Good nutrition for your toddler

Your toddler will be getting the right nutritional balance if you make sure daily meals contain a good balance of the major food groups. But what sort of food is right for toddlers, and what types of foods appeal to them?

Carbohydrates

Toddlers will enjoy potatoes and sweet potatoes, best served either baked and cut into pieces or mashed. An early introduction to wholemeal, grainy and rye breads is a good idea, as they’re higher in fibre than white breads.

For variety you can also try pitta breads, muffins, chapattis, bagels, crumpets and breadsticks and serve pasta shapes for a fun mealtime. When you serve breakfast cereals, choose fortified versions made from whole grains.

Fruit and vegetables

If vegetables aren’t a favourite choice for your baby, disguise them by serving under sauces and in soups and casseroles. Serve fruits to your baby as pieces for snacks, in puddings and in crumbles. Serve vegetables raw or cooked. If they’re cooked, then the crunchier the better, as overcooking destroys vitamins and minerals.

Milk and dairy foods

Young babies need full-fat milk until at least the age of two, but at this age still only switch to semi-skimmed if the overall diet contains enough other energy. Give yoghurts, pieces of cheese and tubs of fromage frais as snacks during the day and sprinkle cheese over dishes to add to your baby’s intake of dairy foods.

Meat, fish and alternatives

Your baby will enjoy all kind of meat and fish, and serving minced dishes like bolognaise and meatballs will make it easier to eat. You can add a gravy or sauce to moisten the meat, making it easier to chew.

Try mashing various types of fish including sardines, salmon and tuna and including in sandwiches. Food that’s easily cut into pieces and eaten with fingers will be popular, such as sausages, chicken nuggets and fish fingers. Eggs are a great all round nutritious food, easily prepared and easy for your baby to eat boiled, in omelettes or scrambled.

Fats and sugary foods

Avoid giving fatty and sugary foods like butter, cooking oil, sugar, biscuits, cakes, chips and crisps too often. They should only be included in small amounts, as too much will inhibit the intake of more nutritious foods.

Sugars will encourage a sweet tooth, which in turn can lead to tooth decay, and even sugar-free drinks can lead to decay due to their acidity. Stick to water and breast or formula milks as the main drinks.