When they’re over 12 months, children begin a rapid growth spurt and their diet has a lot to do with it. From the ages of 1 to 5, their bodies will be getting larger, heavier and taller. So the job of feeding them the right stuff is ever present in the minds of parents. But many parents don’t actually know what is best to feed their toddlers. General practice is to just give them the food that you eat, just with smaller portions. That’s okay but there are specific foods that help growing bodies more. There’s a reason why it’s more important to drink milk as part of your daily diet when you’re growing up than when you’re an adult. The calcium is needed to strengthen the bones that are being thickened and elongated as you grow from toddler to child, to then teeanger. These specific foods will also help develop their brains too which is one of the areas that many parents forget about supporting. But this diet doesn’t have to be like a weight loss diet, just a supplement to the general meals and snacks they eat daily.
Leaner and stronger growth
Although red meat is something you should be introducing to your children early on, it needs to be cooked properly and presented to them in a way that’s easy to eat. Red meat like lamb and beef is a little too tough to chew for many toddlers, so making things like spaghetti bolognese is great. Making beef chilli is also a great option because again, just like bolognese the beef is pretty much minced or in very tiny pieces. If you’re going to be making lamb stew or lamb pie, then you need to cut up the pieces of limb into smaller pieces by hand for your children. Their teeth are short and young, so toddlers do find it difficult to chew their meat properly before swallowing. When meat isn’t made chewable for them, toddlers tend to go offer eating the food put in front of them or the meal ends up getting cold from sitting for so long. Try leaner fresh meat which you would buy from the butcher instead of the supermarket. The freshness will mean the meat is quite tender and soft, easy to be cut up, minced and eat by toddlers.
Spreadable mashed fruits
Mashed fruits are a brilliant way to introduce fruits and vegetables to children. We all know how hard it can be to get our children to eat what’s good for them. They fight tooth and nail to avoid eating lettuce, carrots, broccoli etc. however, mashed or pureed fruits and vegetables are awesome for spreading onto toast and sandwiches. Naturally they also come with a little sugar, so it adds a little sweetness to the mash. Don’t get confused, it’s not jam it’s purely fresh mashed up fruits and vegetables that have a thick consistency which you can eat straight out of the jaw or spread on crackers, bread or even on chocolate bars. It’s a very versatile way to make sure your children get some of their 5 a day.
Helping them gain weight
Milk is a great source of energy not just for humans but for all mammals. It’s full of the best things we need. Far, protein and plenty of great minerals and nutrients are found in natural milk. When toddlers are just over a year old, they are still going to be fed by their mother which is normal up until about 6 to 1 years old. Cow’s milk is sometimes a little too strong for their digestive system so, buying some kind of S26 formula that is used for the purposes of helping the toddler gain weight is a good idea. Milk is one of the main sources of how children gain healthy weight and if you’re on your way slowly to getting back to work and cannot feed the child every feeding time, then this is a supplement designed to help you.
Healthy fats matter
Toddlers are growing up fast and in order for their bone density and muscle structure to be strong, they really do need to get two main things in their diet. They need to have a good source of protein but healthy fats as well. Healthy fats often lubricate our joints and also make it easier to have energy ready and waiting for our muscles. Peanut butter is a great source of this and it tastes great to toddlers. Other healthy fats are foods like fish and dairy products. Fish should be given to children early on. It’s light in structure so even toddlers can chew some of the most common fish that are sold. However fish also has omega 3 which is brilliant for the heart and joints. Other healthy fats such as dark chocolate should also be part of their diet. The next time you are going to give your children a treat in the form of a chocolate bar, make sure that’s got a high cocoa percentage. Whole eggs are also a great source of healthy fats. The egg yolk is not to be wasted or seen to be unhealthy because that general myth has been debunked in recent years. A nice piece of toast, slathered in butter is also a nice way to start the morning. These healthy fats burn off quickly but they also oil our bodies from the inside and improve our general functions.
Toddlers are at a stage in their life where their body is growing rapidly. They are looking to gain a lot of healthy weight, which can be done with formula milk drinks as well as healthy fats. Mashed pastes are also a nice idea to get children to eat healthy food such as fruits and vegetables. You can spread these pastes onto toast and crackers so you can give them sandwiches and snacks with their 5 a day. For meat, you need to make sure that red meat is introduced in small quantities to your toddlers early on. Help them digest by making dishes that use mince such as spaghetti bolognese.
