Understand the importance of recording weights
and heights of a child
Identify two causes for undernutrition in
children
List two weight gain strategies for you child
Recognize the food groups and number of
servings for your child
First name
Last name
Birthday of name entered above
Activity 1:Why
do you think your child is underweight? (optional)
Should I monitor my child's weight and height?
Childhood is a time of growth both physically and mentally. After
infancy, growth in children slows down and occurs in spurts. Weight
and height measurements plotted on a growth chart are used to determine the
growth pattern of a child compared to other children with typical growth
patterns.
On one of your visits to WIC, you may have heard the term
"percentile" and wondered what the word actually means.
Percentile is the ranking of a child among 100 other children of the same age
and sex. If a child is in the 50th percentile for weight or height for
age, this means that 50 children will weigh more or be taller than this child
and 50 children will weigh less or be shorter than this child.
Assessing Growth:
Growth is a good indicator of a child's nutritional status. A
child's growth is assessed by a health professional to determine if the
child is keeping up with his or her growth pattern.
Children who are between the 25th and 75th percentiles are considered
to be growing appropriately. Children who are between the 10th to
25th percentiles may also be growing appropriately but their food intake
needs to be evaluated. Children who are less than the 10th percentile
may also be growing appropriately but are considered to be at risk for
growth failure and need to be closely evaluated.
What are some causes for undernutrition in children?
Too much Juice: Too much juice in the
diet often replaces milk and other important food groups because the child
has become too full. Juices often contain more sugar and less
vitamins than fresh, canned, or frozen fruits.
Low-fat diets: Some parents become
concerned about heart disease and obesity and may decide to offer their
children only non-fat or low-fat food products such as skim milk, or they
may decide to reduce calories. It is recommended that kids under 2
years of age not be put on a low-fat diet or eating plan as they need
adequate fat for growth and brain development. Fat is important for
storing energy, protecting and insulating the body and absorbing fat-soluble
vitamins in the body.
No breakfast: Children who skip
breakfast eat less calories and nutrients than those children who eat breakfast.
If there is little time for preparing breakfast, choose foods that are
easily prepared or are ready-to-eat such as yogurt, fruit bars, milk and
leftovers.
Diets that restrict food groups or diets that are
inadequate: A vegan diet consists of only plant foods and may not
provide the recommended amount of calories, vitamins and minerals required
for growth. A vegan diet requires careful planning to ensure children
receive nutrients from other sources of food. see also Vegetarian
Diet in our list of lessons!
Weight Gain Strategies:
Childhood is a time when eating behavior changes. Since the child
is not growing as fast as when he/she was an infant, his/her appetite has
decreased. Since less food is being taken in, parents or caregivers should
offer nutrient dense foods and energy dense foods.
What makes a food nutrient dense? A food is nutrient dense if
the vitamin and mineral content is more than its energy or calorie content such
as lean meats, beans, oranges, carrots, broccoli, whole-wheat bread, and
whole-grain breakfast cereals.
Energy dense foods contribute more calories than they do nutrients
such as chips, sodas, cookies and ice cream. Remember to balance healthy
nutrient dense foods with energy dense foods. Here are some examples of
weight gain strategies:
Provide small frequent meals with nutrient dense foods and energy dense
foods and drinks.
Add fat to foods such as margarine on mashed potatoes and toast, mayonnaise
and cheese on sandwiches.
Offer whole (not reduced) fat products such as whole milk, cottage cheese,
cheese, creamed soups, pudding and yogurt.
Add calories to foods such as canned fruit in heavy syrup and vegetables
with cheese sauce.
Activity
2:
1. List 2 causes of
undernutrition.
a.
b.
2. List 2 weight gain strategies.
a.
b.
3.
Which of the following are Nutrient Dense foods? (choose all that apply)
chocolate chip cookies
banana
special K cereal
potato chips
skittles
carrots
How Much and What Kinds of Food Should I Offer
My Child?
The Food Guide Pyramid developed by the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA), is a guide for daily food choices for children over 2 years old through
adulthood. The food Guide Pyramid recommendations ensure adequate calories
and nutrients needed for growth and development. It encourages a healthy
diet that provides a variety of foods, balance of foods from major food groups,
and moderate intake of food.
The Food
Guide Pyramid recommends:
Grains provide carbohydrates
which is the primary source of energy and is the largest food section of the
pyramid. We need to consume 6-11 servings per day.
