What does an 8-month-old child eat to develop height and weight?

This is an automatically translated article.

1. Standard weight and height to achieve for 8-month-old babies

Weight and height parameters of 8-month-old boy according to World Health Organization (WHO):
Normal weight is 8.6kg; Children are considered malnourished when their weight is less than 7kg; High risk of malnutrition when weighing less than 7.7kg; The risk of obesity when the weight exceeds 9.6kg and is considered obese when the baby weighs 10.5kg or more; The average height of an 8-month-old boy is about 68.3cm. Weight and height indexes of 8-month-old girls according to World Health Organization (WHO) standards:
Normal weight is 7.9kg; Malnutrition when the baby weighs 6.3 kg or less; Classified as at risk of malnutrition when weighing less than 7 kg; Girls are at risk of obesity when they weigh more than 9kg and are considered obese when they weigh 10kg or more; The average height of an 8-month-old girl is about 68.7cm. Watch now: Note when cooking porridge for 8-month-old babies

2. What should 8-month-old children eat to develop the best height and weight?

Before answering the question of what 8-month-old children eat to develop a standard height and weight, parents need to learn about the factors that affect the height and nutritional needs of children of this age.
Many reliable studies in the world have proven that human height is affected and influenced by many different factors, of which the most influential factor is nutrition (32%), followed by nutrition. followed by other factors such as genetics (23%), physical activity level (20%), living environment, ability to sun exposure, developmental diseases, sleep quality sleep...

2.1. Nutritional needs of an 8 month old baby

What to eat at 8 months to gain weight is a question many parents ask. To understand this issue, parents first need to understand the nutritional needs of children during this period.
8 months of age is the period when babies have higher nutritional needs than the first months of life. At this time, breast milk is still considered the main source of nutrition, but parents need to give their babies the necessary nutrients through weaning meals to support their comprehensive development both physically (weight, height) and intelligence.
In which, a number of important nutrients for the health of 8-month-old children that parents need to pay attention to adding to the weaning meals include:
Protein: Also known as protein and is considered nutritious. The substance is extremely important for brain development and improving the effectiveness of the immune system. Protein is the most basic substance to maintain the life of all cells in the body. Insufficient protein intake is a risk factor for malnutrition, but too much can have adverse effects on children's health. Therefore, parents need to pay attention to this issue to supplement protein for children reasonably, in accordance with the baby's needs; Iron: This is an important trace element, is a component that creates blood cells. Iron is abundant in red meat and dark green vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Children with iron deficiency may be malnourished, stunted and easily tired, sick, develop slower than usual; Zinc: Among the essential trace elements, zinc plays a particularly important role in the development of children in the first years of life. Zinc deficiency is a factor that makes young children susceptible to infections; Omega-3 Fatty Acids: This type of fatty acid has many positive effects on the brain development of young children. In addition, some other benefits of omega 3 have been demonstrated in organs such as eyes, heart, skin. What does the 8-month-old baby eat to gain weight, the weaning menu cannot lack foods rich in omega 3 such as catfish, sea fish, seaweed, and dried nuts (such as walnuts, chia seeds). Parents can process them by pureeing them and adding them to flour and porridge; Vitamins: Vitamins C, A, D... are very important for the growth of height and weight of 8-month-old children. Vitamins participate in the body's metabolism, synthesizing enzymes, using and metabolizing nutrients. Adequate vitamin supplementation is one of the answers to the question of what 8-month-old children eat to develop height and weight.

