Brain Child

By Nancy Gottesman

Remember how your ob-gyn (and every pregnancy-related magazine and book you read!) stressed the importance of your diet for your fetus’s brain and neural development? Well, now it’s your toddler’s own eating habits that are crucial.

Little kids’ brains develop quickly—not just during pregnancy, but also during their first three years of life. This rapid growth places a great demand on diet because food literally supplies the building blocks that help form your child’s brain. “More than any other organ in the body, the brain is the most susceptible to nutrition in early childhood,” says William Sears, MD, author of more than 40 books on childcare and nutrition.

New science shows a clear connection between diet and brain growth during the preschool years. A handful of specific foods and nutrients are emerging as brain-power brokers, the ones that enhance your child’s intellectual abilities, his behavior and even his moods. Here’s how to make sure your tot gets enough brain-building foods every day.