Let the child "win" at the starting line! Infant and young children are known for their nutritional feeding

If the growth and development of children is a long-distance run, then the scientific nutrition feeding of infants and young children is the "starting line" of long-distance running. Most moms and dads rack their brains for the nutritional balance of their babies. So, how not to let the child lose on the "starting line"? The following points of infant nutrition feeding must be known.

The importance of infant and young child nutrition for the healthy growth of children

Infant and young child feeding contains three meanings. "Infants and young children" refers to the stage of children from birth to three years of age; "nutrition" mainly emphasizes the intake of nutrients that are adequate and balanced, including protein, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, water and dietary fiber; "feeding" emphasizes breastfeeding, complementary food addition, reasonable diet and dietary behavior cultivation during this period.

This period is the most important stage in the first 1,000 days of life, and scientific feeding and abundant nutrition are beneficial to the health of children and lay a good foundation for their lifelong development. Therefore, parents' awareness-raising is conducive to the adoption of scientific feeding behavior, which plays a role in improving children's nutritional status, reducing child malnutrition, and preventing diseases.

Common problems with infant and young child nutrition

Parents are particularly concerned about the nutritional feeding of infants and young children, but the problems encountered by different age groups are different. For infants under six months of age, in the early stage, parents are mainly concerned about breastfeeding; between six months and one year old, most parents are concerned about the addition of complementary foods; and after one year, the feeding problems encountered by children on the way to eat are more common.

Reasons for advocating exclusive breastfeeding in infants aged 0 to 6 months

Breast milk is the best source of nutrients for a baby's growth, with optimal bioavailability, and can meet all the needs of a baby's growth and development within 6 months. In addition, there are rich immune active substances in breast milk, which on the one hand can enhance the immunity of infants, thereby reducing the risk of children suffering from colds, diarrhea, pneumonia and other diseases; on the other hand, the process of breastfeeding itself can enhance the parent-child relationship, promote the development of the child's nervous system, and have great benefits for the child's physical and mental health.

And the biggest feature of breastfeeding is individualized customization: the mother's milk itself is prepared for her baby, which can be adapted to the actual needs of the baby and better help the child's growth and development.

Breastfeeding is not only good for children, but also good for mothers. For example, early breastfeeding can promote the contraction of the mother's uterus and reduce postpartum bleeding; prolonged breastfeeding can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, breast cancer and other diseases. Because the production of tumors is often related to the mother's endocrine environment, breastfeeding can regulate the mother's internal environment, thereby reducing the risk of tumorigenesis.

Therefore, breast milk can meet the needs of infants and young children at different growth stages in terms of nutritional value and biological function, which is irreplaceable for formula milk.

This paper was scientifically checked by Wang Danhua, chief physician of the Department of Pediatrics of Peking Union Medical College Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhang Yue, deputy director of the Child Health Department of the Maternal and Child Health Care Center of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Ma Yang, deputy director of the Child Health Center of Beijing Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University.