Calories and toddlers

Toddlers from one to three years need between 1,000 and 1,300 calories a day, yet they may not eat this amount every day. Aim for a nutritionally-balanced week, not a balanced day.

Growth and diet in child’s second year

Growth slows down in a child’s second year. This means toddlers often have smaller appetites and need less food.

Keeping energy levels high

As well as 3 meals a day, snacks are important to keep young kids’ energy levels high throughout the day. Get into the habit of giving them a healthy mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack.

Structure Your Family’s Eating

Although hectic schedules can present challenges, discourage eating on the run and random snacking. Instead, establish routines meals

Snack food tip

Divvy up boxes of snack foods like crackers, pretzels, and raisins into snack-size zippered bags and keep a picnic basket of bags on the counter so you can grab a few whenever we leave the house.

From huggieshappybaby.com.

Drinking milk

For children, who don’t care for milk, add a few drops of food coloring and serve with straws.

Limiting choices

Give your toddler limited choices. Make them as palatable as possible to the child, but eliminate any options that are unacceptable to you.

The boon of breastfeeding

Breastfeeding lessens the chances of getting Crohn’s Disease, Diabetes, Ulcerative Colitis, and Celiac Disease.

Good Nutrition Tip

Good nutrition means eating a well-balanced and varied diet of foods in as close to their natural state as possible.
From: La Leche League.