Feeding Your Toddler

eeding toddlers can be challenging. They are often picky eaters, are hesitant to try new foods, and in general, don't seem to eat very much.

To begin planning your toddler's diet, it can help to begin with the idea that toddlers need a lot less to eat than you think. Remember that children aren't growing as fast as they were during their first year of life and so have lower energy needs (the amount of calories per kg of their body weight) and smaller appetites. So if your child is active, healthy, and growing and developing normally, then he is likely getting plenty to eat.

It can also help to avoid common mistakes, such as:

* drinking more than 16-24 ounces of milk each day.
* drinking more than 4-6 ounces of juice each day.
* letting your child fill up on sweets and snacks.
* forcing your child to eat when he isn't hungry.
* giving servings that are too big. The average toddler serving is going to be about 1/4 of an adult serving size. Don't go by the serving size listed on nutrition labels, as these are mainly for older children and adults.

Toddler Food Pyramid

Well, there isn't a toddler food pyramid. The Kids' Food Pyramid is for children aged 2-6 years, but you can still use it to guide what your younger toddler eats, including 6 servings of grains, 3 servings of vegetables, 2 servings of fruits, 2 servings from the milk/dairy group, 2 servings from the meat and protein group, and a limited amount of fats and sweets. Just remember that the serving sizes will be smaller for younger toddlers and are equal to about 1/4 an adult's serving size.

The Basics of a Toddler's Diet

Although you shouldn't usually count calories, knowing how many calories your toddler needs can help when planning his diet and can also help reassure you that your child is getting enough to eat.

The average toddler needs about 1300 calories each day. Bigger kids will need a little more and smaller kids a little less. A good rule of thumb is that your toddler will need 40 calories each day for each inch of his height.

If he is following AAP recommendations as to how much milk and juice he drinks, that will take care of:

* 300-455 calories (about 19 calories per ounce) from whole cow's milk (or a similar amount from breastmilk if you are breastfeeding your toddler 2-3 times a day) if he is drinking 16-24 ounces a day. Remember to not give low fat milk until your child is 2-3 years old and don't overdo it on milk. If he gets up to 48 ounces of milk a day, then he is getting over 900 calories a day just from milk, which is almost 70% of the number of calories he needs all day.

* 60-90 calories (about 15 calories per ounce) from juice. Don't overdo it on juice either. If your child is drinking 2-3 10 ounce sippie cups of juice, that is giving him 300-450 extra calories.

A common problem scenerio we see in kids who don't eat much, is a toddler who drinks 4 cups of milk and 3 cups of juice each day. That can add up to 1350 calories, which is probably more than he needs all day, so it is not surprising that this child wouldn't be hungry for other foods.

So you now have only another 550-950 calories to get in him, divided between three meals and two snacks. That usually isn't very hard if you look at the number of calories in foods kids usually eat (although you should be choosing more healthy alternatives for many of these foods):

* american cheese (one slice) = 45 calories
* apple (1/2 small apple) = 40 calories
* banana (1/2) = 50 calories
* beef, ground ( ounces) = 85 calories
* bologna (1 slice) = 90 calories
* bread (1/2 - 1 slice) = 20-40 calories
* breakfast cereal (1/4-1/2 cup) = 40-80 calories
* chicken nuggets (3 - 6 pieces) = 105-210 calories
* eggs (1/2 - 1 egg) = 35-70 calories
* french fries (7 - 15 steak fries) = 60 - 120 calories
* french fries (8 - 17 Funky Fries) = 150-300 calories
* fruit cocktail, canned (1/4 ounce) = 50 calories
* Grahm Crackers (1 - 2 sheets) = 60-120 calories
* grape jelly (1 tablespoon) = 50 calories
* hot dog (1/2 - 1 hotdog) = 60-120 calories
* ice cream (1/2 cup) = 135 calories
* Macaroni & Cheese (2 1/2 ounces) = 260 calories
* mozzarella cheese (1 ounce) = 80 calories
* pancakes (1) = 60 calories
* peanut butter (1 tablespoon smooth and thinly spread) = 95 calories
* pizza, cheese (1/2 - 1 slice) = 140-290 calories
* Pop Tart (1/2 - 1 pastry) = 1-200 calories
* popsicle (1) = 70 calories
* pudding (1/2 cup) = 110 calories
* vegetables (1 tablespoon per year of age) = 25 calories/tablespoon
* yogurt (1/3 cup) = 50 calories

