Toddler Food Ideas

Healthy Eating Habits

The toddler months provide an opportunity to encourage healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime. Continuing to breastfeed through the toddler years is fine if this suits mum and child.

Toddlers can usually eat the same food as the rest of the family (with the exception of very strong spices) as long as it’s cut up into toddler-sized pieces. Toddlers still have small stomachs so they may need to eat little and often. Don’t be frustrated if your toddler eats hardly any of the meal you’ve prepared and then announces they need a snack an hour later. Letting them eat as much or as little as they like at mealtimes is a good strategy, as long as the snacks you offer in between are nourishing. If your toddler fills up on sweet foods and fizzy drinks, they won’t have room for the nutritious food they need. You’ll also be encouraging your child to develop a sweet tooth, which can lead to tooth decay and weight problems.

One year olds need high amounts of energy as they are growing fast. Surprisingly, toddlers can be more at risk of going short of important nutrients, such as iron, than babies. This is due to several factors:

• still growing rapidly so need plenty of nutritious foods
• moving onto cow’s milk as a main drink, which is low in iron
• some toddlers becoming picky about food, not eating as much

It’s sometimes hard to tell if a toddler is not getting enough iron until the shortage is severe, so it is particularly important to make sure you are offering your toddler plenty of iron-rich foods such as lean meat.

For a healthy, balanced diet containing all the necessary building blocks, make sure your toddler eats foods from these four groups:

Starchy foods – including bread, pasta, rice, porridge oats, kumara, yams and potatoes.

Fruit and vegetables – of any sort, including frozen, canned and well diluted juice, five times a day. (Frozen vegetables may contain even more vitamins than fresh ones which have been sitting on a shelf).

Protein foods – red meat, chicken, fish and eggs, as well as vegetarian alternatives such as tofu, dhal (lentils), pulses and nut pastes (like peanut butter).

Dairy products  – like cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais and regular blue top milk. Low-fat alternatives just don’t provide enough energy.  Use only full-fat varieties like creamy yoghurt and blue top milk.

You don’t have to offer all four food groups at every meal but if you aim to include foods from all four each day, you will go a long way towards making sure your child’s getting the nutrition they need for healthy growth and development.

As your toddler gradually develops more control over their body they will enjoy trying to feed themselves. They will learn to:

• make very fine movements, like picking up a pea from their plate
• use a spoon and fork while eating (it may get messy, but that’s what splash mats are for!)
• stir with a wooden spoon.

Cups and spoons

Most toddlers learn to use spoons and forks, though not all of the food will go in the mouth every time!  Don’t be surprised if some experimenting goes on.  You may not have thought of squishing porridge through your fingers to see how it feels, but your toddler might!

No bottles

Your toddler should be drinking from a cup, not a drink bottle.  Some toddlers enjoy the comfort of sucking from a bottle but it’s not good for their teeth and can delay speech development.  So it’s really important to offer them a cup. If your toddler wants a bottle, try offering only water in the bottle and milk or will diluted juice in the cup.

Salt warning

Children between 1 – 3 years old should have no more than 2 grams of salt (0.8g sodium) a day. Limit salty snacks like potato chips and foods such as cheese, bacon and sausages. Processed foods can be high in salt too.  Check the salt or sodium content on the label and choose ones that are lowest. Never add salt to your child’s food.

Foods to avoid

Raw and undercooked egg, whole nuts, fizzy drinks, cordial, coffee and tea should be avoided and there is no need to add sugar or honey to children’s food.  Young children should not be given shark, marlin or swordfish either. These fish are too high in mercury, which may affect a child’s developing nervous system. Tuna fish, however, is safe.

Warning: Peanuts and peanut butter are banned from pre-school establishments to protect the children allergic to the nuts.

Supplements

Most toddlers do not need supplements. A healthy, balanced diet is the best way to provide the nourishment your child requires. Some children, however, might need extra vitamins and minerals, such as toddlers following a vegan diet, who might need vitamin B12. If you are concerned your child might need supplements ask your health professional.

It is normal for some toddlers to eat everything they are offered whilst others will turn their nose up at food they previously enjoyed. Your toddler may also eat less than before – this too is quite normal.

