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Intake Recommendations for Selected Nutrients During Infancy

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Nutrient Recommended Intake Comments
Energy

EER = Total Energy Expenditure + energy deposition

  • 0-3 months: (89 x weight [kg] – 100) + 175 kcal
  • 4-6 months: (89 x weight [kg] – 100) + 56 kcal
  • 7-12 months: (89 x weight [kg] – 100) + 22 kcal

In general, healthy infants are able to adjust their intakes to meet energy needs. Recommendations for energy intake have been recently updated and are about 15% lower than previous guidelines.

Example
Protein

AI (grams per kilogram per day)

  • 0-6 months: 1.52 g/kg/d
  • 7-12 months: 1.0 g/kg/d

Protein needs are highest during infancy because of needs for rapid growth. Some amino acids may be essential for premature infants.
Fat

AI (grams per day)

  • 0-6 months: 31 g/d
  • 7-12 months: 30 g/d
Total fat provides about 55% of the total energy intake for infants under 6 months of age; after the introduction of complementary foods, this decreases to about 40% for 7-12 month olds.
Carbohydrate

AI for carbohydrates (grams per day)

  • 0-6 months: 60 g/d
  • 7-12 months: 95 g/d
 Carbohydrates provide about 37 percent of infants’ total energy intake.
Water

AI for water (liters per day)

  • 0-6 months: 0.7 L/d
  • 7-12 months: 0.8 L/d
 For 0-6 month olds, water intake is assumed to be from human milk. For older infants, water intake includes human milk and complementary foods and beverages (~0.6 L as total fluid, including breastmilk, formula, juice, and drinking water)
Iron

AI for iron (milligrams per day)

  • 0-6 months: 0.27 mg/d

RDA for iron (milligrams per day)

  • 7-12 months: 11 mg/d
Iron needs of infants born prematurely may be higher, since the majority of iron accretion occurs during the last trimester of pregnancy.
Zinc

AI for zinc (milligrams per day)

  • 0-6 months: 2.0 mg/d

RDA for zinc (milligrams per day)

  • 7-12 months: 3 mg/d
 Zinc absorption from breastmilk is highest, zinc in from cow’s milk formula is more bioavailable than zinc in soy-based formulas. After the first 6 months, human milk is an inadequate source of zinc.
Vitamin K

AI for vitamin K (micrograms per day)

  • 0-6 months: 2.0 µg/d
  • 7-12 months: 2.5 µg/d
 
Vitamin B12

AI for vitamin B12 (micrograms per day)

  • 0-6 months: 0.4 µg/d
  • 7-12 months: 0.5 µg/d
 
Vitamin D

AI for vitamin D (international units per day)

  • 0-6 months: 5 µg/d (200 IU/d)
  • 7-12 months: 5 µg/d (200 IU/d)
 Breastfed infants should receive 400 IU of vitamin D (oral) beginning soon after birth.

 

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Last updated: 06/28/2010