A sample breakfast, with 1/2 cup (4 ouces) of cereal, 1/4 cup of milk and 4 ounces of orange juice would give about 230 calories. If you instead gave a slice of bread with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and jelly and 4 ouces of orange juice, your toddler would get over 250 calories.

For lunch, consider a 1/2 sandwich (one slice of bread), with 1 slice of lean luncheon meat (90 calories) and cheese (45 calories) . Or a tuna fish sandwich (add 1/2 tablespoon of mayo to the tuna to get 50 extra calories). Or a sliced and quartered hot dog. And water, juice or milk.

Dinner might include 1-2 ounces of chicken (75-100 calories) or beef (120-165 calories), 2-3 tablespoons of vegetables (50-75 calories), some whole wheat bread (40 calories) and 1/2 cup of milk (76 calories).

Plus, your child will likely need a couple of small snacks mid-morning and in the early afternoon. These might include 1/2 cup of milk (76 calories) or juice (60 calories), 2-3 tablespoons of fruit (50-75 calories), or a slice of cheese (45 calories). Alternatives might include some jello, pudding, or yogurt.

This sample diet outlined above will give your child well over 1000 calories. In reality, he may not eat 3 full meals each day though. Many toddlers just eat one good meal a day and it is usually still fine. If he eats a good breakfast (250 calories), a small lunch and dinner (100 calories each), has a couple of snacks (150 calories each), 16 ounces of milk (300 calories), and 6 ounces of juice (90 calories), then he is still getting almost 1200 calories.

If you (or your Pediatrician) doesn't think that your child is getting enough calories, there are ways to boost the amount of calories he eats in small quantaties of foods. See our guide to boosting calories for more information.

Don't Worry About -

The only real time that you should worry is if your child isn't gaining weight well or isn't very active. An overly restricted diet with too much milk and juice might also be a problem.

Things that you shouldn't worry about include a toddler that:

* doesn't seem like he eats a lot. Remember that as long as he is gaining weight and is active and healthy, then he is likely getting enough calories.

* only eats a few kinds of food each day, such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hot dogs, or chicken nuggets and french fries.

* won't try any new foods. You can keep trying to introduce new foods by putting a very small amount (like 1/2-1 tablespoon) on his plate and don't force him to try or finish it. Many kids won't try a new food until they have been offered it 10 or more times.

* doesn't eat a balanced diet each day. Most kids don't. As long as his diet seems balanced over a week or two, he is likely getting enough variety. If he really isn't, talk to your Pediatrician about the need for a vitamin supplement.

* doesn't finish everything on his plate. The idea that children should sit at the table until they 'clean' their plate is out of fashion. Instead, children should be taught to recognize when they are full and then stop eating. If your toddler isn't finishing what you offer, learn to offer smaller portions.

* doesn't eat what you prepare for him. Try to avoid making elaborate meals for your toddler or offering foods with a lot of spices or sauces. Instead, keep things simple. While you shouldn't have to prepare a separate meal for your toddler every day, don't be surprised if he doesn't want to eat 'adult' foods.

* is overweight. Okay, you should be a little concerned if your child is overweight, even at this age. However, instead of restricting calories, you may just want to provide a healthy diet and encourge regular physical activity. Be sure to watch your serving and portion sizes (offer toddler size portions) and don't offer too much milk, juice, or high calorie snacks.

Article by: Keep Kids Healthy

Ten Keys to Successful Parenting

It is important that we discipline in a way that teaches responsibility by motivating our children internally, to build their self-esteem and make them feel loved. If our children are disciplined in this respect, they will not have a need to turn to gangs, drugs, or sex to feel powerful or belong.

