Feeding your toddler
Toddlers can test the patience of even the most saintly parent when it comes to food. They are often picky eaters and can display a Herculean-like resistance to trying new food.
But there are plenty of ways you can help make sure that mealtimes don’t become a battleground. Read on for gurgle’s top tips on toddler feeding.
How much?
The rapid rate of growth children experience in the first year of life slows down during the second year. Correspondingly, your baby's appetite will diminish.
Additionally, toddlers only have small tummies which means they only need about a quarter to a third of an adult-sized portion. So if you have two slices of bread for breakfast, your toddler will probably only need about half a slice to fill them up. It can be surprising just how little your toddler does eat, but remember: toddlers are very unlikely to let themselves go hungry.
Offer your child three regular meals and two-to-three healthy snacks a day. Remember it’s not unheard of for toddlers not to want to eat anything at mealtimes. Allowing a child to skip a meal is a difficult concept for many parents, but children should be allowed to respond to their own internal hunger cues.
Only give snacks when your child is hungry or thirsty, not as entertainment or as a distraction. Don’t give any more than the recommended 300ml (half-a-pint) of milk a day. If your toddler drinks too much milk, he or she may not want to eat solid foods.
Offer small servings and let your child ask if they wants more. It's important not to push food on a child who's not hungry. On the other hand, a child shouldn't be allowed to eat whenever they want to all day long.
If you have any concerns about how much your child eats, speak with your child's doctor.
What to give
Try to include these sorts of foods every day:
• Milk and dairy products - these provide calories, protein, vitamins and minerals. Up until the age of two, your child should have around half-a-pint (250-300ml) of full-fat cow’s milk daily. Cheese and yoghurt should also be full-fat. After their second birthday you can switch to semi-skimmed milk if your toddler is eating well and maintaining a healthy weight.
• Meat, eggs, beans, lentils and oily fish (sardines, mackerel, tuna – no more than four portions a week for boys and two portions a week for girls). These are rich in nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals.
• Bread, muffins, cereals, rice, noodles, pasta and potatoes - these starchy foods provide calories, vitamins, minerals and fibre.
• Fruit and vegetables - these contain vitamin C and other protective vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre.
Foods to avoid
• Raw eggs and foods containing partially cooked eggs, because of the risk of salmonella.
• Whole or chopped nuts, to eliminate the risk of choking.
• Shark, swordfish or marlin, because they contain relatively high levels of mercury.
• Raw shellfish, because they can cause food poisoning.
• Food containing high levels of salt, and food and drink containing high levels of sugar.
• Artificial flavourings, colourings, preservatives and sweeteners. These are banned from manufactured baby and toddler foods but can be present in some adult foods. Certain additives have been linked to behavioural problems in children.
• Drinks containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea and many fizzy drinks.
The Government health body also recommends vitamin drops containing vitamins A, C and D, available from chemists or child health centres, for children up to the age of five.
Offering new food
Food preferences are established early in life so this is the time to help your child develop a taste for a wide range of healthy foods. You can keep broadening your child's palate by introducing new flavours and textures.
• Try to make the mealtime environment as happy as possible (difficult at times, we know, but give it your best shot). Children tend to like foods they associate with having fun.
• Offer the same food on several occasions. It can take anything up to 15 tries before a child accepts a new food. If the child consistently says "no" one day, he might just say "yes" on the next occasion the food is offered.
• Encourage your toddler to have a taste but don’t force the issue if your child won’t try it.
• Introduce only one new food at a time. Serve it alongside a food your child likes.
• Toddlers often ask for the same food day after day. Be patient – this won’t last long.
• Do not pressurise your toddler into finishing their drink or eating everything on their plate. Remove uneaten food without comment.
• Don’t threaten a child with a punishment or a reward for eating something. This rarely works and can actually develop a dislike of that particular food with your child.
Top toddler feeding tips
• Offer a wide variety of finger foods. This might include chopped up pieces of fruit and vegetables, lumps of cheese, hard-boiled slices of egg, small pieces of bread or crackers, rice cakes and bagels, pieces of cooked pasta etc - let your imagination run riot!
• Do not over-season food - young children prefer simply prepared foods.
• Encourage one bite to taste but don’t overdo the coaxing. Phrases such as "Eat it all up" can send your toddler into a panic. Never force your child to eat anything or you risk creating a life-long dislike of that food.
• Don’t bribe or reward using food. Do not make a big fuss when you present a child with new food. Present food in a calm and matter of fact manner.
• Children learn to eat by watching others so eat as a family. Switch off the TV. Don't allow distractions such as mobile phones at the table.
• Don’t hurry your child. After a reasonable amount of time has passed, remove the plate without comment.
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Last Modified: 09/05/2008