Growth & Nutrition

More than half of all child deaths are associated with malnutrition,which weakens the body’s resistance to illness. Poor diet, frequent illness, and inadequate or inattentive care of young children can lead to malnutrition. If a woman is malnourished during pregnancy, or if her child is malnourished during the first two years of life, the child’s physical and mental growth and development may be slowed. This cannot be made up when the child is older – it will affect the child for the rest of his or her life. Children have the right to a caring, protective environment and to nutritious food and basic health care to protect them from illness and promote growth and development. A young child should grow well and gain weight rapidly. From birth to age two, children should be weighed every month. If a child has not gained weight for about two months, something is wrong. Breastmilk alone is the only food and drink an infant needs until the age of six months. After six months, the child needs a variety of other foods in addition to breastmilk. From the age of six months to two years, children need to be fed five times a day, in addition to sustained breastfeeding. Children need vitamin A to resist illness and prevent visual impairments. Vitamin A can be found in many fruits and vegetables, oils, eggs, dairy products, fortified foods, breastmilk, or vitamin A supplements. Children need iron-rich foods to protect their physical and mental abilities. The best sources of iron are liver, lean meats, fish, eggs and iron-fortified foods or iron supplements. Iodized salt is essential to prevent learning disabilities and delayed development in children. During an illness, children need to continue to eat regu- larly. After an illness, children need at least one extra meal every day for at least a week. Importance of weight gain in a child A young child should grow well and gain weight rapidly. From birth to age two, children should be weighed every month. If a child has not gained weight for about two months, something is wrong. Regular weight gain is the most important sign that a child is growing and developing well. The child should be weighed during every visit to a health centre. A child who is given only breastmilk for about the first six months usually grows well during this time.Breastfeeding helps protect babies from common illnesses and ensures good physical and mental growth and development. Infants who are not breastfed may not learn as easily as breastfed infants. If a child does not gain weight for two months, he or she may need larger servings or more nutritious food,may be sick or may need more attention and care.Parents and health workers need to act quickly to dis-cover the cause of the problem. Each young child should have a growth chart. The child’s weight should be marked with a dot on the growth chart each time he or she is weighed, and the dots should be connected after each weighing. This will produce a line that shows how well the child is growing. If the line goes up, the child is doing well. A line that stays flat or goes down indicates cause for concern. If a child is not regularly gaining weight or growing well, there are some important questions to ask: Is the child eating often enough?A child needs to eat three to five times a day. A child with disabilities may require extra help and time for feeding. Is the child receiving enough food?If the child finishes his or her food and wants more, the child needs to be offered more. Do the child’s meals have too little ‘growth’ or ‘energy’ foods? Foods that help the child grow are meat, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, grains and pulses. A small amount of oil will add energy. Red palm oil or other vitamin-enriched edible oils are good sources of energy. Is the child refusing to eat? If the child does not seem to like the taste of a particular food, other foods should be offered. New foods should be introduced gradually. Is the child sick? A sick child needs encourage- ment to eat small, frequent meals. After an illness,the child needs an extra meal every day for a week.Young children need extra breastmilk for at least a week. If the child is frequently ill, he or she should be checked by a trained health worker. Is the child getting enough foods with vitamin A to Prevent illness? Breastmilk is rich in vitamin A. Other foods with vitamin A are liver, eggs, dairy products, red palm oil, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, and many green leafy vegetables. If these foods are not available in adequate amounts, as is the case in many developing countries, a child needs a vitamin A capsule twice a year. Is the child being given breastmilk substitutes by bottle? If the child is younger than six months,exclusive breastfeeding is best. From 6 to 24 months breastmilk continues to be the best milk as it is an important source of many nutrients. If other milk is given, it should be fed from a clean, open cup,rather than from a bottle.