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Chapter: Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Diet During Infancy

Nutritional Requirements - Diet During Infancy

The first year of life is a period of the most rapid growth in one’s life.

NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

 

The first year of life is a period of the most rapid growth in one’s life. A baby doubles its birth weight by 6 months of age and triples it within the first year. This explains why the infant’s energy, vitamin, mineral, and protein require-ments are higher per unit of body weight than those of older children or adults. It is important to remember, however, that growth rates vary from child to child. Nutritional needs will depend largely on a child’s growth rate.

 

During the first year, the normal child needs 98 to 108 calories per kilo-gram of body weight each day. This is approximately two to three times the adult requirement. Low-birth-weight infants and infants who have suffered from malnutrition or illness require more than the normal number of calories per kilogram of body weight. The nutritional status of infants is reflected by many of the same characteristics as those of adults (see Table 1-2).


 

The basis of the infant’s diet is breast milk or formula. Either one is a highly nutritious, digestible food containing proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vita-mins, minerals, and water.

 

It is recommended that infants up to 6 months of age have 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of weight each day, and from 6 to 12 months, 1.56 grams of protein per kilogram of weight each day. This is satisfactorily supplied by human milk or by infant formulas (Figure 12-2).


 

Infants have more water per pound of body weight than do adults. Thus, they usually need 1.5 ml of water per calorie. This is the same ratio of water to calories as is found in human milk and in most infant formulas. Essential vitamins and minerals can be supplied in breast milk, formula, and food. Except for vitamin D, breast milk provides all the nutrients an infant needs for the first 4 to 6 months of life. An infant is born with a 3- to 6-month supply of iron. When the infant reaches 6 months of age, the pediatrician usually starts the infant on iron-fortified cereal.

 

Human milk usually supplies the infant with sufficient vitamin C. Iron-fortified formula is available, and its use is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatricians if the baby is not being breastfed. The pediatrician can prescribe a vitamin D supplement for infants who are nursed and who are not exposed to sunlight on a regular basis. Newborns lack intestinal bacteria to synthesize vitamin K, so they are routinely given a vitamin K supple-ment shortly after birth. In addition, some pediatricians prescribe fluoride for breastfed babies or for formula-fed babies living in areas where the water, such as well water, contains little fluoride.

 

Care must be taken that infants do not receive excessive amounts of either vitamins A or D because both can be toxic in excessive amounts. Vitamin A can damage the liver and cause bone abnormalities, and vitamin D can damage the cardiovascular system and kidneys.


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