Fruits and Vegetables
provide vitamins and minerals for healthy skin, hair and vision. They
are also a good source of fiber which helps reduce cholesterol. It is recommended that we eat 2-3 servings of fruit which
includes 1 piece of fruit or melon wedge, 3/4 cup of juice, 1/2 cup of canned
fruit and 1/4 cup of dried fruit. The recommended number of vegetables
is 3-4 servings which including 1/2 cup of chopped raw or cooked vegetables
or 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables.
Milk group provides
calcium fro bone growth and maintenance. The recommendations for this
food group is 2-3 servings which includes 1 cup of milk or 2 ounces of
cheese.
Meat group provides
protein for building muscle and other important functions in the body.
It is recommended that we eat 2-3 servings from this group which includes 2
to 3 ounces cooked lean meat, poultry or fish, 1/2 cup cooked dry beans, 1
egg or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter*. *Peanut butter may cause choking in
2-3 year old children. Always watch children during meals and
snacks.
Fat and sweets
provide additional calories and should be used sparingly so that they don't
replace more nutritious foods needed for growth and good health. Fat is
needed in a child's diet and should not be restricted.
Child-Size
Servings Serving sizes for children should be appropriate for their age and energy
needs. As a rule of thumb, children ages 4 to 6 years
should consume the minimum number of servings from the Food Guide Pyramid.
Children 2 to 3 years old need smaller servings
which is approximately 2/3 of a regular serving size. Offer selections in
small portions and allow children to ask for more to satisfy their hunger.
Huge servings may overwhelm the child. Offer 3 meals and 2 snacks a day at
regular times.
Make Eating an Enjoyable Experience
Parents are
responsible for providing a safe and enjoyable environment during meal times
which would include:
Offering a variety of nutritious foods
Offering foods that are safe for the child
Offer serving sizes that are appropriate
Eating meals at the table and at regular times
Serving as good role models when choosing foods to
eat
Not pressuring or bribing the child to eat
Avoid arguing or negative behaviors during meals
Parents are
also
responsible for what your child is offered to eat, where,
and when it is presented.
Children also have responsibilities:
They decide how much food to eat
They decides whether he/she eats at all
Food Can be Fun
Be creative when preparing foods. You and your child can invent new
snack ideas. Involve your child when preparing nutritious meals and snacks and teach them the
importance of healthy eating. Children's food
preferences change over time so let them to experiment without added
stress. Offer a variety of foods and let them exercise their independence
and choose the foods they like!
1. Children in what
percentile are growing appropriately?
Greater (>) than the 90th percentile
Less (<) than the 5th percentile
Between the 25th and the 75th percentile
2.
Why is it necessary to understand the importance of recording weights
and heights of a child
?
3.
Should children eat the same number of servings as an adult? Why?
To
print out a handout on tips to increase your child's calories, click
here!
Which
WIC Office do you go to?
Bullhead City
Kingman
Lake Havasu City
Where
are you taking today's lesson?
You
have completed the lesson on “Nutrition for the Underweight child”.If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail one of our
nutritionists.We’ll be
glad to answer any of your questions.
*
If you have an extra minute, please fill out our survey on the WIC home page
(where you chose this class) so we can better serve you. Thank You.
Answers:
Activity
2:
1.
Drinking a lot of juice throughout the day, low fat diets, skipping
breakfast, eating non nutrient dense foods
2.
Provide
small frequent meals with nutrient dense foods and energy dense foods
and drinks.
Use
high calorie, weight gain supplements such as Pedisure under a
physicians recommendation.
Add
fat to food such as margarine on mashed potatoes and toast, mayonnaise
and cheese on sandwiches.
Offer
whole (not reduced) fat products such as whole milk, cottage cheese,
cheese, creamed soups, pudding and yogurt.
Add
calories to foods such as conned fruit in heavy syrup and vegetables
with cheese sauce.
3.
Bananas, Special K, and Carrots are nutrient dense foods.
Activity
3:
1.
Children who are between the 25th and 75th percentiles are considered
to be growth appropriately. 2.Children who are between the 25th and 75th percentiles are considered
to be growth appropriately. Children who are between the 10th to
25th percentiles may also be growing appropriately but their food intake
needs to be evaluated. Children who are less than the 10th percentile
may also be growing appropriately but are considered to be at risk for
growth failure and need to be closely evaluated.
3. Serving sizes for children should be appropriate for their age and energy
needs. As a rule of thumb, children ages 4 to 6 years
should consume the minimum number of servings from the Food Guide Pyramid.
Children 2 to 3 years old need smaller servings
which is approximately 2/3 of a regular serving size. Offer selections in
small portions and allow children to ask for more to satisfy their hunger; huge
portions may overwhelm the child. Offer 3 meals and 2 snacks a day at
regular times.
