Answer to Question 1
Although the preschool-aged child does need to consume more calories daily than the infant (1,800 for the average 4- to 6-year-old vs. 1,300 for the average 1- to 3-year-old), their growth rate is slower. Because of this, preschool-aged children need fewer calories per pound of body weight than younger children. These children still need to consume more fat than the typical adult and it is not unusual for children at this age to show strong food preferences and to dislike any food that is new (whether they have tried it or not). Research shows that parent-child battles over meals usually do more harm than good. Parents wanting to introduce new foods are encouraged to have the child try small bites, multiple times, over an extended period of time (perhaps weeks) to allow the child to adjust to the new food. All in all, the child will eat as much as he or she needs to eat.
Answer to Question 2
Handedness emerges during infancy, usually by two to three months of age. You can test this by placing a rattle or another toy in the infant's hand. If you place it in the infant's right hand, he or she will generally hold the rattle longer than if you place it in the left hand. Although handedness may be influenced somewhat by the environment, the consistently high percentage of right-handedness around the world and even amongst other species (such as parrots) strongly suggests that handedness is due to wiring within the brain. Left-handedness is associated with language problems (such as dyslexia), stuttering, and even health problems such as allergies. On the other hand, it is also associated with creativity and mathematical ability.
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