Healthy kids: Children’s nutritional needs by age

Nutrition needs change as kids grow from infant to toddler to school age. See what nutrients and supplements are needed for healthy kids.

August 15,2024

Healthy kids need good nutrition

Good nutrition is key throughout your life, but it is crucial for children. From birth to age 5 their bodies are growing and developing, setting the foundation for their future health.

As they enter school, they are building on that foundation. Their brains continue to develop, filling up with information, and their bodies experience growth spurt after growth spurt, preparing to go through puberty and transition from healthy kids into mature, young adults.

Let’s look at the basics of kids’ nutrition and how you can support their health and development along the way.

Healthy babies: Newborn and infant nutrition

When it comes to ensuring children get proper nutrition, the newborn and infant stage might be the easiest. For a happy, healthy baby, experts recommend breastfeeding (also called nursing or chestfeeding) exclusively for the first six months when possible. When that’s not possible, baby formula is recommended.

Both are designed by nature or nutritionists to provide exactly what a healthy baby needs at that critical stage of development. Nursing, especially, delivers extra health benefits including support for their developing immune systems.

Experts also recommend giving vitamin D drops as a supplement to support newborn nutrition until they can get enough from solid foods. While human milk has plenty of health benefits for babies, it doesn’t provide enough vitamin D. And although many formulas are fortified with vitamin D, babies don’t consume enough initially to get all the vitamin D they need each day.

After six months, experts recommend continuing to nurse or use formula while solid foods are introduced through at least the first year or longer for optimal infant nutrition. (Make sure you’re ready for the increased baby baths as they inevitably end up wearing some of those solid foods!)

When considering solid foods, choose ones that provide iron and zinc, such as baby food made with meat or iron-fortified baby cereals. After a few months, you should be offering a variety of foods including meats, cereal, vegetables, fruits, eggs and fish.

Toddler nutrition and health

Uh oh. Your baby has grown into a walking, talking toddler with opinions. That might make ensuring they get the nutrients they need a bit more challenging, but it’s still important. At ages 1-2, children need 800-1000 calories a day from fruits, vegetables, grains and protein. Preschoolers (ages 3-4) need 1200-1400 calories a day.

The United States Department of Health recommends a toddler’s nutrition includes a ½-1 cup fruit, 2/3-1 cup vegetables, 1½-2oz grains and 2oz of protein each day. Preschoolers should eat 1-2 cups fruit, 1½-2½ cups vegetables, 4-6oz grains and 3-5½ oz protein.

This is when children should be learning how to read their own bodies’ hunger and fullness cues while still consuming a healthy diet that includes all the major food groups while emphasizing calcium and vitamin D for strong teeth and bones.

It may be tempting to resort to their favorites over and over again when they start loudly asserting their desire to make choices, but it’s important they eat a variety of foods, including fruits and vegetables of all colors to ensure they’re getting a range of plant nutrients.

Supporting immune system development for kids

Once babies become toddlers, they are also interacting more with the outside world, including all its germs and bacteria. That exposure will only expand as kids grow. It’s time to start thinking about immune support for kids. There are plenty of tips for supporting the immune system, like washing hands frequently and avoiding touching their faces, but there are also immune-supporting supplements to help support healthy kids.

Nutrilite™ Kids Complete Immunity Fast-Melt Powder provides immune support for kids ages 4 and up and can be sprinkled right on your child’s tongue or mixed with cold water or other beverages. It includes vitamins C and D, zinc and probiotics, a combination that is clinically supported to keep kids’ immune systems healthy.

For the under-4 crowd, parents can consider Nutrilite Kids Toddler Immunity Drops to provide immune support. Each 1mL serving delivers vitamins C and D and zinc as well as superfruits elderberries and acerola cherries. It can be taken directly or mixed with any other food or beverage, making it perfect for the picky eater.

School-age kids: Nutrition basics

Ensuring your kid’s nutrition includes everything it should can be a challenge when you don’t know how much (or what) they’re eating at school. But here’s the overview of what nutrients healthy kids should be consuming according to the U.S. Department of Health.

Each day girls ages 6-11 should consume 1,400-1,800 calories from ½-2 cups fruit, 1½-3 cups vegetables, 2½-3½ oz grains and 4-6oz of protein. Boys should aim for 1600-2000 calories from ½-2 cups fruit, 2-3½ cups vegetables, 3-4½ oz grains and 5-6½ oz of protein.

If your child falls into the picky eater category and you think they could use some help getting all the nutrients they need, consider some snacks designed to help fill nutrient gaps like Nutrilite Organics Kids Complete Superfood Powder.

It’s formulated for children ages 4-12 and gives parents and caregivers an easy (and tasty!) way to add a variety of nutrients from fruits and vegetables and essential vitamins and minerals to kids’ nutrition, including 8g of plant-based protein. It also has vitamin C and zinc to support children’s natural immune system.

You can also help fill any nutrient gaps with a simple multivitamin, like Nutrilite Kids Daily Chewable Multivitamin. With 13 vitamins and 5 minerals, it provides support for bone, immune and eye health. It also has nutrients from a variety of plants, including pineapple, spinach and blueberry, all grown on Nutrilite farms and partner farms.

Supporting brain development in children

The school-age era is also the perfect time to consider a brain development supplement for your child. A healthy, varied diet heavy in colorful fruits and vegetables will most likely deliver the nutrients needed for healthy brain development in children, including the all-important omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to improve learning, memory, cognitive function and blood flow in the brain.

But we know that kids don’t always follow that healthy, varied diet. You can help support their brain development with an omega-3 supplement. Nutrilite Kids Brainiums DHA™ Jelly Splat is a fun, sugar-free way to deliver omega-3s from sustainably sourced fish and organic chia seed oil.

Feel a little more knowledgeable about your child’s nutrition? We hope so! You can learn more about all the Nutrilite products to support healthy kids and see tips for healthy eating by visiting the Nutrilite Kids page on AmwayDotCom