There is no harder job than raising a child. And now that I’m a parent I can certainly attest to that. It’s not just about changing diapers or finding the right toys or digging deep for that extra ounce of energy each day. Mostly it’s about making sure your child is happy. And when kids are happy, most moms and dads will tell you they’re happy too.

Good nutrition plays a large role in a child’s well-being, setting a foundation they can feed off of for years to come. This month, guest author Amanda Baltazar (who happens to have a daughter a couple weeks younger than my son) does a fantastic job summing up the latest trends in the nutrition world as they pertain to children. As she rightly points out in her article (page 44), “Recent health crises among children and a demand for better, more sensible products from parents have pushed many companies to add health—and more—back into foods and beverages today. And there’s no one for whom that’s more important than children. Growing bodies and minds need fuel and it needs to be nutrient-packed.”

Given the recent statistics surrounding kids’ health, it is no surprise that the market for children’s health products is booming. Driven by health-conscious parents who are tired of calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods, companies are meeting their needs with a variety of products fortified with vitamins, minerals, omega 3s and probiotics. But it’s not just about foods; supplements are playing a part as well.

According to Datamonitor, the percentage of new fortified kids’ beverages featuring DHA omega 3 rose to more than 16% in 2010 (up from just less than 3% in 2009) and expanded to more than 33% in supplements (up from 25% in 2009). Meanwhile, the percentage of new fortified children’s foods containing vitamin D rose to more than 12% in 2010 (up from just less than 3% in 2009), as the percentage of new supplements containing vitamin D hit 24% in 2010.

On the other side of the age spectrum, there is the older crowd—the grandmas and grandpas out there, who are probably starting to experience the aches and pains that frequently accompany the aging process. The difference between this generation and those before it is that these consumers are not going to take those aches and pains lying down. Whatever it takes, they want to guarantee they can continue to chase their grandchildren well into their “golden years.” In this respect, the joint health category has served these consumers well. While the market (page 52) has been relatively flat for more than a decade, most experts believe it is a mainstay of condition-specific products that will continue to reinvent itself with new ingredients, applications and delivery technologies well into the future.

With a strong mindset and some deep pockets, the Baby Boomer segment continues to offer a wealth of product opportunities, according to a recent report released by Packaged Facts. “As Boomers turn 50 and enter their 60s, they carry with them a firm belief that getting older means getting better. Many look at aging simply as another life stage filled with opportunities for reinventing themselves and experiencing new possibilities for personal growth rather than as a signal to wind down their lives,” explained Don Montuori, publisher of Packaged Facts. Most important, these consumers are far more willing to pay a premium when purchasing “better-for-you” grocery products compared to their peers.