16-month-old children: Nutrition and oral care

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.

16-month-old babies are adorable little angels. Babies at this age gradually babble and dance to the music, interested in colors. Oral health is closely related to general health. These two issues should not be separated.

By 16 months, your baby will love to hear you sing nursery rhymes and songs or try to sing along to your parents with their limited vocabulary. A 16-month-old baby will say about 3 words, many babies even say 15-20 words.
It is easy to guess your baby's preferences because young children tend to like repeating certain actions.
While parents may be surprised at what a 16-month-old can do during this time, babies won't be very patient. Sometimes, little angels easily cry if they are not happy about something.

Toddlers: Most 16-month-olds are quite proficient at walking. This will be the premise for the next important milestones such as climbing, running, walking backwards, jumping to the music. Teething: As early as 16 months, your baby's canines can start to erupt. Train your child to use the potty: Although your child will still mainly need diapers at this time, parents can still practice potty training early so that the child can get used to signaling to adults that he needs to go to the toilet. or know how to sit on the potty, the toilet properly.

16-year-old children can be taught by their parents to eat many different foods, as much as 16-month-old children eat is enough. Here are some foods for babies such as:
Can a 16-month-old baby eat rice? At 16 months old, babies can eat a lot of things, but mothers should not give them rice all the time.
Fruit : Fruit not only helps provide fiber but also provides essential vitamins that the baby's body needs. Let your 16-month-old baby try sipping a small portion of fruits such as bananas, kiwis, mangoes, watermelons... every day to build the child's habit of eating fruit from an early age. Whole grains: Whole grains are still an essential ingredient in building a healthy diet for kids. You can prepare delicious dishes such as porridge, crushed rice, bread, soup from oats, rice, rye... and let your children enjoy every day.

Fat: In addition to storing energy to serve the body's activities, fat is a factor that helps 16-month-old babies stay healthy and bigger in the coming months. Therefore, you let your baby absorb good fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocado... Vegetables: To increase the baby's taste as well as learn what kind of vegetables and fruits your child likes to eat, Try giving your child boiled or steamed vegetables such as potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli... with sauces to help your child feel more appetizing. Eggs and meat: Eggs and meat are both nutritious foods and are best for 16-month-old babies. A boiled egg with minced meat, vegetables and soft rice will become an interesting suggestion for your baby's meal. Iron: Your baby's body needs iron to support blood formation. You should supplement iron for 16-month-old babies with iron-rich foods such as liver, chickpeas, tomatoes, and beef. Besides, parents also need to combine the above dishes with foods rich in vitamin C, because vitamin C allows the body to better absorb iron. Dairy foods: can 16-month-old babies drink fresh milk? Besides powdered milk products, babies should get nutrition from foods derived from fresh milk, yogurt, whey... Nuts and legumes: When it comes to nutrition for babies 16-month-old children, parents also do not ignore seeds and seeds from legumes because they contain a lot of minerals that are good for the growth of your baby. You can try to cook delicious dishes from chickpeas, black beans, peas, walnuts...

Minimize bottle-feeding continuously during the day and bottle-feeding while sleeping. Daily dental care for 16-month-old baby. When your baby's teeth start to come in at 6 months, you should clean your baby's teeth daily with a soft, wet baby brush. Pinch the lips and observe the child's teeth. If you see brown or chalky white spots, take your child to the dentist for examination and treatment. As soon as the child is one year old, it is necessary to take the child to the dentist.
Here are three important ways to protect your toddler's smile: reduce the number of snacks your child eats during the day; avoid giving your child carbonated drinks, sweets and starchy foods such as chips or sticky cookies; Avoid constant snacking. Every time a child eats sweets or starchy foods, acid attacks their teeth. The more acid attacks, the more cavities appear. If you decide to give your child candy or starchy foods, offer them at mealtimes; Reduce the number of light meals to 2-3 times a day. Brush your teeth at least twice a day.
Brush your child's teeth after breakfast and before going to bed. Use a soft, child-friendly toothbrush to clean your child's teeth and gums. If your child is already able to spit after brushing, brush them with a pea-sized amount of natural children's toothpaste. Children can begin to practice brushing their own teeth, but you will have to supervise and help them. Most children can brush their teeth well by the time they are 6 years old or older.
When children have health problems, parents can take them to Vinmec Health system for timely examination and treatment.

In addition, parents should also apply some methods to change habits and improve nutrition to support the child's teeth to develop better.
Besides, parents also need to supplement their children with essential micro-minerals such as zinc, lysine, chromium, selenium, vitamin B1, ... to fully meet the nutritional needs of children. The addition of these essential vitamins also supports digestion, enhances nutrient absorption, improves anorexia, and helps children eat well. Parents can simultaneously apply dietary supplements and functional foods derived from nature for easy absorption. The most important thing is that improving your baby's symptoms often takes a long time. The combination of many types of functional foods at the same time or continuously changing many types in a short time can cause the baby's digestive system not to adapt and completely not good. Therefore, parents must be really patient with their children and regularly visit the website vimec.com to update useful baby care information.