Guide to Toddler Feeding
Toddler feeding can be very confusing. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. When a baby reaches the age of 1, they can start having whole cow’s milk as their milk drink. At the age of 2, they should also be eating a meal similar to the rest of the people in the family. A greater number of smaller meals can be offered if you find your baby does not want to eat a lot of food in one sitting.
You should only be giving your toddler around 2 cups, or 16 oz. of milk and dairy products every day. You can also give them fruit juice. However, you should limit this to a maximum of 6 oz. per day.
Make sure that your child is eating a wide variety of different foods so they get used to eating a balanced diet. Allow your child to feed themselves using small pieces of food. Picking food up with fingers is very interesting to toddlers, and makes feeding much easier.
You should use the USDA guidelines to plan what your toddler should eat. The USDA suggests that children over 2 should be eating healthily.
There are five groups of food which should be given to your toddler to ensure that they are eating a balanced diet. These five food groups include:
- Grains – This includes things like a piece of bread, cooked rice, cooked pasta, or cereal.
- Vegetables – 1 serving of vegetables includes: ½ cup of vegetables, 1 cup of leafy vegetables.
- Fruit – This includes things like 1 piece of fruit, ¾ cup fruit juice, or ¼ cup of dried fruit.
- Milk – Servings include yogurt, 2 oz. cheese, or 1 cup of milk.
- Meat and Beans – 1 serving includes 2 oz. of cooked meat, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 egg, or ½ cup of cooked beans.
Toddlers are all very active and this means that they may need healthy snacks in between their main meals. Slices of apple, banana, or strawberries are great choices for these snack times.
When children grow older, their appetite often naturally decreases. Some children can also become picky which can cause toddler nutrition to be more difficult. Sometimes you are going to have to be stubborn and insist your little one eats items that are healthy, even if they don't like them, to make sure they are building the groundwork for a healthy diet in the years to come.
