Growth from ages one to 10 tends to more subtle but no less
important than during infancy. As a parent, you might find it hard
not to compare your toddler or pre-school child with another. For
some reason, yours may not be as tall, as big or as strong... well,
stop worrying. As long as your child is properly nourished,
generally active, mentally alert and in good health, he's growing
fine.
It would be a different story if your child is losing weight,
lethargic, apathetic and sickly. In this case, a doctor should be
consulted. Slow gains in height and weight in children aged between
one and 10 are quite normal. There's no remarkable surge as you saw
in infancy or that you will witness when adolescence comes along.
Grow at a steady pace, instead, toddlers and pre-school children
become heavier by an average of two-three kg and taller by six to
eight cm per year. Some may even grow in an erratic manner-they may
keep a ' holding pattern' for several months or longer, and
suddenly have a spurt in height and weight. This is nothing to get
alarmed about.
But growth isn't just about weight and height. Bones, teeth,
muscles and blood are also important to consider.
Growing bones, for example, affect not just your child's height
but also his body proportions. From age one, his limbs will visibly
start to lengthen. His legs will also straighten as his abdominal
and back muscles tighten to give him more support.
All these will give him an increasingly more mature appearance.
As for growing teeth, they start making an appearance at six months
of age. By three years old, your child should have his entire set
of baby teeth (10 on the upper jaw and 10 on the lower).
Enabling him to eat solid foods, these teeth also serve to
stimulate his jaw to grow and act as guides for the permanent set
of teeth which will eventually replace them.
Muscles, which are lean tissues, must develop to keep up with
your child's increasing mobility. Meanwhile, your child's body fat
tends to decrease, reaching a minimum when he is approximately six
years old.
This explains why many children this age appear ' skinny' but
they aren't necessarily weak or unwell! Blood plays an important
role by transporting nutrients and oxygen to his cells so that he
can grow, play and learn well. Conditions that impair the quality
of your child's blood (such as anemias) can be prevented by eating
a well-balanced diet.
Energy and nutrients for growth: Right nutrition is the
foundation for healthy growth. But with their decreasing growth
rates, toddlers and pre-school children tend to have a relatively
small capacity for eating. Some also develop irregular eating
patterns and eccentric food choices (for example, they may easily
get bored with their usual foods or want the same food for weeks on
end).
You need not get worried over such eating quirks as they are
normal.
However, you need to ensure your child receives the right
nutrition he needs.
He must have sufficient energy. It is the fuel that enables him
to play and learn, his cells to grow, and his internal organs to
perform basic bodily functions (including digesting and breaking
down food!).
Energy is so very vital that your child must consume sufficient
energy-giving foods (like cereals, grains, tubers and milk) so that
his body will not convert protein into energy-a situation which
could lead to `protein-energy malnutrition'.
The protein your child receives is better off being used for
building tissues. Protein is found in milk, dairy products, meat,
poultry, fish and legumes (like peas, long beans and soybeans).
Vitamins and minerals perform hundreds of functions. This is why
you should give your child fruits and vegetables, along with other
foods that contain these micronutrients.
B-vitamins (which help the body better produce and utilize
energy) can be obtained from meat. Calcium is found in milk, leafy
green vegetables and canned fish with bones (e.g. sardines).
Of all these sources, milk provides the highest quality calcium
that the body can absorb. Furthermore, milk also contains vitamins
A and D which work with calcium to build strong bones and teeth.
Iron is needed for producing red blood cells and transporting
oxygen through the blood. Lack of this trace mineral can lead to
fatigue, irritability, headaches, lack of energy and even
iron-deficiency anemia (which manifests itself from paleness on the
face and underneath the lower eyelids).
Ensure that your child is getting enough iron by offering meat,
poultry, milk, iron-fortified breakfast cereals, dried beans, nuts
and dried fruits.
Avoid giving iron supplements unless prescribed by a doctor;
iron overdose can cause serious problems.
Another trace mineral that is essential for growth is zinc.
Deficiency can result in growth failure, poor appetite, decreased
taste sensitivity and poor wound healing. Meats and seafoods are
good sources for zinc.
The best way to ensure the right nutrition for your child is by
offering a well-balanced diet comprising a variety of wholesome
foods. This may also include foods-like milk, breakfast cereals and
snacks-that have been specially enriched or fortified for optimal
growth.
In these foods, nutrients have either been replaced (due to loss
during processing) or introduced (when they did not exist
originally) to meet accepted standards, like the US Recommended
Dietary Allowances (US RDA).
Keeping an eye on growth: Take your child to the doctor at
regular intervals for a complete assessment of his growth and
development. Using measurements taken during each visit, the doctor
will be able to chart your child's growth patterns and alert you if
any problems are detected.
Signs of trouble include lack of weight gain or loss of weight
over a period of months. They could be warning signs of
under-nutrition, an undiagnosed chronic disease, or significant
emotional or family problems.
On the other hand, excessive weight gain also poses a
significant health problem. Some parents over-nourish their
children while failing to encourage regular and sufficient physical
activity. As a result, their children become overweight and, in
some cases, obese.
This may increase the children's likelihood of becoming
overweight adults with a higher tendency to develop chronic
illnesses (like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease) in
their later years.
If severe illness has temporarily slowed down or halted your
child's growth, the doctor can provide advice on how to help your
child's `catch-up growth' when he recovers.
Feeding tips for quirky eaters SET a good example Children's
food likes and dislikes are influenced by their parents' food
attitudes. If you want your child to eat a well-balanced diet and a
wide variety of foods, you should do the same yourself. Remember,
children are basically copy-cats.
Offer nutritious foods Young children can eat only so much at
each meal. So, they may need to eat five or six mini meals instead
of three bigger ones. Each time they eat, be sure to offer
nutritious foods, such as sliced fruit, cheese and meat. Milk is
also a good choice, especially if it is formulated for easy
digestion to help children gain all the goodness of every glassful.
Offer substitutes If your child constantly refuses a particular
food, offer it in a different form or give a substitute within the
same food group. How many ways can you serve bread? With a picky
eater to feed, you might just find out! Let your child decide Let
your child eat as much-or as little-as he wishes. If he is being
picky, plays with his food or refuses to eat more than a mouthful,
let him leave the table. He's probably not hungry.
Set times for snacks Not allowing snacks close to mealtimes
helps build up his appetite.
Maintain a healthy atmosphere Don't make your child dread
mealtimes. Do not nag, scold or punish him to make him eat. Also,
avoid insisting on rigid table manners or hold arguments with
others at the dining table.
Make eating as relaxed as possible and avoid rushing.
Check on how he's eating If your child's eating habits cause
concern, keep a food diary of what and how much he eats each day.
Review it every week; it will help you plan what to serve next.
