Vitamins and minerals for bb during weaning

- Vitamins and minerals are essential for normal body functioning and growth.
- fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of many vitamins and minerals.
- if you choose to prepare these foods yourself, rather than buy commercial baby food products, use fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables.
- avoid using canned products, which may contain added sugar or salt

some important Vitamins and minerals:

    * Vitamin C: Children can get vitamin C from citrus fruits and various vegetables.
- their bodies need vitamin C both to form certain chemicals and to put others, including one of the B vitamins, to use.
- Vitamin C also plays a key part in helping children's bodies absorb iron.
- children who do not have enough vitamin C in their diet may develop weakness in their bones, anemia, and other medical conditions.

    * Vitamin D: Sunlight helps the body make vitamin D, and, for some children, sunlight alone may provide sufficient levels of this important vitamin.
- Vitamin D is crucial because the body uses it to help get calcium into the bones.
- this is why vitamin D is sometimes added to cow's milk (this is called "fortified" milk).
- most other dairy foods children like to eat are not fortified with vitamin D.
- foods such as cheese and yogurt give children calcium but do not have any vitamin D.
- dietary sources that are fortified with vitamin D are a better choice than vitamin supplements.
- children who don't have enough vitamin D in their diet may develop rickets, a painful disease that can cause bones to become unnaturally flexible or misshapen.
   
* Vitamin A: This vitamin is important in helping your baby's eyesight develop.
- it also plays a part in making bone cells work.
- children who do not get enough vitamin A can have problems such as night blindness and poor growth.
- they can also be less resistant to infection
- dietary sources, including eggs, cheese, and liver.

    * The B vitamins: All B vitamins help give children energy and help them build brain cells.
- Vitamin B1 and niacin (which is part of the B-complex chain) help the body produce energy in its cells.
- Vitamin B6 helps the body fight illness and infection. B12 is used to develop red blood cells.
- the right amount of B vitamins in their diet helps protect children from slowed growth, anemia, eye troubles, nerve damage, and heart problems.
- foods such as bread, whole grains, and liver are sources for B vitamins.
- each B vitamin can also come from other specific diet sources, such as beans and pork for B1 or meat, fish, eggs, and milk for B12 (can be obtained from brown rice).

    * Iron: Iron plays a part in many processes inside the body, including the delivery of oxygen to cells.
- as babies' physical development & mental development are so rapid at this age, the need for iron is greatly increased.
- cow's milk a poor source of iron, but the iron it does contain is poorly absorbed by the body.
- the use of cow's milk has been linked with iron deficiency and anemia in children up to 24 months of age.
- iron deficiency early in childhood can lead to long-term effects on mental development that may be irreversible.
- experts recommend that an iron-fortified formula be used to ensure adequate intake.

    * Zinc: Many of the body's hormones and chemicals called enzymes depend on zinc to perform their functions.
- Zinc is also related to babies' ability to grow.

    * Calcium: Calcium is one mineral that babies need for proper bone growth.
- research shows that children need to have the right amount of calcium in their diet to lessen the risk of accidental bone fractures later in life.