Proper and adequate nutrition during infancy and early childhood are essential to ensure the growth, health, and development of the child to their full potential. Under or poor nutrition increases the risk of illness and is directly or indirectly responsible for an estimated 2.7 million child deaths annually or 45% of all child deaths. Infant and young child feeding is a key area to improve child survival and promote healthy growth and development.

The first 2 years of life are particularly important, as optimal nutrition during this period lowers morbidity and mortality, reduces the risk of chronic disease, and fosters better development overall.

However, many infants and children do not receive optimal feeding. For example, only about 36% of infants aged 0–6 months worldwide were exclusively breastfed over the period of 2007-2014. Optimal breastfeeding is so critical that it could save the lives of over 820 000 children under the age of 5 years each year.

 WHO and UNICEF recommend:

• Early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth;
• Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life; and
• Introduction of nutritionally-adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at 6 months together with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.

 WHO has spread out some key facts which are as follows (1):

• Every infant and child has the right to good nutrition according to the "Convention on the Rights of the Child".
• Undernutrition is associated with 45% of child deaths.
• Globally in 2019, 144 million children under 5 were estimated to be stunted (too short for age), 47 million were estimated to be wasted (too thin for height), and 38.3 million were overweight or obese.
• About 40% of infants 0–6 months old are exclusively breastfed.
• Few children receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods; in many countries, less than a fourth of infants 6–23 months of age meet the criteria of dietary diversity and feeding frequency that are appropriate for their age.
• Over 820 000 children's lives could be saved every year among children under 5 years if all children 0–23 months were optimally breastfed. Breastfeeding improves IQ, school attendance, and is associated with higher income in adult life. (1)
• Improving child development and reducing health costs through breastfeeding results in economic gains for individual families as well as at the national level.

 Numerous methodologies are utilized and numerous controls are occupied with the investigation of food and nutrition in childhood.

Studies on dietary habits in infancy and childhood faces various challenges, which are pretty much exclusive for those ages; the rapid change in food habits and nutrient consumption in certain ages, the constrained capacity of little youngsters to co-operate and the requirement for right dietary data from the various grown-ups who care for the kid at home, at school or in day-care centres.

Infant feeding

Taking care of feeding habits and dietary habits in the early stages of life and childhood are impacted by various variables. The family, companions and neighbors, the media, the wellbeing administrations and schools are instances of wellsprings of impact. In epidemiological investigations, complex communications between various social and ecological impacts must be rearranged so as to make a portrayal and examination conceivable. Be that as it may, the multivariate idea of the issues should be considered in the selection of techniques for information investigation.

 In a recent study, a few parts of the feeding and dietary habits have been examined concerning a potential relationship with social and environmental factors. The study showed that the rate of breastfeeding was high; only one percent was not breastfed at the hour of release from the maternity ward. During the primary long stretches of life, the breastfeeding pervasiveness was very homogenous in the considered regions; around 75 percent of the newborn children were still breastfed (totally or incompletely) at a quarter of a year. Around one-third of the newborn children had received formula feed during the first month of life. Two sorts of equations were utilized: a milk-based formula and a milk-based cereal formula. The move from the first to the second sort of equation occurred at 4 — 5 months of age. Somewhere in the range of 3 and a half year little volumes of semi-solids and solids were presented — at first utilized chiefly as weaning foods.

Nutrient consumption in childhood

 -Sugar consumption in 4 and 8-year-olds

Guardians having a place with higher financial layers or having longer training were progressively inclined to act as per taking care of suggestions in regards to breastfeeding term, the introduction of complementary foods and gluten-containing foods, and the use of sucrose-rich foods in infancy. At 12 months, higher education of the mother was related to higher frequencies of the utilization of vegetables, fruits, potatoes and meat. Higher education was additionally adversely connected with the utilization of foods containing a lot of sucrose at 1 year of age. The nutritional category comprising of desserts, snacks and so on contributed 50 percent of the everyday sucrose admission, bread and other oat items to 15 percent and foods grown from the ground to another 15 percent.

-Fat consumption in 4, 8 and 13-year-olds

Differences in fat admission (a relative measure of vitality from energy from total fat, saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, or amount cholesterol per 4.18 MJ) between layers characterized by geological zone, sex or mother's training were commonly little in youngsters aged 4, 8 and 13 years. The mean estimation of saturated fat admission was fundamentally lower and the estimation of poly-unsaturated fat was higher among 8-years old in the northern urban region. Dietary cholesterol esteems were likewise essentially lower among both 4-and 8-year-old youngsters in that area. On normal, 10 percent of the day by day total fat admission got from normally happening or included sucrose in groups of kids aged 4, 8 and 13 years.

-Energy consumption in 4, 8 and 13-year-olds

The assessed groups mean energy admissions of weaned 6 and 12 months old newborn children and the 4, 8 and 13 year-olds as indicated by 24-hour reviews done during a study showed that there was a general habit towards lower energy admissions when compared to the RDA figures.

The day by day energy admission is prescribed to be distributed over 3 main meals and 1 — 2 in-between meals. This proposal is given for kids more than 3 years old and adults.

 -Protein consumption in 4, 8 and 13-year-olds

The protein admission was high in all age groups. The weaned 6-month-old newborn got 50 percent of their absolute protein consumption from milk-based formula feeds while the 1-year old children had a more diversified diet. The younger children got a large portion of their protein from milk, milk items and meat, fish and eggs.

 -Mineral and vitamin consumption in 4, 8 and 13-year-olds

The admission of various minerals and nutrients were commonly well over the suggested levels.

Iron admission, be that as it may, was at or somewhat beneath the suggested dietary allowances. The most significant wellsprings of iron in early stages were iron-fortified follow-up formulas though the greater part of the iron admission in more established age bunches got from bread and other iron-fortified oats.

The dietary admission of nutrient D was enhanced by oral drops, containing 10 ug cholecalciferol and 0.3 mg retinol per everyday portion to pre-school children. Of the analyzed babies 94 percent got these drops at 6 months and 88 percent at 12 months. Along these lines, the complete dietary admission in the early stages of nutrient D was high corresponding to the suggested recompenses. In the older age groups, the dietary admission of nutrient D was extensively lower than the dietary allowances.

Proper dietary habits can lead to lower health risks

Various dietary habits in youth may represent health risks in the short or long term.

• A frequent admission of sugar may build the danger of dental caries and obesity.
• Examples of fat admission have been related to the danger of cardiovascular illness.
• The degree of sodium admission has been related to the danger of hypertension in population and
• An insufficient iron admission may expand the pervasiveness of iron inadequacy paleness.

Thus, taking care of these nutrients from early on in life and building habits of your child in the proper way will help in making the future young generation healthier and away from diseases that are so commonly seen in today’s time.

References:

1. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infant-and-young-child-feeding
2. Persson, Lars Åke: Nutrition and health in infancy and childhood. An epidemiological approach to the assessment of dietary habits, their determinants and implications. Department of Paediatrics and Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Umeâ University, S-901 85 Umeå, Sweden. Umeå 1984, pp 103 Umeå University Medical Dissertations. New Series No. 119. ISSN 0346-6612