What about the next 1000 days?
Look back at the healthy habits you’ve encouraged, which have helped your toddler grow so far, and look forward to the exciting developments to come.
Your baby’s first 1000 days mark the moment they were conceived to their second birthday. In just 1000 more days, they’ll be almost five, and you may be waving them off at the school gates! Congratulations on coming this far. It’s thanks to you and your careful nurturing that they’ll soon be blossoming into a healthy, happy pre-schooler.
Brain food
A lot has happened during your little one’s first 1000 days¬. They’ve undergone a huge growth spurt—both inside and out. When they were born, their brain was just a quarter of the size of an adult’s brain, but by the time they turn three, it’ll be 80% fully grown! They’ll continue to need healthy fats to support their brain development, so keep offering foods like avocados, eggs, and oily fish, such as salmon.
Nutrition for healthy growth is key during these early years, which is why the arrival of their “baby teeth” is perfectly timed. Expect to see their first molars and canines appear during her second year, and a full set of “baby teeth” by their third birthday. Choking is still a risk before this point, so continue to cut their food up into small, bite-sized pieces.
Two times two
With such rapid growth in your toddler’s first two years, you might find yourself wondering when it will end! You may have heard that you can estimate how tall they will be as an adult by doubling their height at age two. While this method is fun and has been around for a long time, there is no research to show that it is entirely accurate.
Growth matters
Growth is such an important indicator of overall health, which is why it is measured each time your child visits your healthcare provider. Growth charts are used to map out weight, length, and head circumference for children, and to monitor the changes in these measurements over time. Because boys and girls grow at slightly different rates, your healthcare provider will use different growth charts for each. Ask your healthcare provider to help you better understand the growth charts and how your child is growing. They may even print you a copy to keep with your little one’s baby albums.
Sources
Reidy KC and Squatrito C. Programming long-term health: Nutrition and diet in toddlers. In: Early nutrition and long-term health, mechanisms, consequences and opportunities. Ed., Saavedra and Dattilo, Elsevier, 2017: 537-60.
Smego A, Woo JG, Klein J, et al. High body mass index in infancy may predict severe obesity in early childhood. J Pediatr 2017; 183:87-93.
Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128·9 million children, adolescents, and adults. Lancet 2017; 390:2627-42.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32129-3.
World Health Organization Child Growth Standards. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2006.
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries- emergencies/Pages/Choking-Prevention.aspx
(Accessed August 8 2018)
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/Glands- Growth-Disorders/Pages/Growth-Charts-By-the-Numbers.aspx (Accessed December 5 2018)
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