Infant and child nutrition

The quality and quantity of nutrition a child is given during infancy and childhood is vital to support optimal growth and development. Throughout childhood, there are periods of rapid growth and changing nutritional requirements. Children’s diets change rapidly throughout childhood, progressing from a diet of milk alone to the commencement of complementary feeding, and ultimately to a diet consistent with the general dietary recommendations for adults. Measuring and weighing children, and recording key stages, is important to help identify nutritional difficulties.