1) Taste the food that you are feeding your toddler. If you cannot fill your stomach with what you are feeding, obviously your precious little ones can't. Feed him what you have prepared for yourself unless your pediatrician informed you otherwise.
2) Ready made food is to make parent's life easier, not the other way around. Prepare natural food that showers all the love and affection that you have for your child. No offence to Gerber's and Pediasure's, nothing beats the traditional home cooked indian food.
3) Bring a variety into your kids meals, making a semi solid food by mixing all the things that you have prepared for the entire family can only make him full after trying 2-3 mouthful. The kids are attracted to the colors and different textures of food. They don't need a food shake.
4) Eating a good meal is more important than eating a good snack. If your child is not eating well after taking a snack, then reduce the portion of the snack or choose lighter snacks.
5) Carbohydrates provide fuel to the body for physical activity and for proper organ function. All Indian food is served with either rice or bread or both. In the north, it is whole wheat breads, such as chapatti, parathas, rotis that are commonly eaten, and in the south it is plain rice and rice-based cereals. Western and eastern India draw a mix of both. Every one needs a good and healthy portion of Carbohydrates.
6) Plan to eat along with your toddler, we need company so does he or she. Encourage your toddler to play with food, in that way eating time is a fun time for your whole family.
7) The state of your mind when preparing food and feeding your toddler is very important. It is not always about the recipe. If you are so much stressed feeding your toddler, and doubt your cabability in feeding, you may not realize your true potential.
8) Feeding just non-veg as the main and final course, because your toddler likes it so much, can only make you regret later in life.
9) Whether you believe or not, Toddler are faithful followers of their parents, all your good and bad eating habits are involuntarily adapted into your toddler's regime.
10) Having a pre-conceived notion of what kids can eat or can't without experimenting with him or her only makes your life harder.
11) Fruits and Veggies 4 Servings Per Day
Protein 2 Servings Per Day
Dairy 16-24 Ounces Per Day
Grains 4 Servings Per Day
When planning and serving meals to your toddler, try to have him/or her consume the following on a daily basis:
• 2 to 3 cups of calcium - milk (or yogurt, cheese or other calcium rich foods)
• 4 servings of fruits and vegetables. (Serving size: one tablespoon per year of age.)
One serving should be high in vitamin C and another in vitamin A.
• 4 servings of grains - bread and cereal. One should be an iron-fortified baby cereal.
A serving is about 1/4 to 1/3 an adult portion (1/4 slice toast, 1/4 cup pasta)
• 2 servings of proteins - meat, beans, eggs, tofu, or peanut butter.
A good serving of protein should be served at every meal. One serving equals 1/2 ounce.
A good rule for serving sizes for toddlers is the following:
1 tablespoon per year of age or 1/4 of an adult serving per year of age
Courtesy of Parent's Place Nutritionist Q&A.
13) When they are sick this includes even when they have cold, don't try to feed them as usual. Let them decide the portion that they want to eat, however encourage and try to give them lots of fluids and your love.
14) Don't give up. Patience is a virtue. It will take 1-3 months to figure out the best way to feed your
toddler and it is a continuous learning process.
15) Don't use force. Using force to make your child eat is setting trouble for yourself.
16) Presentation of food to your toddlers can also make a difference. Make small portions of food and arrange it in a plate. You can use caps of bottles to make a cube or small ball. As you feed them, remind them how much more to go.
17) Every family is unique and every child is different. Incorporating good eating habits from suggestions given in posts like this without neglecting your child's best interest and their emotional needs are the best the way to go.
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