ONE YEAR AND OLDER
One Year and Older:
The first year of life is your child’s period of most rapid growth. After about 12 months, the rate of growth decelerates and parents notice that the child’s appetite decreases. Many times, parents become very concerned that their one-year-old child seems to be eating less. Part of your health supervision visits is to actually plot the height, weight and head circumference of your child on a growth chart. As long as his/her growth percentiles are within the normal range and the blood count is normal, you can be assured that your child is receiving adequate nutrition.
After the age of 12 months, usually breast feeding and/or formula feeding is discontinued and cow’s milk is introduced into the diet, although it is fine for breast feeding to be continued after 12 months. The World Health Organization recommends breast feeding until two years of age.
If breast feeding is not chosen after 12 months, whole milk is recommended up to age two, because children need the extra healthy fats in the diet for brain development. Your child can be switched to a low fat milk at 2 years of age. Kids who are at risk of becoming overweight can be switched to lower-fat milk before turning two.
It is a good idea for young children to have mealtimes at regular hours each day. Sharing meals at the family table is important. Children should eat a balanced diet from all food groups. You should nor force your child to eat food he does not want. Simply make foods available to your child. At 12 months of age, we also like to encourage parents to discontinue the use of a bottle and offer their children beverages in a cup.
Lastly, the timing of milk and fruit juice consumption is crucial in preventing tooth cavities in young children. Drinking milk or juice before bedtime can lead to cavities, often called “milk cavities.” This occurs because sugars in these beverages feed bacteria (such as alpha Strep viridans) in the mouth, causing them to produce acid that erodes tooth enamel.
To prevent cavities, avoid giving your child any sugary drinks, including milk, fruit juice, and sodas, within 30 minutes of bedtime. It is also important to brush your child’s teeth at least 30 minutes before bed and to ensure no sugary beverages are consumed after brushing.
Preventing cavities is vital because a single cavity gives bacteria a foothold, leading to more cavities over time. This advice also applies to nap-times, ensuring good dental hygiene and habits throughout the day.
Vitamin supplementation after the first year of life is usually not needed as long as the child is eating a well balanced diet from all of the food groups. If this is not the case, then a multivitamin with iron is probably a good idea. Fluoride supplementation for the older child is needed only if the water supply contains inadequate amounts of fluoride.
