Top Tips for Feeding a Toddler

Toddlers have high daily requirements for energy (calories) and other nutrients, but they cannot eat large amounts of food at a sitting, and their eating habits may be poor. They need three small meals a day, with snacks in between.

Toddlers need to obtain their calories and nutrients from a balanced diet, but it should differ from a diet for adults. They need fat because it is a concentrated source of energy and vitamins, and it provides essential fatty acids.

The best sources are full-fat milk, cheese and other dairy foods, meat and eggs, these foods contain fats in an easily digested, concentrated form, and they provide other nutrients such as calcium and iron.

Don't give your toddler too many high fibre foods. These may fill him up, so that he does not want other more nutritious foods. A high-fibre diet may also lead to diarrhoea and can interfere with absorption of minerals such as iron.

You can give A, C and D drops to children under five, unless they are eating a good diet. Try to give some iron containing foods every day and increase iron absorption by giving food or fruit juice containing vitamin C at every meal.

Getting Your Toddler To Eat

Children are faddy eaters but no one food is essential to health. If you offer a variety of foods from the four food groups, even over the course of several days, he is likely to be getting a balanced diet.

If your child won't eat fruit, try adding cream, full-fat yoghurt, custard or dairy ice cream to it. Add butter to vegetables and mashed or jacket potatoes. Calcium is vital for healthy bones and teeth. If he won't drink milk, add it to cereals or give him other dairy products instead.

Healthy Snacks

Most children need snacks between meals. Healthy snacks include:

Fresh fruit (peeled and cut into slices for babies or toddlers); raw vegetables such as carrots, peppers, cucumber or celery; small chunks of cheese and pineapple; celery filled with cream cheese

Fruitcake; carrot cake; rice cakes with or without a spread; buttered scone or bun; breadsticks; malt or fruit bread

Unsweetened yoghurt; unsweetened breakfast cereals, with or without milk