pancreas damaged by viruses, which creates fermentation, rotting in the intestines and leads to blood poisoning with unprocessed residues. It is especially bad to drink and eat dairy directly from the refrigerator: the cold itself causes vasospasm, disruption of the blood supply to the digestive organs;
• fatty meat , especially pork. The meat that is acceptable during illness can be chosen experimentally: you ate it, and you felt warm or hot. But if you don’t want animal protein during illness, don’t eat it and don’t force it on your children - this is also a big burden on the gastrointestinal tract;
• oatmeal, muesli, granola, baby cereal , semolina - they are not beneficial, and most often they are the same simple carbohydrates with excess sugar;
• all products with dyes and preservatives.

Do not forget that there are no “diet” sausages and sausages; they are the same starch with dyes, salt and flavorings.