14-month-old children: Nutrition and oral care

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Dang Huy Toan - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital


At the age of 14 months, the baby has started to walk. At the 14-month-old stage, parents need to pay more attention to the child's nutrition, avoid malnutrition, and let the baby develop in the best conditions.

1. What can a 14-month-old child do?

1.1 Baby's height and weight According to the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO), at the age of 14 months, boys have an average weight of 10.1kg, an average height of 78cm. The 14-month-old girl had an average weight of 9.4kg and an average height of 76.4kg.
During this period, your baby gains an average of about 200g per month. If the baby is not growing in accordance with the health trajectory, parents need to review the child's daily nutrition.

1.2 14-month-old child development Physically: Children develop gross motor skills (walking, climbing stairs, moving independently) and fine motor skills (picking up objects, using objects). object); In terms of communication and emotions: Children are attracted to children of their own age, interact more with other children, parents or people around; Cognitive and linguistic: Baby will start to imitate the actions of adults, practice saying single words,...

2. Nutritional care for 14-month-old children

What does a 14-month-old baby eat to catch up with growth? During this period, the baby usually eats less than before because the growth rate has slowed down.
2.1 What should a 14 month old baby eat? To ensure that the baby receives all the necessary groups of nutrients, what should be given to the child? Here are some essential foods for children:
Milk: Provides an abundant source of calcium and vitamin D, which helps your baby's bones and teeth develop better and stronger; Cereals: Parents should give their children whole grains instead of noodles, pho, vermicelli, rice, etc., which have been refined because cereals are rich in fiber, low in powdered sugar, better for children; Meat, beans, eggs: 14-month-old babies need a lot of energy to play and explore, so they need a high-protein diet. Protein-rich foods such as meat, beans and eggs will provide a healthy, abundant protein content for your baby; Fruits and vegetables: Every day 14 months old baby should eat about 150g of fruits and vegetables. These are foods that provide many essential vitamins and minerals for the baby, helping to improve the child's resistance. 2.2 How many meals a day should a 14-month-old child eat? At 14 months old, your baby will learn to walk and be active. The energy requirement that the baby needs each day is about 1100 - 1200 kcal. According to nutrition experts, every day babies need to eat 3 main meals, each meal is about 200ml. In addition, the baby needs to eat 2-3 extra meals of milk, dairy products or fruit.

2.3 Notes when taking care of nutrition for 14-month-old children To avoid underweight and stunting children, it is necessary to ensure enough daily meals for the baby; Parents should change their children's menu regularly to stimulate the taste buds and help them eat more; The risk of allergies in babies is very high, so parents need to be careful when choosing food sources for their babies. With foods for the first time, children should eat less to see the baby's reaction; Can a 14-month-old child eat rice? This is the stage when the child's digestive system is still quite immature, so it's best for parents to still give the baby porridge, but porridge (not pureed) to practice the child's chewing ability, helping the jaw bone develop. develop. At the same time, children eat well and chew well, the salivary glands will secrete more digestive enzymes, help them eat better and absorb food better; Each child has a different need to eat, so parents should not compare with other children, do not force the child to eat if the child does not voluntarily.

3. Dental care for 14-month-old children

A good, balanced diet is very important for the development of the dental system. Besides, maintaining good living habits for your baby also helps them to have healthy teeth. Some notes parents need to remember when taking care of their 14-month-old baby's teeth include:
Add calcium-rich foods because calcium is an important component in the structure of bones and teeth. Foods with high calcium content include milk, dairy products, crabs, snails, fish, shrimp, shrimp, dark green vegetables, soybeans,...; Provide vitamin D from food and sunbathing: Vitamin D helps the body use calcium and phosphorus well to form and maintain strong bones and teeth. Parents should feed children with cod liver oil, chicken eggs, vitamin D-fortified oil,... In addition, children need to bask in the sun regularly in the early morning and late afternoon when the sun is not harsh to help the child's body. self-synthesize vitamin D from sunlight; Add magnesium-rich foods: Magnesium plays an important role in the mineralization of bones and teeth. Foods with abundant magnesium content include marine fish, freshwater fish, meat, green vegetables, beans, beans,...; Enhance other food groups: Vitamin C (broccoli, oranges, lemons, tangerines, tomatoes, mangoes,...), fiber (vegetables); Limit foods: Sweets, carbonated soft drinks, foods that are easy to stick to teeth, ... If children eat these foods, they need to drink water, rinse their mouths immediately to avoid creating plaque in the mouth leading to corrosion. enamel, causing tooth decay; Encourage children to drink water and milk from a cup instead of a bottle; Do not allow children to suck their fingers; Should limit the use of toothpicks for children. To remove plaque on teeth, brush and floss can be used; Take your child for regular dental check-ups to detect early signs of tooth decay, provide appropriate prevention and advice. Maintaining a suitable nutrition and proper oral care for 14-month-old children will help them develop healthy, comprehensive body and mind.

In addition, parents should also apply some methods of changing habits and improving nutrition to support the child's teeth to develop better.
Besides, parents also need to supplement their children with essential micro-minerals such as zinc, lysine, chromium, selenium, vitamin B1, ... to fully meet the nutritional needs of children. The addition of these essential vitamins also supports digestion, enhances nutrient absorption, improves anorexia, and helps children eat well. Parents can simultaneously apply dietary supplements and functional foods derived from nature for easy absorption. The most important thing is that improving your baby's symptoms often takes a long time. The combination of many types of functional foods at the same time or continuously changing many types in a short time can cause the baby's digestive system not to adapt and completely not good. Therefore, parents must be really patient with their children and regularly visit the website vimec.com to update useful baby care information.