Nutrition and healthy eating play an essential role in child development, with nutrition having a significant impact on physical, cognitive and emotional development. Nutrition also provides a child with the energy they require to learn, develop and play and helps to support their physical and mental well-being.

For a baby, breast milk is the best. it has all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Infant formulas are available for babies whose mothers are not able to or decide not to breastfeed. Infants are usually ready to eat solid foods at about 6 month of age. Early nutritional deficits are also linked to long-term impairment in growth and health. Malnutrition during the first 2 years of life causes stunting, leading to the adult being several centimeters shorter than his or her potential height

• Another way to generalize caloric need is that an infant needs 100cal/kg/day, age 1 to 3 years need 80kcal/kg/day, 4 to 5 years needs 70kcal/kg/day, 6 to 8 years needs 60 to 65kcal/kg/day, and 9+ needs 35 to 45kcal/kg/day.

Your child can begin eating solid foods at about 6 months old. by that time he or she is 7 or 8 months old, your child can eat a variety of foods from different food groups. These foods include infants cereals, meat or other protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurt and cheeses.

• Some of the nutrients babies need to grow and stay healthy include
• Calcium. Helps build strong bones and teeth.
• Fat. Creates energy, helps the brain develop, keeps skin and hair healthy, and protects against infections.
• Folate. Helps cell divide.
• Iron ,protein and carbohydrates, zinc.

Healthy full-term newborn require, on average, 120 kcal/kg/day to meet their energy needs and sustain growth. On per kilogram basis, caloric needs decrease with age. The average 1-3 year old child requires only 100 kal/kg/day. Folic acid: Also known as Vitamin B9, 400 micrograms of folic acid each day reduces the risk of neural tube defects before conception. Vitamin D is important for brain development and mental functioning, and also aids in learning and memory. Childhood nutrition refers to the dietary needs for healthy children aged 2 years through 11 years of age.

Your baby’s diet should consist of a variety of the following:

• fruits and vegetables, including ones with bitter flavors, such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and cabbage.
• potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy foods.
• beans, pulses, fish’s, eggs, meat and other non-diary source of protein.

Your baby has a small stomach and needs to be eating small amounts of soft nutritious food frequently throughout the day. In addition to grains and tubers, feed your baby a variety of foods- especially animal foods (dairy, eggs, meat, fish and poultry), fruits and vegetables- every day