Diet plays a vital role in a child’s life, especially from conception to their second birthday. What you eat during pregnancy and even after when you are breastfeeding impacts the success of your child’s development. During the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, they undergo extraordinary growth and nutrition’s role within this growth is a crucial factor!
With 13 essential nutrients, dairy’s nutritional impact serves unique benefits to children during the fetal, neonatal, and toddler stages. Dairy provides seven of the 14 nutrients the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes for early brain development, contributing to cognitive growth. Let’s take a deeper look into how this changes at the different stages of the first 1,000 days.
Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
When women are pregnant or breastfeeding, they need higher amounts of nutrients like vitamin B12, iodine and choline as well fluids. To meet the nutritional needs during this time of development, it’s recommended that women consume three daily servings of dairy.
- Vitamin B12: A glass of milk contains 50% of daily value of vitamin B12 recommended for adults 19-50 years old. Consuming foods rich in Vitamin B12 can help prevent deficiencies that may cause lasting neurological damage.
- Iodine: When women are pregnant, their necessary iodine intake increases by 50 percent. Consumption of iodine positively affects the fetal stage as it can help prevent neurocognitive defects and lower childhood IQ. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding ensure you’re increasing your Iodine consumption by eating dairy, eggs, seafood or iodized table salt. If you are taking prenatal supplements, check the label to ensure you’re consuming Iodine.
- Choline: A mother’s need for choline will increase especially during stages of lactation. Foods that are particularly rich in choline are dairy, meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
- Fluids: Milk is made up of 85 percent water making it an incredibly hydrating beverage to drink.
Infants 6-11 months
When a baby begins to gain independence and the ability to chew and digest foods, it’s critical to set a precedence of healthy eating habits. Getting infants used to healthy ways of eating can help prevent chronic disease in the future. Dairy foods like yogurt and cheese are easy and safe ways to help babies adjust to new flavors and textures. Additionally, dairy products are high in calcium which helps promote the growth of strong bones and teeth.
Toddlers 12-23 months
Babies brains grow at a remarkable rate, in the first year, a baby’s brain will double in size and by 36 months, their brains triple in size, almost reaching that of an adult’s. The growth of a baby’s brain uses roughly 50 percent of the daily calories consumed, meaning baby’s need plenty of calories to fuel their growing bodies! At 12 months old, you can introduce whole milk to your toddler. Whole milk is a nutrient dense beverage that provides fatty acids that support brain development and contains a higher amount of calories making it ideal for a toddler, along with cheese and yogurt.
Dairy at Home
Instilling healthy eating habits in the home can be challenging as nutritional food can be costly and take time to cook. Dairy is a cost-effective and nutrient dense ingredient that can be used as a snack or additive. Here are some easy and safe foods to incorporate into your child’s diet at the appropriate ages:
- Dairy: Milk, yogurt, american cheese, shredded cheese, hard cheese, ricotta cheese kefir & cottage cheese
- Fruits: Avocado, banana, mangoes, soft pears, kiwi and blueberries
- Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, squash, steamed broccoli and carrots and cooked spinach
Find delicious recipes that include dairy here and find more resources for the first 1,000 days here.
