Section Overview
This section reviews the recommended intake amounts for toddlers and discusses feeding tips for children ages 1-3 years old as well as strategies to prevent choking.
Nutrition Recommendations for Toddlers
The toddler age (1-3 years) is an important time for establishing new dietary habits. Toddlers have unique needs when it comes to eating due to their exploratory and inquisitive nature, high level of energy, and occasional hesitancy to try new foods.
The growth rate through toddlerhood is slower than during infancy; however, adequate nutrition is equally important. Children in this age group require foods from all food groups to continue to grow and develop.
Feeding Tips for Toddlers
Although your child gets to choose how much they want to eat, it is your responsibility to decide what types of foods your child will eat. To avoid feeding struggles during meals and snacks try following these tips!
Make food fun!
- Try cutting foods into shapes or add dips with fruits and vegetables
Involve children in the food process!
- Involving children in the shopping or food preparation process can get them excited about eating.
Create a family garden!
- Gardening is a fun way to engage children to eat healthy. They get to see how food grows and how it can be used in the kitchen to create meals and snacks. Plus, foods fresh from the garden make great snacks!
Limit high-sugar and high-salt foods!
- High sugar and high fat foods like cakes, cookies, chips and candies can replace more nutritious foods in children’s diets. Try to limit these items.
Try to meet daily recommendations for fruits and vegetables!
- To meet the daily recommendations for fruits and vegetables, serve fresh, frozen, canned or whole produce.
Limit juice intake!
- Limit juice to 4 oz/day of 100% fruit or vegetable juice. Serve plain water with most meals and snacks or when your child is thirsty (1-4 cups/day).
Serve milk, but not too much!
- Serve 2-3 cups per day of whole milk for children 12-24 months. Children older than 2 years old should receive nonfat (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk.
Strategies to Prevent Choking
Since your child is still learning how to chew properly it is important to take some things into consideration to prevent choking. Remember a choking child or toddler may not be able to make noise or alert you if they need help!
- Supervise your child when they are eating
- Make sure your child remains seated when eating
- Cut up hard-to-chew foods like grapes, hot dogs, carrots, and meat
- Thinly spread nut butters on bread instead of by the spoonful
- Avoid choking hazards such as popcorn, jellybeans, hard candies, uncut cherry or grape tomato, hard raw vegetables, & gum
