By Sophie Samuel

Health requirements of a child are basically the same as that of an adult. Kids need vitamins, minerals, proteins and fat in the right quantity as well. The only difference (and a big one) being that nutrition for kids promotes body and mind development that can make all the difference in his/her life to come. Also, the approach that you show towards healthy food is going to be adopted by your child in the future as well. So make sure that your kid knows the value of eating healthy.

Before moving on to the type of diet your kid needs, you must understand the ground rules of feeding a kid first. Timely intake of nutrition is very important. It is not recommended to change the time and quantity of food given to the child, unless the current schedule is not working out health-wise. Kids tend to get their hand dirty a lot. So ensure that the hands they use to eat with are clean. Do not even think of giving stale food to the kid. It will affect him/her more that it can affect you.

Some essentials to include in your child’s daily food intake are mentioned below:

• Fruits- these are loaded with vitamins and minerals. An apple, banana, orange- take your pick; at least of fruits every day.

• Vegetables- though you might have a tough time making your kid empty plates full of vegetables, it is still important that they do have an intake of the healthiest ones.

• To make every meal interesting, try including something your kid prefers every time. If your kid is really cranky one day and won’t take a bite of food, at least he/she won’t starve.

• Never lose patience with your kid. Children have fluctuating taste in food as well. They might like fish for a few months and then decide to hate it. Always cater to their needs, as long as they are not a health hazard.

• A good idea to encourage healthy eating tendencies in children would be to involve them in the cooking process, and also make them pick dishes every other day. This would teach them the value of each meal and make them feel more in control.

While you do know what’s best for your child, someone might need to step in when things go wrong. For any advice on child care or in case of emergencies, always keep the with you child support phone number.

– Sophie Samuel is a lecturer in a reputed university, she has been teaching for the past 10 years. She loves teaching and spreading knowledge among her students. She also work for a child support agency. She personally feel it is very important for every parent to have child support phone number.