2.2. What does an 8 month old baby eat to gain weight?

What do 8 month olds eat to gain weight? To gain weight, parents should feed their babies 5-6 meals a day (including 3 main meals and 2-3 snacks). Note that you still need to maintain regular breastfeeding according to your baby's needs and plan a reasonable eating schedule, here are some suggestions for an 8-month-old baby's schedule:
Breakfast: at 8 o'clock ; Snack: at 10-11 o'clock; Lunch: at 13 o'clock; Snack: at 15 - 16 o'clock; Dinner: at 18 o'clock; Snack: at 9pm. At the age of 8 months, children are developing rapidly both physically and mentally, so each meal needs to add enough energy and nutrients for the baby to gain weight according to the principle of ensuring adequate nutrients. : starch, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. The amount of food that an 8-month-old child eats to gain weight in one can refer to the following:
Milk: 600ml (breast milk, formula milk); Oil: 15-20g (about 4-6 teaspoons); Vegetables: 50 – 80g; Ripe fruit: 60 - 100g; Rice (porridge, flour): 75-90g; Protein): 45-50g, if using eggs, pay attention to feeding both whites and egg yolks. Besides, every day parents should add 45-50g lean meat to the weaning menu for 8-month-old babies. Some notes when building a weaning menu for the issue of what an 8-month-old baby eats to gain weight:
Breast milk is still the main source of nutrition, so in the best condition, the mother should not give up breastfeeding completely. but please maintain the amount of breast milk provided to the baby about 600-800ml/day; Limit the addition of too much meat, fish, eggs, milk... This can be counterproductive because it adversely affects liver and kidney function and can affect the health of the child. ; In the process of preparing weaning meals, parents should limit the use of spices for the purpose of helping children develop their taste buds to feel the taste of food and practice the habit of eating bland foods to protect their baby's health; The standard ratio of cooking porridge for babies is 10g of rice and 70ml of water; Add a little fat when making solid foods for your 8-month-old baby. However, it should be noted that just enough, should not give too much; What does an 8-month-old baby eat to gain weight, in addition to complementary foods, parents should prepare diverse and rich dishes to change their taste and stimulate their child's appetite. Watch now: What can 8-month-old babies do?

2.3. What does an 8-month-old child eat to grow taller?

Answering the question of what an 8-month-old child eats to develop height will depend on the prerequisite that the child must gain enough weight, a child develops normally when he has to reach the average weight and height age standard.
Studies have proven that nutritional factors play the most important role in determining height in children. Therefore, children need to be fully supplemented with essential nutrients for height growth, especially protein, calcium, iron, iodine, folic acid, unsaturated fatty acids...
Father Mothers should build a diet for their children in a scientific way, suitable for each age group and appropriate portions. The deficiency or excess of nutrients can lead to undesirable effects such as undernutrition or overweight and obesity.
In order for children to develop optimal height, besides breast milk, the weaning diet for 8-month-old babies needs to fully ensure the following groups of substances: protein, starch, fat, and essential vitamins and minerals. In the process of processing and preparing weaning menus, parents need to find out the needs of the above nutrients and then try to diversify dishes to avoid boredom and skipping meals in young children.
Children's dishes need to be fully supplemented with nutrients that positively affect height growth such as calcium, vitamin D3, vitamin K2, zinc...
Other factors affecting dimensional development high:
Heredity: This is a difficult factor to influence because it depends on parental genes; Level of physical activity: The body's activity will stimulate and promote energy metabolism, metabolism, thereby promoting the body's growth, increasing calcium deposition into bones to help bones grow longer and stronger. Therefore, parents need to create a habit of exercise and movement for their children by doing simple things such as participating in house cleaning, doing moderate sports, suitable for age and family conditions.. .; Sleep: Enough sleep, deep enough sleep stimulates the body to secrete growth hormone, helps increase calcium absorption, stimulates long bones and effectively develops height; Child care process: Fully vaccinated to prevent diseases, clean personal hygiene, prepare food to ensure food safety and hygiene and thereby create the best conditions for children to develop. physical and intellectual development; Improving the living environment around children: The house must ensure hygiene and safety. The period of 8 months of age is the time when children develop their height, brain and comprehensive growth hormone. Therefore, parents need to pay attention to building a suitable diet for children to develop height and brain comprehensively.
In addition, parents also need to pay attention to supplementing necessary micronutrients for children such as: Selenium, Chromium, Vitamins B1 and B6, Ginger, acerola fruit extract (vitamin C),... Especially zinc biology to improve taste, help children eat well, reach the correct height and weight, and exceed standards, have a good immune system, enhance resistance to less sickness and less digestive problems.
For more nutritional knowledge and child care for each age, parents should regularly visit the website vimec.com and make an appointment with the leading doctors, pediatric and nutrition experts of the National General Hospital. Vinmec when needing advice on children's health.