Well-nourished children develop better, have strong bones and teeth, receive plenty of energy, and are more resistant to diseases. Good nutrition does not mean that a child eats a lot or eats certain foods excessively. Children eat in amounts appropriate to their body and age. We cannot compare the amounts eaten by adults with those eaten by children. What matters is not the quantity consumed but its nutritional value.
What Does Malnutrition Cause in Children? - Poorly nourished children get sick quickly and often. - Their bones do not develop properly and strongly. - Their teeth do not come in properly and decay quickly. - Their mental development is slow, and they have learning difficulties. - They tire quickly, are lethargic, inattentive, and overly irritable. - They may have health issues such as anemia and weakness. - They may have crooked and short bone structures. - Diseases like measles, meningitis, and jaundice affect poorly nourished children more. Essential nutrients are those that help a child's development. Foods Containing Vitamins All vegetables and fruits (green, yellow leafy, root vegetables, and all fruits, especially vitamin C-rich oranges, tangerines, lemons in winter, tomatoes, strawberries in summer). Foods Containing Protein Milk and dairy products (yogurt, cheese) as well as foods like meat and eggs. Cheese, yogurt, pudding, ayran, rice pudding, and similar dairy soups, animal foods like meat, fish, chicken, eggs, and plant-based proteins like dried beans, lentils, peas, and chickpeas fall into this group. Foods That Are Energy Sources Grains and starchy foods (bulgur, wheat, oats, rice, bread, pastries, pasta, börek, etc.). What Should a Child Eat Every Day? A child should eat from every food group every day, if possible at every meal. That is; - Vegetables and fruits - Milk and dairy products - Meat and similar foods - A food from grains and starchy foods. How to Prepare Complementary Foods? A baby who is only breastfed starts to receive complementary foods from the 4th month, sometimes from the 6th month. A baby who is not breastfed and is fed with cow's milk starts to receive complementary foods from the 2nd month. Milk; Daily milk or open milk is first strained, boiled for 5 more minutes after it rises. It can only be stored in glass containers in the refrigerator for one day. When it is to be given to the child, the milk prepared in a tea glass is poured into a bottle and held in warm water for a minute or two. Its warmth is tested on the wrist before giving it to the baby. Yogurt; Yogurt can be made fresh every day from boiled daily milk. It should be stored in glass jars. Aluminum and plastic containers should not be used in yogurt making. It can only be kept in the refrigerator for one day. When it is to be given to the baby, the cream on top is removed. It can be processed according to the baby's age. Pudding; 1 heaping tablespoon of rice or wheat flour is mixed with 1 medium-sized glass of milk. It is cooked by stirring over low heat. Near the end of cooking, 1 heaping tablespoon of sugar is added and stirred a few more times before being poured into a bowl. It is given to the baby after it cools down. Fruit Juice; The fruit is thoroughly washed, dried, and the skins of hard fruits are peeled. It is grated with a glass grater. Then it is strained through a fine cheesecloth and given to the child without waiting. Fruit Puree; The fruit is thoroughly washed. If the fruit skins are hard, they are peeled. It is passed through a glass grater and given to the child without waiting. For hard fruits, the fruit can be cut into pieces, boiled in hot water, and mashed with a spoon. Vegetable Soups; A medium-sized washed potato, a small carrot, 3-4 fresh green beans, or 1 small zucchini, and a few spinach leaves are washed and cleaned. They are chopped and boiled in boiling water until soft. They are mashed with a wooden spoon in the water they were cooked in. They are strained and given to the baby. Later on, the same vegetables can be given as puree with half a teaspoon of oil added. (All vegetables except for gas-producing ones like cabbage and radish can be used.) - No salt is added to baby foods. - In the fifth month, a teaspoon of rice is added to the vegetable soup. In the sixth month, a tablespoon of lentils or minced meat or again a tablespoon of diced liver is added. - When feeding the baby lying down, a pillow is placed under their head to keep it slightly elevated. - The newly introduced food may not be suitable for the baby. If they show itching, rash, or allergic symptoms after consuming it, that food should not be given for a while. Another food that can replace it should be introduced. Each new food should be given in small amounts, gradually increasing the quantity. Egg; The egg is placed in water and boiled for 10 minutes once it reaches boiling point. The white and yolk should be firm but not too hard (the yolk should not turn green). Depending on the child's age, first the yolk, then the whole egg can be given, either alone, mixed with milk, or in vegetable soup. Preparing Meats; Liver and brain are prepared by boiling in water after removing their membranes and mashing with a fork. They can be given alone or added to vegetable soup. Minced meat is finely ground and added to vegetable soups. Well-cooked, boneless fish is thoroughly mashed and started to be given from a teaspoon. However, other foods should have been introduced before starting fish. Common Mistakes in Food Preparation and Cooking - Chopping vegetables and leaving them exposed or in water, boiling them and discarding the water. - Discarding the boiling water of pasta. - Straining yogurt and discarding its green water. - Heating oil first and then adding it to the dish. - Leaving milk and yogurt in bright places. - Soaking rice in water, making pilaf by roasting it. - Adding sugar to pudding and rice pudding first and cooking for a long time. - Cooking milk taken from an open source without mixing it for a short time. - Feeding raw eggs. - Feeding cheese made from raw milk. - Putting food in empty medicine or detergent containers. How Often and How Should a 0-6 Month Old Baby Be Fed? The best time to feed is when the baby is hungry. When you start feeding the baby by the clock, you may not be able to adhere to the baby's own feeding schedule. For example, the baby may be sleeping at the time set by the parent, or may not want to eat. Therefore, it is best to observe each baby's feeding times and adjust the feeding schedule accordingly. Because each baby's digestion time is different. Bottle and Pacifier Use and Features - The bottle should be made of durable glass or boilable plastic. - The hole in the bottle's nipple should be small. It is healthy for the baby's palate structure to struggle to suck milk like from the mother's breast. If the bottle hole is large, the baby will swallow air along with the formula, which can cause gas pains. - Pacifiers with a round tip should not be preferred; those with one flat side should be chosen. The pacifier should be used as little as possible, and if the baby has come with a pacifier from the neighborhood, efforts should be made to make them forget it. - The pacifier should only be given from the beginning during sleep and when the baby is irritable. - Formula left in the bottle should not be given to the child after a few hours. - For a feeding spoon, it is more appropriate to use plastic or metal spoons that are not sharp-edged and can be boiled, to avoid hurting the baby's mouth or palate. - After feeding the baby, hold them in your lap and gently rub their back to help them burp.
Child Health and Safety
