This is an automatically translated article.
The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Minh Tuan - Pediatrician - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.The height of a child grows from the time it is in the womb until adulthood. However, the first 1000 days of life and during puberty are the two golden periods in which a child's height grows most rapidly.
1. The golden period helps children's height skyrocket
1.1 Period of the first 1000 days of life The first 1000 days of life are counted from the time the baby is pregnant until 24 months of age. This is the golden period of height and physical development and has been recommended by the World Health Organization. In the first year, a child can grow from 25 cm, and the next 2 years increase 10 cm per year. The first 1000 days of life is a period that determines 60% of the child's ability to grow in height in the future.When children are under 12 months old is the time when the fastest growth rate compared to any other period. At this point, the baby will weigh twice the weight of the newborn in the first 4-5 months and the weight at the end of the first year will be 3 times the birth weight. According to the study, children from 12-24 months of age have the highest risk of malnutrition and the rate of malnutrition remains high until 5 years of age. This is also the transition period to weaning, so it is possible that children are not provided with all the necessary nutrients. This greatly affects the development of children both in height and intelligence.
After 2 years of age, the child's growth rate will decrease and only increase about 6.2 cm per year, bone density also increases about 1% a year. However, if at this stage children have the right nutrition to support their height growth, it will be a premise for children to develop during puberty.
1.2 The stage of puberty Puberty is counted from 10 to 15 years old, this is a period characterized by tremendous growth in both muscle as well as skeleton and sexual function. The rate of growth and height growth is rapid, which can increase from 10cm per year in girls at the age of 10 and gradually increase until it reaches 15cm per year at the age of 12. For boys, the growth rate is 10cm per year at age 12 and reaches a maximum of 15cm per year until age 14. Then the growth rate will decrease gradually at the age of 15 in girls and 17 years in boys.
Puberty determines 23% of the average adult height. Bone size and bone mass and mineral density in each bone increase by about 4% per year from age 8 through adolescence. Height and growth are associated with rapid accumulation of bone mass and possibly growth hormone activity. Therefore, the addition of nutrients and appropriate exercise regime is very necessary for children in this age group.
Giai đoạn tuổi dậy thì của trẻ với sự tăng trưởng vượt bậc về cơ bắp cũng như khung xương
2. Height development diet
For the first 1000 days of life, right from the time of pregnancy, pregnant women should supplement with adequate nutrients because at this time, the child's development is completely dependent on the mother. Besides, the mother needs to rest properly, avoiding stress and anxiety affecting the fetus. For the first 6 months, it is necessary to exclusively breastfeed babies and maintain breastfeeding until the child is 2 years old because breast milk is the best source of nutrition and helps babies easily absorb. When children switch to weaning, they need to add foods rich in calcium and vitamin D such as shrimp, crab, fish, etc. so that they can grow to their maximum height.At puberty, nutrition should pay attention to the following issues:
Carbohydrate: is one of the three main nutritional components that provide most of the energy for children. The energy that carbohydrates provide each day accounts for about 60-70% of the total energy needed. Lipids: stimulate appetite and provide a lot of energy, help absorb vitamins A, D, E, K well. This is an important ingredient for children at puberty, providing children with all the saturated fats. Saturated and unsaturated fats are found in foods such as: vegetable oils, fish, animal fats, etc. Protein: at this stage, children develop very strongly and need to load more protein than compared to other foods. adults. The amount of energy provided by protein accounts for about 15% of the total energy needed per day. Calcium and vitamin D: this is an indispensable element for children to develop strong bones and reach maximum height. Children need 1200mg of calcium every day. Vitamin D is the ingredient that helps to absorb calcium better. Iron: is a very important component during puberty, especially in girls. Because this is the period when children start menstruating, the need will be higher, needing 20 mg of iron per day, for boys it is 12-18mg of iron per day. In addition, children need to have a suitable exercise regime such as height development exercises or sports such as swimming, volleyball, basketball, cycling,... A reasonable living regimen is also necessary. Helps children secrete hormones regularly to help children grow. Therefore, it is necessary to go to bed early on time, preferably before 10pm and avoid stress, stress,...
In short, the golden period to help children grow in height is the first 1000 days of life and puberty. . These are the two stages when children develop the strongest height. Therefore, parents need to pay special attention to supplementing with the necessary nutrition and a reasonable exercise and living regimen so that the child can develop and have an ideal height when entering adulthood.
Trẻ tập luyện thể thao có thể giúp trẻ phát triển chiều cao tăng vọt
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