• avoid making mealtimes a battleground. Being a toddler is all about pushing the boundaries and becoming an individual. Long term food hang-ups can begin at this time so, however frustrated you are inside, try not to let your toddler know. You are still older and smarter.
• we know how difficult it is to eat when we’re tired. Don’t expect your child to enjoy it either. To ensure your child enjoys and stands every chance of eating well, plan to have the meal in the early evening.
• let your child feed themselves with a spoon or fingers. At first, the spoon may be used wrongly –  upside down or empty –  but bear with it. Your child will soon learn how to use it properly when food is wanted.
• many toddlers eat only one or two good meals each day and pick at snacks the rest of the time. This is normal. Avoid offering snacks just before meals.
• offer your child small amounts of a variety of foods and give choice over what is eaten. Even as adults, we eat more if there is a wider choice. Also, offer choice so a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer isn’t an option. For example, “would you like an apricot or banana?”
• although milk is still important for your child, check your child isn’t ‘filling up’ on it. At this stage, he should be drinking about 600mls each day of blue top milk.
• involve your child in preparing food. They will love chopping vegetables and stirring mixes!
• limit mealtimes to 10-15 minutes and then remove the food without offering alternatives. Praise them for what has been eaten.
• keep offering your child small amounts of the refused food as it can take time to like a new taste.
• if cooked vegetables are refused, try giving them raw. Vegetables are equally nutritious whether a raw snack or within a cooked meal. As adults, we might eat vegetable sticks with a dip. Let your child try some too.
• reduce the number of distractions. Switch off the television. Sit down at a table away from toys and games.
• toddlers gravitate towards attention whether it’s positive or negative. The more fuss made about eating, the more fuss will be generated and the longer it will continue.

Healthy Snacks

• small sandwiches cut into interesting shapes and arranged on the plate to make a picture or pattern
• yoghurt in a bowl with added chunks of fresh fruit
• chunks of watermelon, seedless grapes, avocado
• cheese and crackers with pieces of fruit (a mixture of colours and textures makes it more interesting)
• sticks of raw vegetables in a picture or pattern, with some dip or peanut butter
• small muffin or cake
• water to drink.

Preventing Excessive Weight Gain

As with adults, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of children who are overweight. Sadly, overweight children are more likely to have health problems both as a child and as an adult. There is a difficult balance to strike between ensuring your child obtains enough energy and essential building blocks for growth and development, without the extra calories/kilojoules, which are stored as fat. Children need foods rich in nutrients as well as energy, not those offering high amounts of calories with little else.

Tips for ensuring your child maintains a healthy weight:

• encourage your child to decide how much they eat, with you making the choice of the food offered. Focus on the foods they can eat rather than foods not to eat.
• children need some fat in their diets for energy and growth but it is important not to offer too many fat-laden foods if they are only providing extra calories.  The same goes for sugar, for example, cakes, biscuits, sweets and chocolate.
• eat meals as a family and lead by example. Parents can show healthy eating is enjoyable.
• offer a nutritious snack between meals – fruit, vegetables, wholegrain bread sandwiches.
• provide safe places for play and exercise.
• have regular opportunities and encouragement for running and playing.
• limit TV, DVD and computer time. Learning is important, but so too is being active.
• if you are worried about your child’s appetite, eating pattern or weight, talk to your health professional.

Toddlers need lots of small meals and healthy snacks.

Cut up foods that are firm and round and can get stuck in your child’s airway such as:

• sausages – always cut sausages length-wise and then into small pieces
• grapes – cut them into quarters
• raw vegetables – cut them into small strips or pieces that are not round.

Other foods that can pose a choking hazard include:

• hard or sticky lollies/sweets, like whole peppermints or caramels
• nuts and seeds (don’t give peanuts to children under age 7 years)
• popcorn
• spoonfuls of peanut butter.

Limit TV, DVD and computer time. Encourage physical activity and outdoor play.

Vegetarian Toddler

If you’re bringing up your toddler in a vegetarian family, or your child refuses to eat meat, this is not at all unhealthy so long as parents take care to make sure that all the appropriate nutrients are met.

Calorie consumption is important for ensuring your toddler has enough fuel for all that energy.

Iron

Iron can be found in many vegetarian friendly sources. Kidney beans, lima beans, green beans, spinach and egg yolks are all excellent sources of iron. However, unlike iron derived from animal sources, iron from vegetables can be hard for your body to absorb properly.  Serving a vitamin C rich food with those beans or spinach can make the iron easier for your toddler to absorb. Some great sources of vitamin C include tomatoes, oranges, broccoli and red peppers. Ensure your child is getting enough iron by giving fortified breakfast cereals, bread, green vegetables and dried fruit. The vitamin C in a glass of diluted fruit juice drunk with a meal will help them absorb iron more easily.

Supplements

Most toddlers do not need supplements. A healthy, balanced diet is the best way to provide the nourishment your child requires. Some children, however, might need extra vitamins and minerals, such as toddlers following a vegan diet, who might need vitamin B12. If you are concerned your child might need supplements ask your health professional.