27-month-old children: Nutrition and oral care

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.
Children 27 months old have better physical and cognitive development compared to previous months. Nutrition for 27-month-old children needs to be enhanced to maintain the child's physical and intellectual development. Besides, dental care at this age also needs to be taken care of by parents.

1. Development of a 27-month-old baby

Children 27 months old have much more physical, motor, language, cognitive development than in previous months. Children can move, run and jump all day without getting tired, can balance on one leg, know how to coordinate legs when running and jumping. Children's hands are more skillful in grasping activities, children know how to undress themselves, enjoy exploring drawers, bottles....
27-month-old children can surprise their parents with their development awareness. Children can recognize and show parents familiar objects, can dance and sing for parents to see. Children's vocabulary is quite large, children can say many words and short, simple sentences. Children like to play with friends of the same age, know how to express their emotions, know how to protest when they feel angry or dissatisfied.
In order for children to develop well during this period, parents need to maintain a reasonable diet for children, divide main meals and snacks, give children a variety of food groups, and increase dental health care.

2. What should a 27-month-old child eat?

To ensure adequate nutrition for 27-month-old children, children need to eat three main meals and 2-3 snacks a day. The main meals need a variety of foods to provide children with all four important nutritional groups, including: Starch, protein, vitamins, and fat.
Good foods for children, parents can choose such as:
Meats, fish, legumes, milk and dairy products, eggs: Provide abundant amino acids for growing children . Dark green vegetables such as spinach, kale, and broccoli help provide children with folic acid and fiber. Natural oils such as sesame oil, gac oil, sachi oil, olive oil, avocado, ... are a safe source of fats for children. Starchy foods, which provide nutrition and energy, such as whole-wheat bread, whole grains, potatoes, etc. In addition, should be combined with fruits for children to eat. and vegetables contain many vitamins, minerals, fiber. Yogurt is a fermented milk product that helps to supplement natural beneficial bacteria, supports the absorption of nutrients from food, and is very good for the digestive system of children. Parents should give their children yogurt and fruit at snacks to help them digest better. The interval between children's meals is 2-3 hours. Children should not eat cakes and sweets. Milk still provides additional nutrition for the baby. Parents can give children 300-500ml of milk per day, if the child does not like to drink milk, then there is no need to force the child, can give the child yogurt or drink milk from nuts instead. Drinking milk can be considered as a snack for children, parents should note that children should not drink milk near meals, nor should children drink more milk than needed because it can make children anorexic.

3. Dental care for 27-month-old children

Oral health for children is just as important as their overall health. Maintaining a twice-daily oral hygiene routine is extremely important.
When children are 27 months old, parents can teach children to brush their own teeth. Parents choose the right toothbrush and toothpaste for their child. Children learn from observation, parents can brush their teeth together, let children look in the mirror when brushing teeth, turn brushing teeth into a game to create excitement for children. Children should not eat sweet foods such as donuts, candy, soft drinks, ... because it can erode tooth enamel and cause tooth decay. Parents should let their children go to the dentist once or twice a year to prevent common dental diseases.
If a child at this age has any abnormal signs such as: delay in speech, autism... parents should soon take the child to a reputable facility for timely examination and treatment.

In addition, parents should also apply some methods to change habits and improve 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. Combining many types of functional foods at the same time or changing many types in a short time can make the baby's digestive system unable 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.