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By: Dr. Joey Shulman
Parents always try to serve their little
ones appealing and tasty meals filled with good nutrition.
However, kids will be kids and often attempts to feed them
well are met with mini protests and food spattering all over
the floor. Don’t worry - there are a few “child
friendly” feeding tips that, when followed, will bring
you peace of mind and less food to clean up!
As your baby grows and hits the toddler
stage (1-3 years old), his/her food intake will likely decrease,
although curiosity about food – its shape, texture,
smell and taste – will grow. You will likely find that
your little one pokes, prods and plays with his food in addition
to taking mouthfuls here and there, which is completely normal
and expected. Your child’s rate of growth in the toddler
years is much slower than it was during the first year of
life, particularly because toddlers are constantly on the
go and often do not want to sit down and eat when there is
exciting exploring to be done! Remembering that a toddler’s
eating schedule is often erratic will put a parent’s
mind at ease. Your toddler may choose to eat a lot one day
and then skip a meal the next – there’s no pattern
to these whims so don’t try to find one.
What can parents do?
Feeding a toddler takes planning, persistence
and patience. In order to make mealtime run smoothly without
any food fights, I recommend the following food tips:
- Parents decide the quality of
the food – children decide the quantity. Don’t
force your child to eat. If they skip a meal, they will
make it up later. I recommend focusing on healthy nutritional
options for a whole week, not just a day.
- Have healthier foods that are quick
and easy to serve and grab. Keep whole grain crackers, cut
up fruits and vegetables, raisins and yogurt in your fridge
and kitchen cupboards.
- Go organic. A child’s body stature
is much smaller and not as equipped to eliminate the chemicals
such as herbicides, pesticides and fungicides found in non-
organic foods. Become familiar with high standard organic
foods that are convenient and filled with top ingredients.
For example, Sweetpea Baby Food is a frozen line of organic
baby food that can be used for your infant as well as your
growing toddler. Their delicious chicken or beef recipes
can be used over pasta, or the naturally sweet blueberry
banana recipe is perfect to spread on bread. For more creative
ways to entice your child to eat healthily, visit www.sweetpeababyfood.com
- Make your own frozen popsicles out of
natural juices. In addition to the standard grape and orange
juice, use juices that are naturally sweet and high in anti-oxidants
such as blueberry, pomegranate and raspberry (found in most
health food stores).
In addition to the tips above, parents can make mealtime
fun and relaxing by incorporating a variety of flavors,
tastes, textures, colors and even shapes such as cookie
cutter fruit for their little one. With a little creativity
and a lot of patience, your once picky eater will now be
a pleasure to feed!
Reprinted with permission from
Sweetpea Baby Food www.sweetpeababyfood.com
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