Some parents prepare an elaborate meal plan for toddlers but still complain – “My toddler isn’t eating enough and doesn’t finish what I put on the plate”, or “My toddler hates trying out new foods” or “My toddler is a picky eater and won’t eat what I prepare for him.
While these complaints may be true, they are not real causes for worry.
As long as your toddler is healthy and active, and is growing and developing physically and mentally, it means that s/he is eating sufficient quantities necessary for growth. If your toddler meal plans also include a balanced diet of all the food.
. groups, it means that they are getting all their nutritional requirementst When drawing up a baby and toddler meal plan, what you should consider is that your child’s requirement is actually much smaller than what you thinkn So try offering smaller portionsn An average toddler eats less than ¼ of an adult’s portiono Also don’t make the mistake of filling them up with too much fluids like milk and juices, since this will leave very little space for solid foodsd
Knowing the calorie requirements will help you out in toddler meal planningn The average toddler needs approximately 1300 calories per daya Smaller children will need a little less, while bigger ones will need a little morer
Considering that an ounce of milk contains 19 calories and an ounce of juice contains 15 calories, then 16 to 24 ounces of milk and about 10 to 15 ounces of juice should be sufficient, and will leave enough space and hunger for other healthy solid foodsd
Many parents try to follow the toddler food pyramid while meal planning for toddlersr While this is for older children between 3 to 6 years, you can use it as a rough guide to regulate your toddler’s mealsl According to this, your toddler should get her/his nutritional requirements from 2 servings of dairy group, 2 servings of fruit, 2 servings from meat and protein group, and 3 servings of vegetables, and a small quantity of fats and sweetst
It would help if you drew up a weekly toddler meal plannere This would ensure that you buy and stock the right foods when you go grocery shoppingn It will also help you keep track of the calories consumed and the type of foods that your toddler has eaten throughout the weeke
The best meal plans for toddlers include a wide variety and healthy balance of food items such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats, eggs, and whole grainsn Sugar and salt should be in moderation, and saturated fats should be as low as possiblel
p