Nutrition for Children under the age of six

CHILDREN UNDER 6 MONTHS

• Should be exclusively breast-fed without any additional food or drink (including water)
• Should be breast-fed on demand not by the hour.
• Advantages of being exclusively breast-fed:
  • Stabilize the digestive system
  • Enhance the immune system and reduce allergies (eczema, asthma
  • Have mentally and physically good development
  • Reduce the risk of being breast cancer for mothers
• If children cannot be breast-fed as their mothers don’t have milk or they’re orphaned or there are contraindications from doctors, they can be fed on formula. However, after being fed on formula should children be added more water as too much salt content influence their kidney.

CHILDREN FROM 6 MONTHS OR START TEETHING ABOVE

• Begin to feed from less to more, from basic mixture within 2 weeks to diversity mixture. It is advised to ensure adequate 4 groups of food everyday as the picture below:
• Feeding children a meal a day at first until they’re 6 months, then change up to 2 -4 meals a day. When they’re 1- 3 years old, you can feed them 200 – 300ml per once.
• Feeding children from liquid food at first, then turn it to be denser. When children have teeth to chew then you can change to solid food. Until they’re 2 years old, they can eat as adults.
• Let the children have their meals by themselves but under the adult’s observation
• Do not force the children to eat and need to be patient if they refuse to eat. Each meal should not last over 30 min, if they don’t want to eat any more then stop the meal.
• Let the children sit still at one place to eat, not going around or turning on the TV,… during that time to help them focus on their meals.
• Do not let the children eat food cooked before 1-2 hours or food stored overnight.

6 – 12 months: continue to breast-feed on demand. If mothers have to go to work, they can cool milk in the fridge

6 - 7 months: eating a loose powder meal (100-200ml)

8 - 9 months: 2 dense powder meals 200ml

10 - 12 months: 3 dense powder meal 200-250ml

1 - 2 years old: Continue to breast-feed until the children are 18-24 months

3-4 years old

• Maintain 5 meals a day, including 3 main meals and 2 snacks at mid-morning and late afternoon
• At this age, children begin to choose their own food. Therefore, parents should let them eat what they want and then make those food suitable for them. Besides, parents can tell their children more about the advantages of food, for example: eat more vegetables will have more vitamins,…Children at this age can learn and remember all things well, so once they understand they will not fussy.

4-6 years old

• In terms of nutrients: similar to other members of family
• In terms of the amount: children can eat > ½ adults, depending on their demand and activities.
• Children have to eat vegetables, not just eat the juice