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Feeding your Toddler
When you first have a baby, you find that you have two very big boxes that need to be ticked. Sleeping and Eating. On this page we will look into the later.
Feeding a toddler is no easy feat. If you thought that working through mastitis, reflux and mixing formula at 3.00am was difficult, then you will have just have, or will soon realise that milk feeds are a welcome walk in the park compared to feeding a fussy, messy, opinionated and mobile toddler, three or four times a day.
Not only do you now have to ensure that your child is fed each day, but you now need to worry about your toddler getting enough of the right foods and the right kind of nutrition.
Share your toddler feeding tips with us...
Toddlers and Food
You have probably already spent the past few months introducing your baby to solids, and have already discovered the joys of food throwing, jaw clamping mouth closures and screaming matches when it is time to sit down in the high chair. In your child’s second year and above you will still need to battle through these challenges whilst assisting them to learn good eating habits.
We know that children are observant, so the best way to teach a child good eating habits is by eating well yourself. There is no point trying to get your child to eat their vegetables if they see you snacking on biscuits and then eating a pie and chips for dinner swallowed down by a soft drink. If you want to avoid the risk of childhood obesity then it is important to introduce good eating and exercise habits early.
When it comes to feeding toddlers it is all about team work. You may not be able to decide how much they eat, but you can certainly decide on what and when they eat, and how they will behave when eating. If you want to get your child interested in their meal, then them involved in choosing the food they eat, or letting them help prepare it. And if you want your child to have table manners and eat their dinner not only because of the promise of ice-cream, then you need to set an example.
Children tend to copy their parents, so you need to start introducing them to table manners and suitable eating habits as soon as you can. Try to eat as family as often as you can, and try to make meal times a happy and fun occasion, where the family talks and laughs together whilst eating healthy food. If your child sees that mealtimes can be fun, they will start looking forward to it.
Try to ensure that you always eat your meals whilst sitting at a table, and encourage your toddler to always do the same. If they see you walking around with the telephone in one hand and a piece of toast in the other than they will think that this is normal eating behaviour. Make sure they sit down for all meals, and that includes drinks and snacks. It is easier to set down good behaviour now, then trying to fix it later.
It can be difficult for a toddler to sit through the whole of a family meal, so let them leave the table when they have had enough. Maybe they can ask to leave the table or take their plate to the kitchen when they are finished. As they get older they will be able to stay at the table for longer periods.
Remember that whilst you do want to teach your toddler not to throw food, it won’t be until around the age of five, that they will understand table manners like not chewing with their mouths open. Be patient they will get it in time.
When it comes to getting your toddler interested in food, you can try growing vegetables or herbs in the garden or letting them pick the fruit and vegetables in the store. When it comes to meal times, let them help you prepare the meal, and try making fun meals or fun shapes out of their food. Carrots are more exciting if they are “X-ray” carrots and a fruit kebab is more exciting if it is a “rocket ship”. When a child helps prepare a meal, they are usually quite proud of themselves and will enjoy eating their meal and watching other family members enjoy it too.
How much should my toddler be eating?
Most parents worry about whether or not their toddler is getting enough healthy food and whether they are eating and drinking enough. As hard as it is to trust your toddler’s instincts, you need to know that in most cases a toddler will eat and drink when they need to and will stop when they are full or have had enough. They are pretty good at judging how much food they need. If they want more of anything, they will usually ask or indicate in some other way.
If you are worried it is good to remember that toddlers have small stomachs so don’t need as much as food as we think at each meal, so don’t make meal times stressful by forcing food down your child’s throat or making them eat everything on their plate. If they really don’t seem interested then just offer small healthy snacks through out the day, and make sure you offer, or leave handy a sipper cup of water to keep them hydrated.
Whilst there is no need to count calories when deciding on your toddler’s food intake each day, a good rule of thumb is about 40 Calories per 2.5cm of height. So a child of around 80cms in height could need around 1280 calories a day (based on their physical activity).
A Sample Toddler Menu for around 1280 Calories:
Allow your child to sip on water as often as they like throughout the day
Breakfast – 250 Calories
½ cup cereal with full cream milk and half a glass of juice or
2 slices of toast with butter and jam and half a glass of juice or milk **
Snack – 150 Calories
Cheese Slice and a handful of sultanas with a drink of water or
A piece of toast with butter and vegemite with a drink of water or
A glass of milk and some diced or pureed fruit
Lunch – 250 Calories
½ a sandwich with cheese, tomato and meat filling e.g. ham, chicken or tuna or
A 180g of shop bought or home-made baby food e.g. spaghetti bolognaise or chicken and vegetables
Plus a 1/ 2 glass of milk
Snack – 150 Calories
One standard cheese slice quartered with rice crackers
100g of yoghurt with 2 tablespoons of fruit puree
½ a glass of milk and ½ a banana, or other fruit such as grapes, pear or apple
Dinner – 330 Calories
30 to 60 grams of meat such as beef or chicken, with 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetables and ½ slice of buttered wholemeal bread or
220g of shop bought or home-made baby food e.g. Pasta, meat and vegetables, or rice and vegetables
Plus ½ glass of milk
Snack – 150 Calories
½ - 1 glass of milk before bed
** If you are breastfeeding you can swap the glass of milk with a long or quick breastfeed. And remember young children should not be drinking orange juice due the acidity, stick to apple or other blended juices. And make the mix, half juice and half water to keep their sugar and calories down.
