Importance of child nutrition

Why is nutrition important for children?

Proper childhood nutrition is essential to a child’s growth, health, and long-term development. During the first 1,000 days – from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday – nutrition is especially critical. Healthy nourishment in these early years can prevent diseases, support healthy immune and brain function, and reduce the risk of tooth decay.

Read on to discover key facts and FAQs about children’s dietary requirements and learn how you can help support children who lack access to nutrient-dense foods.

Children’s nutritional needs

It’s important to understand nutritional requirements at all stages of a child’s development. For the first six months of a child’s life, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusively breastfeeding. Breastfeeding provides all the energy and nutrients infants need and offers a solid foundation for optimal growth, development and health. 

From six months

After six months, a balanced diet should introduce fruits, vegetables, and protein sources like meat and dairy products. Foods containing sugar, saturated fats and salt should be limited. Some of the essential vitamins and nutrients for children include: 

• Calcium and vitamin D, for strong bones and teeth
• Iron, for brain development and energy
• Vitamins A and C and Zinc, for immune function and growth. 

Children who lack these vital nutrients may face challenges with learning, physical growth delays, or weakened immune systems that lead to frequent illnesses. Conversely, better early childhood nutrition can lead to better physical and mental health, productive engagement in school and more positive social interactions. 

To reinforce these benefits, the British Nutrition Foundation recommends that children drink six to eight glasses of water daily, get sufficient sleep and engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day.

Join us to improve child nutrition

Ensuring every child has access to nutritious food is a shared responsibility that goes beyond individual families – it requires community and global support. According to WHO, millions of children worldwide suffer from malnutrition, which can lead to irreversible physical and cognitive damage. Addressing child hunger, particularly in poverty-stricken areas, is essential to breaking this cycle. 

World Vision is a Christian charity with over 70 years’ experience in some of the world’s toughest places. We’ve supported millions of children and families – many on the brink of starvation – helping them access the right foods.  You can join us in supporting families facing food insecurity, improving childhood nutrition and giving every child a chance to thrive.

READ MORE: 10 Facts about world hunger

Child nutrition and poverty in Ecuador

One in every five children under two in Ecuador is experiencing chronic malnutrition. That’s a heartbreaking number of children going hungry, each day, when there’s enough in this world to feed every child. 

In rural regions a lack of education and opportunity, coupled with an agricultural industry relying on exports, is fuelling the cycle of poverty and malnutrition. 

Fields laden with fresh strawberries, corn, tomatoes, beans and cucumbers surround communities like two-year-old Erik’s, where children face some of the highest rates of malnutrition in the country. The crops families produce are sold to distributors, earning the families a small income, which they often use to buy cheaper, processed and less nutritious foods.

As the cycle of poverty continues throughout the region, issues like domestic violence, child neglect and abuse, as well as child malnutrition, are widespread.

Erik’s mother recalls the days when the family couldn’t afford to eat a healthy meal – they just bought what little they could get their hands on. 

With support from child sponsors like Erik’s, World Vision has been partnering with the local government and a university to train parents on good nutrition and how to use locally available and affordable vegetables to make nutritious meals for children.

"[The training] has helped me with my son's growth – since, with my first child, there were many things that I didn't know. Thanks to the workshops by World Vision, they have given me information on nutrition, attachment, how to raise [my children], and how his brain develops from the early years."

Thanks to the training, Erik’s mother and grandmother have started growing fresh fruits and vegetables in their garden for all the children to enjoy, adding vital nutrients to their diets. Erik loves eating strawberries! 

Important training and support like this is helping communities break the cycle of poverty and create nourishing environments for children to thrive in. 

As well as improving nutrition, your support in Erik’s community is also giving children the opportunity to join in activities like art classes, dance classes and football clubs. These wouldn’t otherwise be available in their community. 

By sponsoring a child, thereby supporting nutrition programmes like this, you can play a role in reducing malnutrition and improving children’s diets worldwide, impacting their physical and mental wellbeing for the better. 

Let’s work together to ensure that every child has the opportunity to grow and thrive through healthy food and nutrition.