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Food provides the energy and nutrients that young children need to be healthy. And as they learn to feed themselves and eat new foods, it is important to start healthy eating habits to avoid problems later. Before age 1, most of toddlers’ nutrition comes from breast milk or formula. Those aged 1 to 3 years need less breast milk and can drink cow’s milk, as more of their nutrition comes from solid foods. But too much milk can be harmful as it can result in weight gain, and large amounts of milk may decrease the ability of a toddler to absorb enough iron.
To get your toddler to eat new foods, try introducing new foods one at a time.
If they resist, do not force them to eat the new food or punish them for refusing to eat them. Instead, try again later. Sometimes, toddlers refuse one food for a while but later accept it. Also, toddlers are more likely to try smaller amounts of new foods. This also allows you to watch for signs of food allergies.
Though toddlers are active, they aren’t as active as they were when they were infants, so they don’t need as much food. Toddlers need about 1,000 calories daily for energy and growth. They also eat smaller and more frequent meals, so divide these calories among three meals and two or three snacks daily.
Remember, your toddler may not get 1,000 calories every day. Sometimes, they might eat a big breakfast and little else for the rest of the day. This is normal, as a toddler’s needs depend on activity level and growth rate.
Your toddler may want one food for a few days and then refuse to eat it the next day. This is also normal. It is hard to predict what your toddler will want to eat from one day to the next.
Offer a selection of healthy food options to your child, and let them choose. If they reject all options, you can save the food to try again later. Don’t force your child to eat foods they don’t want, as it may cause your child to continually refuse that food.
Toddlers may choose one type of food over others, but you should try to provide a variety of choices in their diets. When feeding your toddler, offer options, including:
As long as you provide options, your toddler’s diet will balance out. You do not need to force your toddler to eat a wide variety of foods every single day. Some days will have less variety than others.
If your toddler refuses what you offer, don’t let them eat unhealthy foods (high in calories and lacking nutrients) such as cookies or sweets. Letting your toddler eat sweets instead of healthy foods will make your toddler want sweets more often. You should also avoid spicy, or foods that are salty or buttered. These additives may be harmful to your toddler’s health over time.
Safety is important to consider when your toddler eats. Toddlers have a lot of energy and may want to eat while talking or running. Teaching your toddler how to eat properly can help prevent choking.
Toddlers should be supervised while eating and should sit still during meals and snack time. Teach your child to swallow before talking, as it helps them focus on eating and decreases their chance of choking. Before giving your toddler any food, make sure it is not too hot. Toddlers may not think about the temperature of a food before eating it. Also, keep food portion small. Children are learning how to chew their food until they are 4 years old. Mashing or cutting large foods into smaller pieces helps prevent choking. Foods that adults consider small may be too large for a toddler. Hot dogs, raw carrots, cheese sticks, and grapes should be avoided or cut into small pieces.
Also, don’t feed toddlers nuts, peanut butter, hard candies, gum, raw celery, or marshmallows, as they can get stuck in the windpipe and cause choking.
Toddlers rarely need supplements, but some may need an iron or vitamin D supplement.
Talk to your toddler’s health care provider if you are concerned that they are not getting enough iron or vitamin D.