The 5 Nutrients All Babies Need

Everyone knows that the health of their child is important, but many people don’t realise that the seemingly simple decisions you’re making today about what your baby eats could have major implications down the road.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the earliest years of a child’s life form the foundation of their future health, development, and wellbeing. Everything — from the types of foods they eat to the environments they expose to — will make a massive impression on the adult that they eventually become. As the old saying goes, “You can only make one first impression, so you’d better work as hard as you can to make sure it’s a good one.”

Case in point: Nutrients.

Nutrients are important for all of us, but there are five key nutrients in particular that every baby needs to help make sure that they develop the positive health behaviours and qualities now that will serve them well for decades to come.

1. Protein

One of the most important nutrients that all babies need is, thankfully, also one of the tastiest: protein. It’s found in just about everything, from meat to eggs to beans, nuts, avocados, and more.

Whether you’re preparing a full meal for your child or are just looking for a delicious, healthy snack throughout the day, you shouldn’t have to look very hard to get them a protein fix.

Protein itself is essential for healthy development, especially during your child’s younger years. It is a part of every cell, helps fight infection and goes a long way towards breaking down food into energy, which itself is one of the most important processes that our body goes through all day long.

2. Calcium

Next, we have calcium, something that is incredibly essential to the healthy development of your child’s bones and teeth, along with guaranteeing optimum heart function during your baby’s early developing years.

Calcium is, once again, present in a wide range of different foods for you to choose from depending on your baby’s needs. You’ve got options like cheese, yoghurt, and oatmeal, along with incredibly healthy choices like broccoli, salmon, and even tomatoes.

3. Zinc

Zinc is definitely one of those nutrients that far too many people fail to truly understand. Though you may not think much of it at first glance, it’s actually important for a huge range of different bodily functions.

Not only does it aid with digestion, it also helps control and regulate your baby’s metabolism. It’s also critical for growth, cognition, and the development of a healthy immune function possible.

Zinc is also, thankfully, another nutrient that brings with it a great deal of variety. This can be found in pork, turkey, and beef, along with other options like eggs, lentils, and even whole milk.

4. Vitamin A

No list of the most important nutrients your baby needs would be complete without discussing Vitamin A, something that is exponentially important in terms of your child developing healthy vision and bones, healthy skin, hair and nails, and many more.

Vitamin A is also great for protecting against infection, so you’re definitely going to want to up your baby’s dosage whenever flu season rolls around each year.

Vitamin A is commonly found in everything from sweet potatoes to carrots to spinach, broccoli, and more.

5. Iron

Last but not least, we arrive at iron, something that is essential for healthy red blood cell function. Iron helps carry oxygen around the body, which prevents fatigue and irritability and also aids in the development of your child’s brain.

Iron is once again found in a wide range of different foods for you to choose from depending on your child (and your) needs, like red meat, poultry, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, and so much more.

It’s important to note that there are additional ways that you can help make sure that your baby is getting the appropriate amounts of all of these vitamins and more. Products like Bellamy’s Organic Toddler Drink, Bellamy’s Organic Apple and Cinnamon Baby Cereal, and Bellamy’s Organic Rice Baby Cereal are perfect supplements to the already healthy diet you’re creating for your child during their formative years.

Chemsave: Your One-Stop Shop for All Your Health and Wellness Needs

As a parent, your number one job is to make sure that child grows up to become the happiest, healthiest adult that they possibly can. At Chemsave, our job is to help make that as easy as it can be.

We want to do our part to help make the job of raising the next generation as effective and as enjoyable as possible because, at the end of the day, we’re all in this together.

We offer a wide range of different products for you to choose from, depending on your needs, including but not limited to things like health, vitamins, beauty, personal, prescription products and more.

If you’d like to find out more information about these or any other nutrients that all babies need, or if you just have any additional questions that you’d like to find the answers to, please don’t delay. Contact us at Chemsave today.

Sources:

https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-statistics/population-groups/children-youth/overview

https://www.babycenter.com/0_10-nutrients-that-every-child-needs_1201019.bc

https://www.parenting.com/article/the-5-nutrients-all-babies-need

https://www.parents.com/baby/feeding/nutrition/best-super-foods-for-baby/

https://www.parents.com/kids/nutrition/healthy-eating/must-eat-nutrients/