Providing correct nutrition during infancy and early childhood is important for the health of the child. But how do you provide it? What is the best diet for a newborn? When is cow's milk introduced? What is the best diet for children? These are some questions that come to mind when thinking about feeding babies and toddlers. I hope to answer these questions. I will also discuss some foods that should be avoided during infancy and early childhood and their potential dangers. According to Sheah Rarback, the growth rate in newborns is rapid and a baby's birth weight is often doubled by five months of age (Rarback, Sheah, 2011). The two main forms of nutrition during the first four months of infancy are breast milk or formula (Rarback, Sheah, 2011). Then, at four months of age, solid foods can be introduced (Rarback, Sheah, 2011). Once childhood is reached, the child's growth rate begins to slow down and the child begins to eat more solid foods than he or she ate during childhood (Coila, Bridget, 2011). Providing breast milk is the best form of nutrition for a baby as it contains all the nutrients a baby needs (Coila, Bridget, 2010). There can be many benefits to this. One of these benefits is that there has been research showing that breast milk can reduce the incidence of SIDS (Phend, Crystal, 2011). In a report conducted by Fern R, Hauck, MD, MS of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, an overall SIDS reduction rate of 60% was found in infants fed breast milk, regardless of duration or amount ( Phend, Crystal, 2011). ) Another advantage of breast milk is that it contains antibodies that can reduce the incidence of infection in the newborn (Rarback, Sheah, 2011). It was also...... half of the document......004/ai_n19120884/pg_2/?tag=mantle_skin;contentCoila, Bridget, Infant Nutrition, 2010, retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com / article/75100-infant-nutrition-development/Rodrigo, Maria Alexis, Little Known Breastfeeding Benefits: The Real Reasons Why Women Breastfeeding, 2008, retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1196649/littleknown_breastfeeding_benefits.html? cat=25Shashidhar, Harohalli R, Malnutrition, 2011, excerpt from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/985140-overview#showallFleming-Gifford, Jeannie, Please Eat the Peas...Tackling Infant Nutrition, 2011, excerpt from http://www.planningfamily.com/toddler/nutrition-and-feeding/tackling-toddler-nutrition/Jernigan, Kristie, The Advantages of Bottle Feeding Infants, 2009, retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article /39245-advantages-of-baby-bottle-feeding/