Before we talk about the everyday foods that children can eat, we ought to discuss the more important chemical substances that foods are composed of, and what the baby uses them for. You can compare a child body, in one way, to a building under construction. A lot of different materials are needed to build it and to keep it in repair. But a human being is also a machine that's running. It requires fuel for energy, and other substance to make it work properly, just as an automobile needs gasoline, oil, grease, water.
Protein is the main building material of the body.
The child needs good food protein to continually increase the size of every part of the body, and also to repair wear and tear. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk are the foods richest in it. A child should be averaging a pint and a half of milk daily and also receiving either meat or eggs daily, preferably both. Next in importance are the proteins in whole grain cereals, nuts and mealy vegetables. Minerals of many kinds play a vital part in the structure and in the working of every part of the body.