Toddler Nutrition: 12 months – 3 years Receiving adequate nutrition is necessary for toddlers to achieve their full growth and developmental potential For toddlers12 months through 2 years, adequate nutrition is necessary for toddlers to achieve their full growth and developmental potential.

Transition to Table Food Introduce new table foods slowly and add only one food at a time. Finger foods can help in the transition from pureed foods to table foods. Nutritious snacks such as fruit, low-fat milk, veggies, etc. instead of sweet beverages, cookies, or desserts. New table foods should be introduced slowly, and only one new food should be introduced at a time, which will allow for any allergies to a particular food to be more evident. Finger foods can help in the transition from pureed foods to table foods as a toddler learns to use a fork and spoon to eat. Nutritious snacks such as fresh fruit, low-fat dairy products, dry cereals, etc. should be used instead of sweetened beverages, snack foods or desserts.

Toddlers and Preschoolers Set a schedule. Keep serving sizes “child friendly.” Rule of thumb = 1 tablespoon of food per year of age. Listen to children’s hunger cues. Avoid forcing membership into the “clean-plate club.” Learn about the feeding relationship between parents and child. Lifetime eating habits and attitudes are formed during these early years of childhood. It’s important for toddlers and preschoolers to eat on a schedule, which will help prevent them from getting irritable because they are hungry. Serving sizes should be “child friendly” and not based on what an adult eats. A good rule-of-thumb to follow is to serve 1 tablespoon of food per year of age. Listen to children’s hunger cues. If allowed, children will monitor their hunger and will eat when they get hungry. That may mean that some days they will not eat much at all, and other days they may not stop eating. But it’s important for them to learn how to listen to their body, which will help prevent them from learning inappropriate eating habits. Don’t force kids into the “clean plate club,” and make them eat everything that is on their plate. This is a habit that will follow them through their life. Parents need to learn about the feeding relationship between parents and child. Simply put, it means that the parent provides healthy food choices, and the child decides when and how much to eat. The early years of childhood are the time when children will form their eating habits and attitudes that will last them a lifetime.

Nutrient Needs of Toddlers Appetite Toddler’s growth rate slows, which results in decreased appetite and interest in food. It is important to understand a decreased appetite is normal. Toddlers can self-regulate their calorie intake. As a toddlers grow, their growth rate slows and may result in a decrease of appetite and interest in food. So there may be times when a toddler does not want to eat anything. It is important to understand that this is normal and not a cause for alarm. Toddlers can self-regulate their calorie intake if they are allowed to do so.

MyPyramid Providing variety of foods by following MyPyramid every day is best assurance of getting adequate calories, vitamins and minerals needed. Recommendations for MyPyramid are only for individuals 2 years and above. My Pyramid Plan based on 1,000 calories for toddler 2 years of age: Grains – 3 ounces (1.5 ounces whole grains) Vegetables – 1 cup (2 servings) Fruit – 1 cup (2 servings) Milk – 2 cups Meat & Beans 2 ounces Oils – 3 teaspoons daily Extra Fats & Sugars - limited Providing a variety of foods by following MyPyramid every day is the best assurance of making sure that children are getting adequate calories, vitamins and minerals. The recommendations for My Pyramid are only for individuals 2 years of age and above. For a toddler who is 2 years of age that means they need the following: Grains – 3 ounces (1.5 ounces whole grains) Vegetables – 1 cup (2 servings) Fruit – 1 cup (2 servings) Milk – 2 cups Meat & Beans 2 ounces Oils – 3 teaspoons daily Extra Fats & Sugars - limited

Choking Concern during transition from strained foods to regular table foods. Foods that are hard, tough to chew, small and round or sticky are most often choked on, unless the shape or texture can be modified. Hot dogs Whole grapes Tough stringy meats Hard, raw vegetables Chunks of meat Popcorn Fish with bones Small or hard candies Peanut butter Jelly beans Nuts Gum Hard raw fruits Gummy textured candy Marshmallows Raisins Choking is a concern for children as they transition from strained foods to regular table foods. Foods that are hard, tough to chew, small and round or sticky are most often choked on, unless the shape or texture can be modified. Common foods that are choking hazards include: Hot dogs Whole grapes Tough stringy meats Hard raw vegetables Chunks of meat Popcorn Fish with bones Small or hard candies Peanut butter Jelly beans Nuts Gum Hard raw fruits Gummy textured candy Marshmallows Raisins

Preventing Overweight in Toddlers Avoid overfeeding. Do not force toddlers to eat. Wait until 4-6 months in infants before adding solid foods. Limit juice to 3-4 ounces. Do not use food as a reward. Encourage physical activity. Some tips to prevent overweight in infants and toddlers include: Avoid overfeeding and starting bad habits. Do not force infants to eat. Let them guide you in knowing when they are satisfied. Wait until 4 to 6 months before adding solid foods. They will not be physiologically ready until then anyway. Limit juice to 3 to 4 ounces. Juice that is offered should be 100% juice but should be limited because of the sugar content in the juice being more concentrated. It’s important not to use food as a reward. This will teach kids to turn to food as an emotional crutch later in life. And encourage physical activity and promote it as a never ending lifestyle habit.

Healthy Snack Choices Low-fat milk Low-fat yogurt with fruit String cheese Instant pudding made with nonfat milk Frozen fruit bars Fresh fruit Individual servings of applesauce or fruit Raisins Cut-up fresh vegetables with low-fat salad dressing Baby carrots Graham crackers Pretzels Dry cereal Vanilla wafers Animal crackers Plain popcorn Healthy snack choices include: Low-fat milk Low-fat yogurt with fruit String cheese Instant pudding made with nonfat milk Frozen fruit bars Fresh fruit Individual servings of applesauce or fruit Raisins Cut-up fresh vegetables with low-fat salad dressing Baby carrots Graham crackers Pretzels Dry cereal Vanilla wafers Animal crackers Plain popcorn

Picky! Picky!! Picky!!! Relax. Picky eating is often a normal phase. Kids sometimes need 10 or more exposures to a food before they will take their first bite. Recognize importance of family meals. Kids need positive role models for healthy eating and physical activity. Prepare foods in a variety of ways. Children of all ages (and adults) commonly have a few food dislikes. A picky eater is a child with many food dislikes. At age 2 or 3 up to 20% of children are picky eaters. It is normal for most young children to dislike foods with a bitter or spicy taste. Sometimes children dislike foods because of their color, but more often it’s because they are difficult to chew. Most children who are picky eaters will grow out of it. They will start trying new foods during the early school years because of peer pressure. Kids will sometimes need 10 or more exposures to a food before they will take their first bite. A child should not be forced to eat a food they don’t like. Forced feedings always interfere with the normal pleasure of eating and eventually decreases the appetite. Some tips to keep in mind with picky eaters include: Recognize the importance of family meals. Keep the mealtime atmosphere pleasant. Try to prepare a main dish with meals that everyone likes and respect any strong food dislikes. Don’t allow complaining about food at mealtimes. Have a rule that it’s okay to decline a serving of a particular food or to push it to the side of the plate. Also don’t extend the mealtime. Don’t keep the child sitting at the dinner table after the rest of the family is done. This will only cause a child to develop unpleasant associations with mealtime. Kids need positive role models and the best way to influence kids is by example. Don’t expect them to eat spinach if you won’t. Prepare foods in a variety of ways. Just because kids will not eat cooked carrots doesn’t mean that won’t eat raw baby carrots. So experiment with preparation techniques.