Diets for babies
Adequate nutrition during infancy and early childhood is fundamental to the development of a child. It is well-recognized that the period from birth to two years of age is a ‘‘critical window’’ for the promotion of optimal growth, health and behavioral development. Longitudinal studies have consistently shown that this is the peak age for growth faltering, deficiencies of certain micronutrients, and common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea.
Do’s and don’ts
- Do not feed your baby raw honey before age 1 because it carries a risk of infant botulism.
- Do not introduce the most commonly allergenic foods — eggs, peanuts, shellfish, other nuts until he is a year old.
- Avoid feeding your baby too much
- After a child reaches two years of age, it is very difficult to reverse stunting that has occurred earlier. The immediate consequences of poor nutrition during these formative years include significant morbidity and mortality and delayed mental and motor development. In the long-term, early nutritional deficits are linked to impairments in intellectual performance; work capacity, reproductive outcomes and overall health during adolescence and adulthood. Thus, the cycle of malnutrition continues, as the malnourished girl child faces greater odds of giving birth to a malnourished, low birth weight infant when she grows up.
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