Healthy Eating for Toddlers

Whether your child is eating the right foods, in the right amounts, at the right time is a common concern for parents of toddlers. It is important for you to provide the right types of food at the right times and the rest is up to your child. Try to relax and enjoy this time of important development.

Toddlers are rapidly developing. They like to show their independence, by wanting to make their own decisions and this can be seen when they refuse food.

In the second year of life, growth slows and this may result in a smaller appetite as less food (energy) is needed for growth. Toddlers need small regular meals and snacks and should be offered a variety of different foods each day. Encouraging your child to eat foods that the family eat exposes them to a variety of different foods, textures and tastes, which all help to develop your child's enjoyment of food. Children watch others, and learn from people around them, so always remember that you are an important role model.

Nutrition tips

• Toddlers are not small adults and do not need the quantity of food that adults do. Expect them to eat much smaller serve sizes than older children, adolescents and adults. If your child is growing and gaining weight well, you can be sure that they are getting enough energy (calories/kilojoules). Providing your child with a variety of different foods over the day helps to ensure they get the right balance of foods for good health.
• As a parent or carer, you are responsible for WHAT, WHEN and WHERE they eat. Your toddler, however, has an inborn ability to determine whether they are hungry and hence they should decide HOW MUCH or WHETHER they eat at all! Toddlers can regulate their energy intake over a day, so even if they don't eat much at one meal, they will usually make up for it in another meal. Research has shown that children who are forced to eat lose their ability to know when they are full, which is a risk for the development of obesity later in life. As long as you provide them with nutritious options, your job is done!
• Develop an eating routine consisting of 3 meals per day and if time permits around sleeps, a snack between meals. Remember, if they don't want to eat as they are not hungry, don't force them. Meals and snacks should be quick (5-30mins max) and try to take away distractions at these times such as television and toys.
• Offer a good balance of foods. All foods are ok, but some only in small amounts (moderation). See guide over the page for details.
• Offer a good balance of drinks.
• • Water and milk are the best drinks for your toddler.
  • Offer your child drinks from a cup. Bottle use is not recommended after 1 year of age.
  • Teaching your child to enjoy water now, establishes a healthy lifelong habit. Water at anytime over the day can be given.
  • Milk is a nutritious drink for your child as it contains calcium, protein and B group vitamins to name a few. Full cream milk is recommended up to 2 years. If your child is growing well, a change to a reduced fat milk is appropriate after 2 years of age.
  • Beware of the child who guzzles milk. If milk is consumed in large volumes then little room is left for other nutritious foods. Ideally, offer milk after meals to ensure good amounts of food are eaten. See guide over the page for details for recommended amounts.
  • Cordials, fruit juices and soft drinks are all high in sugar and contain minimal nutrition. As they contain energy (calories/kilojoules) it will fill them up and leave less appetite for nutritious foods. Frequent intake of these drinks can lead to dental caries, diarrhoea, failure to grow well, excess weight gain or poor nutritional intake. These drinks should only be provided occasionally and in small amounts, if at all.
• Have healthy snacks readily available for snack times. Some examples are fruit, yoghurt, fruit toast, milk, baked beans, a cheese stick, dried fruit, cheese and crackers and sandwiches. See Factsheet Snack Attack and Lunch Box Ideas for more ideas.
• Try to keep an open mind with your child's food preferences. Most children refuse certain foods because they don't feel like it at that particular time, rather than a real dislike for the food. They also have fads for and against foods. It may take 7-10 exposures of a new food to your child before they happily except it. NEVER GIVE UP! Keep trying and continue to offer a variety of foods. What they refuse at one meal they may devour at another.
• Be a good role model. Children often copy the habits of their friends, parents and siblings. If you display good eating habits, they are more likely to follow in your footsteps. Encourage family mealtimes and eat with your child regularly.
• Teach your children about healthy eating by involving them in preparing food. If your child has helped prepare for the meal, they are more likely to eat it as they feel proud of their achievement. Allowing your child to serve themself some of the meal from a platter of food, sprinkling some cheese onto their meal or choosing their plate or bowl for the meal involves your child in the meal process.
• Do not use food as a reward as this food can become more desirable to your child and cause them to eat too much of it in the future. If you need a reward, use other things such as the chance to play their favourite game, read a book or a visit to a friends' house or local park.
• Don't let you toddler eat all day, often called "grazing". While they need to eat regularly as their capacity is small, they do not need to eat all the time. Try to stick to a routine of 3 meals with a small snack in between, offering healthy foods and drinks at these times.
• Remember you choose what food is on offer. Allow your toddler to have some choice, but keep choices very simple. Only offer 2 or 3 options of foods that you are happy for them to eat, such as "Would you like me to cut up a pear or banana to have with your yoghurt"? Any more choices or an open ended question such as "What would you like?" leads to confusion at this age.

Sources of further information

Websites

• The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
• State Government of Victoria
• Women’s and Children’s Hospital (South Australia)
• Raising Children Network
• Better Health Channel
• Click on healthy eating and food fact sheets. Several factsheets available under healthy eating tips.
• Ellyn Satter Associates (US site)
• Dietitians Association of Australia
• Baylor College of Medicine: Children’s Nutrition Research Centre (US site)

Books

• Food for under fives – How to develop good eating patterns for your child. Rosemary Stanton, 1999.
• Kids Food Health 2 – from toddler to preschool. Dr Patricia McVeagh & Eve Reed, 2001.
• A Healthy Start for Kids – building good eating patterns for life.Susan Thompson, 1995.
• Child of Mine- Feeding with Love and Good Sense. Ellyn Satter, 2000
• Positive Food for Kids. Dr Jenny O’Dea, 2005.

REMEMBER

These are only guidelines for a child's intake, and the quantity a child eats should be determined by their appetite. A child knows when they are hungry or full so should where possible determine the quantity of food they eat.