Proper toddler nutrition is the core of quality care
Date :
Thursday, March 18 2010
Source:
Autourina Mains
You may have noticed that your toddler is constantly on the move and sitting down to eat may not be a priority. That is why it is so important to make meals and snacks as nutritious as possible. Your toddler is probably ready to give up the bottle and move on to bigger and better things. Though, formula and breast milk provided adequate nutrition for your infant, your toddler’s nutritional needs are changing. Your toddler is probably ready to start drinking whole milk and eat a wide variety of foods.
Follow the Food Guide Pyramid to assure you are offering a variety of foods every day. For instance your toddler needs to have grains, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and meats every day. Be mindful of serving sizes. A toddler serving size differs than that of an adult. A toddler’s serving size is; 3-5 oz of grains (1 slice of bread, ½ cup cereal, ½ cup rice, or ½ cup pasta).
A couple of nutritional concerns in toddler years are lack of sufficient calcium and iron. Calcium is of course found in all dairy products but also in very dark leafy vegetables. Iron rich foods include meats, beans and spinach. Many cereals are iron fortified as well. Iron deficiency is quite important to watch for because it can affect proper growth and development and lead to learning and behavioral problems and it can also progress to anemia. Curbing milk consumption is one way to avoid iron deficiency. Children who may drink excessive amounts of milk (over 24 oz milk per day) may risk iron deficiency. This age (toddler age) is your golden opportunity to instill good eating habits.
Even if you don’t like certain foods, try to be a good role model and establish healthy eating habits by:
- Eat as a family
- Serve well balanced meals including fruits, vegetables, grains, meats and dairy
- Be a good role model and try everything you have prepared, even if you don’t like it
- Offer water throughout the day and reduce the amount of soda you consume
- Serve milk at meals
- Offer healthy whole grain and snacks rich in vitamins and minerals
- Serve family style and allow your toddler to serve himself at the table. Offer help when he/she needs it but allow them to serve and feed independently.
Some parents feel like they need to fix a different meal for each member of the family. You are not a restaurant and your children need to learn to appreciate good, nutritious meals, so serve one dish for the entire family. Children learn from parents so if the parents are picky, children learn to be picky too. Sometimes children may have issues with texture or taste and that is quite normal, but it is not ok for your toddler to eat one kind of food only (hot dogs or chicken nuggets only). Variety and moderation is the key to healthy eating. Offer a variety of foods in moderation and enjoy family style meals at least 2-3 times a week.