Remember that a child’s appetite can fluctuate due to growth spurts or variations in physical activity, so don’t worry, your child won’t starve; they will eat when they are hungry. However, if your child consistently refuses food or you are worried about their growth rate then you should always see your Doctor.
Fussy eaters (Fussy Toddlers)
It is quite normal for toddlers to be fussy about their food. However, often their refusal to eat is more about exuding some independence more so then their dislike for the food, or them not being hungry.
You may also find that your child’s appetite fluctuates; some days they are starving and other days they are not hungry at all. This of course affects how much and how often they want to eat. A toddler’s eating patterns are not always linked to their appetite though. Often life is just too exciting to stop to eat, and other times they are just simply testing you to see who wins the ‘eat or not eat’ battle and what sort of reaction their behaviour will induce. And at other times they may just want some control over their life and want a safe and familiar food.
When a parent has a fussy child that seems to refuse new foods it is easy to believe that their child may only like one or two types of food, though sometimes toddlers will try new foods if you keep offering them. The trick is to be persistent, but don’t stress about it. Like adults, children’s interest in food and their appetites fluctuate, and what might not interest them today, they maybe gobbling up tomorrow.
The best time to try new foods is when your child is happy and not too tired. Make sure they are in a relaxed and familiar environment without too many distractions and offer them a small amount of the new food with a meal or food type that you know they already like. You can expect a child to reject a food up to ten times before they decide they like the taste and want to eat it.
Children’s taste buds change over time so if they are still not interested after a few goes, then just leave it for a few weeks or months and try again. And whilst it is tempting to serve up a food you know that your child likes at each meal, to ensure they are getting a balanced diet you need to keep up the variety, and ensure that you set a good example by enthusiastically eating a variety of healthy foods yourself.
Some other ideas to combat fussy eaters include:
Having regular meal times. Make sure your child has meals and snacks at regular times during the day. Don’t let them snack in between set meals.
Make eating fun. Make mealtimes a happy and fun family occasion that your child can look forward to. Try getting some fun cutlery or designer plates, or having a family tradition. Like a song or joke at the end of each meal.
Let them see you trying new foods. Tell them you are trying it for the first time, and let them see your positive reaction.
Don’t put them off meals by making a big deal out of spilt food, or force feeding them their meals.
Give positive feedback when they eat their meals or exhibit good table manners.
Try offering a new food when they are with another child. If they see another sibling or friend eating the same food they might be more interested in giving it a go.
Turn off the TV and remove other distractions.
Hide or disguise food. For example you can grate carrot or zucchini into a pasta sauce or add mushrooms and capsicum to taco mince. A fruit smoothie is a great way to get kids to drink their daily requirement of fruit.
Try having 15 minutes of quiet time or activities before meals, so your child is more relaxed when it is time to eat. It is easier to get a calm child to sit down to eat then one that is having loads of fun racing around the house on their new ride on toy. Even something as simple as stopping to wash and dry their hands and face can be enough to start them slowing down.
Serve your child the same food as the rest of the family. Tell them how ‘yummy’ it is and let them see you eat it and enjoy it. If they are still not interested. Just let it go and say ‘maybe we will try it another day’.
Don’t delay or prolong serving up the meal. A toddler will lose interest after ten minutes.
Let your child have a choice in what they eat. Maybe let them choose if they want chicken or pasta for dinner, or a carrot stick or apple as a snack. Just keep the choices down to only 2 or 3 items to prevent confusion.
Let them have small wins. Does it really matter if they cut the crusts off their bread as long as they eat the healthy salad and meat in between?
Let your child see a new food a few times, either on your plate or on the bench whilst you are preparing a meal. Once the food is familiar they may be more interested in trying it.
Try letting them just get used to a food first. For example they might just touch it, lick it or smell it. Then on another day, they might try a tiny little bit on a spoon.
Encourage your child to eat a rainbow. Carrots for orange. Bread for brown. Bananas for yellow. Peas for green.
As mentioned. Make food fun. Try making fun shapes out of sandwiches or fruit, let your child help with the shopping, grow your own vegetables or let them help cook.
Always praise your child for the effort they have made.
Don’t stress. It is normal for children aged 1 to 5 to be fussy around meal times, but this will settle down as they get older.
Remember
Even though it is tempting to give your child unhealthy treats, in order just to get them to ‘eat something’. This may backfire and your child may start refusing all healthy food when they know that there are more tasting and exciting options available.
Bribes for eating healthy food just to get a more exciting unhealthy treat really does allow your child to become more interested in the end result then the types of foods you are trying to get them interested in.
In order to stop your child from establishing bad food associations, try to make sweets and desserts a separate entity, not something that is based on your child’s eating habits or their behaviour that day.
One of my favourite little treats for my toddler is Baby Mum Mum Rice Rusks. They come in individual packages which keeps them fresh and are great to carry in your nappy bag.
I keep a box in my car for a quick and easy snack, and to keep my little one awake on the way home from childcare in the evenings. By the time she has chewed through two, we are home.
You can check them out at: www.BabyMumMum.com.au
I keep a box in my car for a quick and easy snack, and to keep my little one awake on the way home from childcare in the evenings. By the time she has chewed through two, we are home.
You can check them out at: www.BabyMumMum.com.au
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