MEAL PLANS
All healthy children should receive at least 3 meals plus two snacks per day. The only difference is in the amount of quantity that is offered to the child at every meal. Parents should keep in mind that breast feeding should be continued up to 2 years.
• At 1-3 years of age, children should receive 3 meals plus two snacks in a day. Regular family food should be introduced such as roti and daal. The meal size should be ¾-1 cup with an egg, 1 oz. meat or fish given 2-3 times per week. A variety of fresh fruits and raw vegetables should be introduced as snacks. If weaned off breast milk, they should also receive 6-8 oz of milk twice in 24 hours.
• At 4-6 years of age, your child should have a meal size of one and a half roti per meal or a cup of cooked rice. The meal plan remains 3 meals plus two snacks per day with two servings of 6-8 oz of milk or an equivalent amount of yogurt.
• For children between 7-8 years of age the meal plan essentially remains the same with increase in portion size per meal to 2 roti or a cup and a half of rice. This again depends upon the level of activity of the child. Snacks may be increased to 4 in a day but are to be avoided 2 hours before regular meals. Two servings of 6-8 ounces of milk are strongly recommended as the child is now entering a rapid growth zone.
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT FOR AGE
Between 4-8 years of age, the height factor needs to be considered as well. Tall children may look slim but fall in the otherwise healthy zone. It is important to keep an eye on your child’s activities, if s/he appears well and is not falling ill too often, performing well in school and at sports then s/he does not need to be overfed just on the whims of an over-eager parent.
In a nutshell, the choices regarding what to feed your child are yours alone. The basics of nutrition that I have tried to explain in this piece are just the beginning, for nutrition is an ever-evolving science, one that requires to be thoroughly understood by parents of growing children.
Reference:
www.mckinley.uiuc.edu
