Feeding toddlers

Like adults, your toddler will have hungry days and other days when s/he’s not that interested in food. This usually depends on how active s/he is on a given day, if s/he’s tired or focussing on acquiring a new skill.

You may also find that your toddler will only eat the same two or three foods for weeks at a time. This is quite normal at this age and won't last forever – after nine months of wanting to eat nothing but baked beans, bananas and peanut butter toast, s/he may wake up one morning and never want to see them again.

Offer a variety of healthy foods each day, but don’t be concerned if s/he doesn’t eat something from all the food groups every day.

Each day s/he should eat:

• Vegetables - two to four serves
• Fruit - one to two serves
• Dairy foods (milk, cheese, yoghurt) – three serves
• Meat, eggs, fish, lentils etc – one to two small serves
• Breads, cereals, rice and pasta – three to five serves
• Eggs – limit to one a day

Recipes that kids love:

• Banana Bread
• Chicken Bake with unmentionable vegetables
• French toast soldiers
• Fruit juice slushies
• Fruit skewers
• Heavenly hash
• Lollipop lamb
• Rainbow Fried Rice

TIP!

Go easy with the fibre. Some young children have trouble digesting high fibre food which can give them a stomach ache and possibly diarrhoea.

Find more on feeding toddlers:

• Top tips for feeding toddlers
• How do you define a fussy eater?
• Browse Kidspot's recipes for food kids love
• Find tips for encouraging a fussy eater
• Find snack suggestions
• How much milk should toddlers be drinking?
• Chat with other mums, share your experiences, tips and advice on the Kidspot Forum.

This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot. Sources include SA Government’s Parenting and Child Health