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Other survival
tip areas:
• Breastfeeding
• Sleep
and Settling Strategies
• Biting
• When your Baby (under 4 months)
cries
• Toddler
Behaviour
• Tips
for Introducing Solids (PDF)
•
Toilet Training
• Postnatal
Depression
• Wrapping
your Baby
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Toddler Nutrition:
For ease of reading the female gender has been used throughout this article.
The following information provides a brief guide to toddler nutrition and gives you some suggestions for solving problems you might be experiencing. For further information and support please consult your Early Childhood Nurse, General Practitioner or Karitane Careline on (02) 9794 1852 or 1800 677 961 outside the Sydney metropolitan area.
The development that occurs around the ages of one to three - the toddler years - is full of challenges for your child. They are constantly on the move learning about their world and how it works. One minute they are independent and resourceful, the next they are clinging and insecure. At other times they are co-operative and 'play by the rules' and one minute later they are rebellious and everything is 'no'.
You will need to keep reminding yourself that all this is part of normal growth and development. It is also normal for their appetites to decrease around this time because their rate of physical growth may also slow down. Where they have doubled their birth weight in the first 6 months (an average of 3.5kg gain) a toddler may only gain 2kg in an entire year.
Toddlers require at least one third of their dietary energy requirements to be supplied in the form of fat. Toddlers will cope better with approximately six small meals or three small meals and 2-3 healthy snacks each day rather than three large meals. They are capable of eating the family diet but be careful with highly spiced and hot flavoured foods. Full cream products are recommended rather than reduced fat types. If soya milk must be used due to an allergy to cows milk make sure it is a calcium-enriched variety.
The fat in a toddler's diet should come from milk (600mls/day) cheese (30-40g) or yogurt (small tub), meat/fish/chicken or egg (1-2 serves per day) These same products will provide most of a toddler's protein requirements.
The following information includes the average daily requirements for toddlers, tips for feeding toddlers and a menu planner:
Food Group |
Serving Size |
Number of Serves |
||
1 Year |
2 Years |
3 Years |
||
Bread and Cereals |
•1 slice bread roll |
4 |
4 |
5 |
| Fruit & Vegetables | • 1
piece fruit 125 ml fruit juice • cup (35g) cooked vegetables • potato • carrot |
3 |
4 |
4 |
| Dairy Foods | •
200ml milk • 200g yoghurt • 40g cheese • 200ml custard |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Meat & Substitutes | • 30g
lean meat, fish or chicken • 1 egg • 1 tablespoon peanut butter • cup baked beans • 1 fish finger |
1 |
2 | 2 |
| Fats & Oils | 2 teaspoons | 1 |
1 |
2 |
Toddlers may have difficulty tolerating fibre in their diet. Suitable fibre includes
wholewheat breakfast cereals, and wholemeal bread. Avoid food with a large content of
seeds, nuts and grains.
Fruit and vegetables are good sources of vitamins and minerals. If toddlers prefer to eat
them raw rather than cooked it is probably a good idea. Raw vegetables tend to have more
vitamins than those that are cooked and are easy to prepare.
Honey and sugar should only be included in a toddler's diet in small amounts. Replace
biscuits, cakes, chocolate and other sweets with snacks such as frozen fruit, bread cut
into interesting shapes and spread with vegemite or smooth peanut butter, raisin toast,
celery sticks, cheese sticks, frozen yogurts or crackers, rusks and crispbread spread with
a soft cheese.
Water is the best thirst quencher. Fruit juices and cordials can contain
considerable amounts of sugar and may cause diarrhoea if too much is consumed
by toddlers. It is better to only offer fruit juices 1-2 times per day.
With cordials ensure you use the correct dilution and if this is too sweet
increase the water content.
It is difficult to avoid salt in processed foods however it is a good idea
to avoid adding salt to home prepared foods. That way toddlers will not
learn the habit of the salt taste.
Tips
for Feeding Toddlers
- Make the evening meal for a toddler
early so as to avoid them being over tired and unable to eat.
- Give your toddler warning that the
meal will be ready soon - this will give them time to wind up any activities they may be
involved in.
- Encourage them to sit down when
eating - this may be at their own table or with the family.
- Try to minimise distractions at meal
times eg. put the television off.
- Make meal times enjoyable experiences
not a battlefield. After 20-30 minutes it will be clear they are not going to finish their
meal, remove any remaining food without comment.
- Be positive and encouraging when your
toddler has eaten well or behaved appropriately during a meal.
- Expect a mess, therefore use surfaces
that are easily cleaned.
- If possible allow them to choose
their food for the next meal. Give them 2-3 options only otherwise they will become
confused.
- Encourage your toddler to participate
in the food preparation eg. home made pizza or hamburgers.
- Offer three (3) small meals and two
(2) healthy snacks each day.
- If a toddler has refused to eat on
one occasion it may be possible to substitute or increase their daily requirements the
next time you offer them food. Remember, a healthy toddler will not starve.
- Have the toddler use their own
special plate/bowl, spoon and cup.
- Give your toddler salad and raw,
grated vegetables if they prefer these to cooked vegetables.
- Avoid fast food as it often contains
high levels of salt and fat.
- Avoid using sweets and chocolate as rewards.
Suggested Menu Planner for a Toddler
Breakfast:
Cereal Bread/Toast
Milk
Morning Tea:
Piece of fruit
Milk
Lunch:
Sandwich containing chicken, meat, fish, cheese, baked beans or egg
Yoghurt/milk
Afternoon Tea:
Slice of bread
Water/juice
Dinner:
Small portion of chicken, meat, fish or an egg. Portion of potato/rice
or pasta and 1 or 2 other vegetables
Custard/yoghurt
Piece of fruit
Water/juice
References,
further reading and viewing
Family Feud (Food) (Video) (1999) The Dieticians Association
of Australia, Tasmania.
Hillis, A. &
Stone, P. (2003). Breast Bottle Bowl, Harper Collins, Australia.
McVeagh, P. &
Reed, E. (2001). Kids Food Health 1 - nutrition and your child's
development - the first year 1, Finch Publishing Pty. Ltd., Lane
Cove.
McVeagh, P. &
Reed, E. (2001). Kids Food Health 2 -nutrition and your child’s
development - from toddler to preschooler, Finch Publishing Pty.
Ltd., Lane Cove.
McVeagh, P. & Reed, E. (2001). Kids Food Health 3 -nutrition and your child’s development - from school-age to teenage, Finch Publishing Pty. Ltd., Lane Cove.
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Last modified: Tuesday, 17 June 2003