Know What's The Right Way To Feed Your Child

Beta khana kha lo! My mom’s words echo every time my little fussy eater refuses her meal. Motherhood teaches you a lot of things and a new found respect for your mom is definitely one of them. This brings me to the topic that has bothered all moms at some point or the other- nutrition for the child. This becomes harder for first-time moms of toddlers (like me) because the problem is at two levels. One, the baby has for the first time made his/her progress towards proper meals and secondly, being a first time mom I am dealing with this high-pressure transition for the first time!

With toddlers, one of the biggest concerns any mom has is of food. You might have gone through the stage, or heard other moms complaining about how their little one does not eat or about what is the right food to give etc. Check these tips if raising a child with fussy eating habits -

• Daily menu for a toddler,
• Food items to avoid,
• Sample daily menu for a toddler and more.

Here is a quick guide on how understanding the food and the toddler relationship.

What To Remember Before Feeding Your Toddlers?

So, how does one tackle this complex problem and make it a win-win situation, both for the baby and the mom? Let's try to answer this question with some simple solutions:

1. Understand How Much Food Your Child Needs:

   A toddler, on an average day, needs about 1000-1400 calories a day. This is not a lot of food and as moms, we really need to understand this aspect before plunging into the deep guilt of how my baby is not eating enough. A well-spaced meal 3 times a day with 2 small snacks is enough for a toddler

2. Don’t Force-feed:

   Every time you prepare a fab meal to the best of your skills and knowledge, do not expect your child to just lap it up!
   • Toddlers are known to be moody and are developing their taste buds at this stage. There will be good days where they are ready to eat everything you put in front of them and there will be days when they will refuse to take in even a single morsel of food
   • The key is to keep calm and constantly introduce tons of variety and see what hits off. If your baby is happy eating his/her favorite meal three times a day, so be it. So, do not try force-feeding at any point. It will turn your happy mealtimes to a battleground

3. Sample Daily Menu for Your Toddler:

   As mentioned earlier, a toddler needs 3 square meals, interspersed with two snacks. The three square meals can comprise a mix of:
   • Protein Rich Items such as chicken, fish, poultry, egg
   • Dairy products such as Milk, curd
   • Fruits and vegetables (at least two types of fruit in a day)
   • Cereal grains, potatoes, rice, bread, pasta. Khichdi made in ghee is an excellent example for this

Also Check: Video Blog on Easy to Make Bread Recipe 

What to Avoid in Feeding?

It is imperative to know what is important for a toddler apart from the essential food items

• Try to steer away from food items that give empty calories like biscuits, chips, and chocolates
• Instead, you can replace them with roasted grounded nuts, makhanas, and other dry fruits
• A toddler does not need a lot of sugar or salt in their meals
• Ghee and butter are important but in moderate amounts

Make sure that any food that you give to your baby is cooked properly, especially eggs, to remove the hazards of microbes. Also, since toddlers are just learning how to chew and swallow, any food item that can cause choking should be avoided. It is advisable to test the food once before giving it to the child for salt, temperature etc.

There will be phases when your baby will eat less for a stretch of 5-10 days and then there will be good days when they eat just right and enough. So as long as your baby is eating just enough, no need to panic and enjoy your meal times with them.

Did you find this blog on food for toddlers, useful? How do you ensure your toddler gets adequate nutrition? Share your thoughts and tips with us in the comments section!