Infant Nutrition and Development

These flashcards cover key concepts related to infant nutrition and development, including important definitions, classifications, and recommendations.

Infant Mortality

Death that occurs within the first year of life.

Birthweight

A measure of health status during pregnancy, reflecting the health of the general population.

Appropriate for Gestational Age (AGA)

A classification indicating a newborn's weight is between the 10th and 90th percentile for their gestational age.

Small for Gestational Age (SGA)

A classification indicating a newborn's weight is below the 10th percentile for their gestational age.

Large for Gestational Age (LGA)

A classification indicating a newborn's weight is above the 90th percentile for their gestational age.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

The sudden unexplained death of an infant, usually during sleep, often attributed to sleep position.

Nutritional adequacy

Sufficient nutrition to support growth, development, and health.

Critical Period

A fixed period of time during which certain physical developments occur or specific behaviors emerge.

Iron-deficiency anemia

A condition that occurs due to insufficient iron, often linked to the early introduction of cow's milk.

Breast Milk

Breast milk provides 55% of its calories from fat

first 6 months, exclusive breastfeeding

pre-term benefit more from human breastmilk

Self-feeding

The ability of an infant to feed themselves independently.

Pincer grasp

A fine motor skill involving the use of thumb and index finger to grasp small objects.

Motor Development

The ability to control voluntary muscles, developing from head control to limb control.

Breastfeeding recommendations

Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first 6 months, continuing with solids up to age 1 or longer.

Feeding reflexes

rooting, sucking, gagging, swallowing

at 4-6 weeks, reflexes fade; infant begins to signal wants and needs purposely

Infant weight gain

Double weight by 4-6 months, triple by age 1

Major causes of Infant Mortality

Low birthweight

Congenital malformations (birth defects)

SIDS

Factors for Infant Mortality

social + economical

accessibility to quality health care

teen pregnancy

preterm + low birth weight

social determinant of health

Why is critical periods important?

important for sequential development or behavior

if missed, may have difficulty later on

factors that impact cognitive development

adequate nutrition and appropriate social/emotional - optimal development

interactions with environment - nervous system

impediment to cognitive development

undernourished infants - often sick, more tired, withdrawn - less interaction, more difficult feeding — increased risk for brain development

energy needs

108 kcal/kg/day (birth to 6 months)

98 kcal/kg/day (6-12 months)

protein needs

1.52g/kg/ day (birth - 6months)

1.2g/kg/day (6-12 months)

fat needs

no specific recs for infants - no restrictions for fat or cholesterol

iron needs

need iron food source around 4-6 months

Vitamin D

400 IU/daysupplement recs. if exclusively breastfed

infant feeding skills (birth - 1month)

lack of head/ neck control , feeding reflexes, tolerates liquid only; needs to be fed 8-12x/day

growth charts

weight, length, head circumference

measure for major increases, plateaus, weight loss

Warning signs

lack of weight/ length gain

plateau in weight, length, or head circumference for >1month

losing w/o regaining weight

formula

standard formula provide 20kcal/oz

preterm formula provides 22-24 kcal/oz

Cow’s Milk

should not used during infancy, may start at age 1

iron-defiency anemia linked to early intro to cow’s milk

infant feeding skills (1-3 months )

can take larger volume — 4/8 feeding/day; recognizes bottle or breastfeeding coming

infant feeding skills (4-6 months )

tongue control, starting to sit, drolling, more voluntary movements, teething; interested in munching, biting; start pureed/blenderized foods at 6mons; need to conitnue breastfeeding/formula until age 1

first foods @6months

iron-fortified baby cereal, veggies, fruits; can try new food every 2-3 days

First foods homemade

use food safety guidelines for prep/storage

intro to solid foods

able to sit upright; able to eat from a spoon (messy); food offered from spoon stimulates mouth muscles development

recs for intro to solid foods

infant should not be overly tied or hungry; first meals may be 5-6 spoons over 10min

infant cues for feeding (hungry)

watch food being prepared/ wanting to eat'; tighten fists/ reaches for spoon; irritation if feeding is too slow/ stops temp.

infant cues for feeding (full)

play w/ food or spoon; eat slower + turn away from food; stop eating + spit out food

infant feeding skills (7-9months)

pincer grasp + release; independent sitting, crawling, may start to be verbal

• self feeding w/ hands

• indicates hunger and fullness clearly

• prefers bottle, can start drinking from cup

• can provide soft solid textures that baby can hold

• from pureed to soft foods

• cereals/ baby biscuit

infant feeding skills (10-12months)

self-feeding, tries to spoon feed self, enjoys chopped and easy to eat foods