The toddler years are an essential time in your tot’s development. This phase is where all the growing and nurturing happens to mold your toddler into becoming a bright, happy and healthy child. At this stage, your toddler is still willing to explore new foods making it an excellent opportunity to establish healthy eating habits. The earlier you instil correct food choices, the earlier you can educate and guard your toddler from ailments and diseases.

The key to meeting all the toddler nutrition requirements of your child is to strike a balance between what is good for his body and what is good for his taste buds and lifestyle. Because your toddler’s stomach is still very small, forcing him to eat everything at once will not work. Feeding him small servings of food throughout the day will assure you that he gets all the necessary vitamins and minerals he needs.

Toddler Foods That Complete Nutrition Requirements

The following is a list of food and its benefits that meet your tot’s nutritional requirements. Take note that the foods mentioned must be served in small proportions to fit your toddler’s stomach to ensure proper digestion.

Milk

Different kinds of milk are essential to complete your toddler’s nutritional needs. Initially, breast milk is the best source of nutrients for your tot’s body. As your toddler grows, switch to formula milk and cow’s milk. This provides your toddler’s body with sufficient calcium that is essential for building up strong bones and teeth. Milk betters your toddler’s absorption and metabolism promoting overall strength.

Fruits

Fruits act like desserts. Because of its vibrancy and its crunchiness, it appeals to almost every toddler. Incorporating different kinds of fruits to your toddler’s everyday diet gives him adequate Vitamin C and folic acid. Vitamin C and folic acid are very important to boost your child’s energy and stamina especially during this time wherein playing is his number one activity. Fruits also supply your tot’s body with iron that helps improve his oxygen circulation. It has antibodies that avert damage to developing DNA. These healthy substances meet every nutritional requirement of the body eliminating the risk of cancer and heart disease in the future.

Vegetables

Every green leafy vegetable taken in meets all the required nutrients of your little tot’s body. Vegetables play a very important role in meeting his nutritional requirements because of its rich immune boosting components. Veggies like spinach, lettuce and cabbage are rich in iron that help formulate healthier red blood cells. Eggplant and tomatoes are very rich in nutrients while beans and broccoli provide magnesium that is ideal for bone development and proper muscle function. Also, vegetables contain dietary fibers that promote intestinal health eliminating constipation, diarrhea and irritable bowel movements.

Bread, Rice and Carbo Rich Foods

Carbohydrate rich foods such as wheat, bread, rice, oatmeal, potato and pasta supplies sufficient Vitamin B that nourishes his body. Adequate intake of these foods makes your toddler active, enthusiastic and full of vigor. Foods rich in carbohydrates also eliminate the risk of child obesity and evens out blood sugar level.

Dairy Products

Foods such as egg, butter, cheese and milk are excellent dairy products that can nourish your toddler by giving out combination of nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus that are important for bone health securing your toddler to a healthy childhood and adulthood.

Meat

A very vital food for a toddler’s body, lack of meat makes your child grow up smaller, less strong and less smart. Since it is a great source for providing his body with proper minerals and nutrients; arithmetic, mental and problem solving performances also improve. Vitamin B12 is generated allowing his brain to function normally and improve proper blood circulation as well as deliver fatty acids that supplies the body with fuel.

Good nutrition is the foundation of lifelong health. Foods taken in moderation secure your tot to a complete development allowing him to live life to the fullest sans sickness.

Toddlers are very picky eaters. You should call yourself lucky if your tot eats every food you serve him. But, if this is not the case, then prepare yourself for battle. Your toddler needs all the nutrients he can get from meals to ensure accurate toddler development. Correct nutrition is very important to make him physically and mentally fit. Meeting this is quite a challenge that is why you need a toddler feeding guide to help you out.

As your child grows, his food preferences also alter. His appetite to eat more junk food and sweets as opposed to munching on healthy vegetables is so strong it makes you feel helpless. You can lead your toddler to the table but you cannot make him eat. A toddler feeding guide that is appropriate for his age is your best armor.

Toddler Feeding Guide By Age

Having a feeding guide to assist you nurture your child’s general health is tricky. You have to have all the right ingredients fit together to make it appealing for your toddler. The key here is to use your tot’s age as basis and to allow your child’s appetite to direct you how much food is enough.

At Four to Six Months

• During your little tot’s development as an early toddler, breastfeeding is still the number one source of food. A mother’s milk is the most nutritious food for any child especially during this phase and is highly recommended by pediatricians.
• You can also slowly introduce your tot to semi-solid food. Rice mixed with baby’s milk or rice mixed with soup are your safest partners. Always remember that at this age, water consistency is very important.

At Seven to Nine Months

• After your toddler gets used to eating semi-solid foods, you can now shift to feeding him soft purees of vegetables such as a carrot or a squash together with rice. You can also try getting him bottled baby foods in the grocery like Gerber. This allows your child to eat different healthy foods that provide ample nourishment for his body.
• Once your toddler is on his eighth to ninth month, he can completely shift from semi-solid to solid foods. However, you still have to keep feeding him with soft and easy to chew foods for his delicate stomach. Start off by nourishing him with easy to digest foods such as baby oatmeal’s and green leafy vegetables.

At Ten to Eleven Months

• By this time, your child starts to grow his teeth allowing him more variety. Your toddler can now start eating finger foods such as rice crispies, soft pieces of fruits (e.g. banana, mango or sliced watermelon).
• Formula or breast milk is still advised till your tot reaches his eighteenth month.

At Twelve to Eighteen Months

• The most exciting toddler feeding phase is when your toddler hits his first age. During this age, he can now eat biscuits, crackers, fish, soft meat and almost any food the family eats given that his food is chopped into tiny slices in order for him to properly chew his food.
• Introducing him to new fruits aside from the soft ones makes him excited to try them out. Serve him fruits like an apple, papaya, apricot or peach. Steer clear of citrus fruits for the mean time since his stomach is still sensitive.
• Start giving him protein rich foods like beans, cheese, eggs and nuts.

At Nineteen to Twenty Four Months

• Shifting from formula to whole milk is recommended. Having him drink milk from a glass instead of a baby bottle helps him transition quickly.
• Citrus fruits can be given at this age (e.g. orange, pineapple, melon, etc.).
• Regularly feed him with grainy foods like rice, pastas, wheat bread and other carbohydrate rich food to restore his energy from all the daily activities he does.
• Sweets like chocolate, cake and candies can be given as long as it is taken in small portions.

At Twenty Five to Thirty Six Months

• Regular intake of beef, chicken and pork is necessary.
• More heavy food must be taken to complete his overall growth.
• Balanced diet for every meal. Breakfast – cereal with fruits and juice, Lunch and Dinner – pasta or rice with any meat coupled with two servings of vegetables and fruits

The key to successful toddler feeding is to feed your tot small servings of everything. In this way, he gets the proper and balanced nutrition he needs from different food groups.