Provide three nutritious meals supplemented with two to three healthy snacks daily.
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Provide three nutritious meals supplemented with two to three healthy snacks daily. Be a role model by eating a healthy, balanced and varied diet. Nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury, which can zap kids’ ability to think and concentrate. For children, these potential side effects occur with much lower levels of exposure than for adults. Kids with ADHD to avoid high mercury fish including shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. Curb the tendency of rewarding your toddler with a treat whenever he/she does well, as this will make him/her develop an unhealthy emotional relationship with food. The typical serving size for a toddler is about 1/4 of what an adult size serving would be, so you would only expect a toddler to eat 1/4 of a slice of bread, 1-2 tablespoons of vegetables, or 1 ounce of meat. If your child is going through a picky-eater stage, invite over a friend who is the same age or slightly older whom you know “likes to eat”. Your child will catch on. Group feeding lets the other kids set the example. Kids ages 12-24 mos need at least 6 servings of grains each day, so snack time is definitely a prime opportunity to sneak some in. Cheerios and other low-sugar cereals are a great quick and easy option. Toddlers that are allowed to carry their bottle or sippy cup of milk around all day can actually over drink. Coconut milk is not really milk and doesn’t provide the same nourishment as normal milks. It contains a lot of fat and provides little else of value to the diet and cannot be used to replace other milks. When deciding on the milk to give your child follow these guidelines: Give full cream milk to children between 1 and 2 years of age. Whole milk has 4% fat. Children over 2 years of age do not need full cream milk. Growth slows down in a child’s second year. This means toddlers often have smaller appetites and need less food. Meat is started somewhere between 9 and 12 months of age. By age 1, she should be consuming about 2 servings from the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans and eggs group per day. Most toddlers will not eat three meals a day but will generally prefer to eat 5 to 6 smaller meals. By the end of the first year, your child may be well onto the cup and off the bottle. Introducing a cup should be done slowly. Start by giving water or juice in a cup. If your toddler is drinking too much milk and/or juice, she may be too full to eat, so follow the typical recommendations of 16-24 ounces of milk and 4-6 ounces of juice. For picky eaters between the ages of 1 and 3, healthy snacks at regular intervals are key. Toddlers have small appetites, so they won’t eat much at each meal. Many foods and drinks have sugar added to them. For a sweet treat, pick foods that are naturally sweet, such as strawberries, honey and pineapple, rather than cakes or biscuits. Serve as much fresh food as possible. When our babies are small we tend to stew apples, pears and other fruit, but when they no longer need to have mushy food, transition to fresh fruits. Prevent your toddler from filling up on excessive fluids before meals. Offering sips of water or milk to quench thirst is fine. A couple of tablespoons are usually plenty to serve, especially for new foods. Small plates and small portions are just right for small eyes and stomachs. |
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