Nutrition Development

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Growing Up Facts a Parent Should Know

• Children grow at different rates - during the years between 5-9 years, the rate of growth slows and becomes erratic.
• Excesses or inadequacies in nutrients will be reflected in patterns of growth-linear growth is approximately 2 inches per year until mid-puberty and weight gain about 5 lbs. annually for boys and 4 lbs. for girls.
• The overall erratic rate of growth affects appetite accordingly-like growth in height and growth in weight settles into a steady annual increase until the onset of adolescence.
• Children usually grow in height and weight in predictable ways that can be plotted on standard growth graphs - these graphs allow a parent to observe a child's growth over time to see if he or she is following one of the percentile lines on the chart.
• A child must get adequate calories and nutrients to allow growth and optimal development.
• The nutritional habits children learn at this age are likely to carry with the child the rest of their lives.