The following ten keys will help parents use methods that have been proven to provide children with a sense of well-being and security.

1 - Use Genuine Encounter Moments (GEMS)

Your child's self-esteem is greatly influenced by the quality of time you spend with him-not the amount of time that you spend. With our busy lives, we are often thinking about the next thing that we have to do, instead of putting 100% focused attention on what our child is saying to us. We often pretend to listen or ignore our child's attempts to communicate with us. If we don't give our child GEMS throughout the day, he will often start to misbehave. Negative attention in a child's mind is better than being ignored.

It is also important to recognize that feelings are neither right nor wrong. They just are. So when your child says to you, "Mommy, you never spend time with me" (even though you just played with her) she is expressing what she feels. It is best at these times just to validate her feelings by saying, "Yeah, I bet it does feel like a long time since we spent time together."

2 - Use Action, Not Words

Statistics say that we give our children over 2000 compliance requests a day! No wonder our children become "parent deaf!" Instead of nagging or yelling, ask yourself, "What action could I take?" For example, if you have nagged your child about unrolling his socks when he takes them off, then only wash socks that are unrolled. Action speaks louder than words.

3 - Give Children Appropriate Ways to Feel Powerful

If you don't, they will find inappropriate ways to feel their power. Ways to help them feel powerful and valuable are to ask their advice, give them choices, let them help you balance your check book, cook all our part of a meal, or help you shop. A two-year-old can wash plastic dishes, wash vegetables, or put silverware away. Often we do the job for them because we can do it with less hassle, but the result is they feel unimportant.

4 - Use Natural Consequences

Ask yourself what would happen if I didn't interfere in this situation? If we interfere when we don't need to, we rob children of the chance to learn from the consequences of their actions. By allowing consequences to do the talking, we avoid disturbing our relationships by nagging or reminding too much. For example, if your child forgets her lunch, you don't bring it to her. Allow her to find a solution and learn the importance of remembering.

5 - Use Logical Consequences

Often the consequences are too far in the future to practically use a natural consequence. When that is the case, logical consequences are effective. A consequence for the child must be logically related to the behavior in order for it to work. For example, if your child forgets to return his video and you ground him for a week, that punishment will only create resentment within your child. However, if you return the video for him and either deduct the amount from his allowance or allow him to work off the money owed, then your child can see the logic to your discipline.

6 - Withdraw from Conflict

If your child is testing you through a temper tantrum, or being angry or speaking disrespectfully to you, it is best if you leave the room or tell the child you will be in the next room if he wants to "Try again." Do not leave in anger or defeat.

7 - Seperate the Deed from the Doer

Never tell a child that he is bad. That tears at his self-esteem. Help your child recognize that it isn't that you don't like him, but it is his behavior that you are unwilling to tolerate. In order for a child to have healthy self-esteem, he must know that he is loved unconditionally no matter what he does. Do not motivate your child by withdrawing your love from him. When in doubt, ask yourself, did my discipline build my child's self-esteem?

8 - Be Kind and Firm at the Same Time

Suppose you have told your five-year-old child that if she isn't dressed by the time the timer goes off, you will pick her up and take her to the car. She has been told she can either get dressed either in the car or at school. Make sure that you are loving when you pick her up, yet firm by picking her up as soon as the timer goes off without any more nagging. If in doubt, ask yourself, did I motivate through love or fear?

9 - Parent with the End in Mind

Most of us parent with the mindset to get the situation under control as soon as possible. We are looking for the expedient solution. This often results in children who feel overpowered. But if we parent in a way that keeps in mind how we want our child to be as an adult, we will be more thoughtful in the way we parent. For example, if we spank our child, he will learn to use acts of aggression to get what he wants when he grows up.

10 - Be Consistent, Follow Through

If you have made an agreement that your child cannot buy candy when she gets to the store, do not give in to her pleas, tears, demands or pouting. Your child will learn to respect you more if you mean what you say.


Tips by: Positive Parenting