Feeding tips for Toddlers

Feeding Tips for Toddlers

Portions, Serving Sizes, and More! -- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian

It may be hard to believe, but your baby is now a toddler! Toddlers enjoy feeding themselves and eating meals and snacks at the table with others. Yes, it can get messy, but this is your toddler's chance to explore new foods and tastes.

You may notice that your toddler does not eat as much food before. During her first year of life, she grew extremely fast. Now that growth has tapered off, so she doesn't need to eat as much. However, it's still very important to provide your toddler with a variety of nutritious foods from each of the food groups.

This quick reference chart lists the food groups, recommended daily servings, and appropriate portion sizes throughout the toddler years.

Daily Servings & Portion Sizes Based on Age

Grains6 servings Age1 Ages 2-3Ages 4-5

Bread 1/4 slice 1/2 slice 3/4-1 slice
Cooked cereal, rice & pasta 1/4 cup 1/3 cup 1/2 cup
Dry cereal 1/4 cup 1/2 cup 3/4-1 cup
Bagels & buns 1/4 bun 1/3 bun 1/2 bun
Dairy

4 servings

Age1 Ages 2-3 Ages 4-5

Milk 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/2-3/4 cup
Cheese 1/3-2/3 oz 2/3-1.0 oz 1 oz
Yogurt 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/2-3/4 cup
Cottage cheese 2-4 Tbsp 4-6 Tbsp 6 Tbsp

Protein2 servings Age 1 Ages 2-3 Ages 4-5

Fish, beef, poultry & pork 1 oz 1.5 oz 2 oz
Cooked peas & beans1/4 cup 1/3 cup 1/2 cup

Eggs 1 1 1

Vegetables
3-4 servings
Age1 Ages 2-3 Ages 4-5

Cooked vegetables 1/4 cup 1/3 cup 1/2 cup
Fresh vegetables, chopped 2-3 Tbsp 3-4 Tbsp 4-6 Tbsp
Vegetable juice 1/4 cup 1/4 cup 1/4-1/2 cup
Fruits2-3 servings Age1 Ages 2-3 Ages 4-5
Canned fruit 1/4 cup 1/4 cup 1/2 cup
Fresh fruit, chopped 2-3 Tbsp 3-4 Tbsp 4-5 Tbsp
Fruit juice 1/4 cup 1/4 cup 1/2 cup

Mealtime & Feeding Tips for Toddlers

■Toddlers can be the world's pickiest eaters! Don't get frustrated. Offer small portions, since it is always better to offer seconds, if needed.

■Trust your child's appetite if he is growing normally, has energy and is healthy. Never force your child to clean his plate. This can lead to unhealthy eating habits over time.

■Food jags are normal and common. Do not make a big deal about the foods she requests. Offer it for several days, along with a variety of other foods. Never force your child to eat foods that are unwanted.

■Make mealtime fun and creative. Use a variety of colors, tastes, textures and temperatures.

■Feed your toddler the same foods you feed your family.

■Have your child sit at the dinner table with the family. Children learn by watching others.

■Purchase child-size spoons and forks. Children will gradually change from using their fingers, to using the spoon first and the fork later.

■Buy child-size plates with separate compartments. Some toddlers do not like when foods mix together.

■Offer finger foods when possible.

■Cut foods for your toddler into bite size pieces.

■Respect your toddler's likes and dislikes. Gently encourage your toddler to try at least one bite of a new food. If the food is rejected today, offer it again next week. Research shows, that you may have to offer a new food 10-20 times before your child likes it.

■Offer foods in different forms.

■Set a good example yourself. Your child will tend to like to eat the same foods you enjoy.

■Offer three regular meals and two to three planned snacks every day. Snack time should be at least two hours before the next mealtime so your child is hungry for meals. Do not allow continuous snacking throughout the day.

■Do involve your toddler in mealtime preparation. Young toddlers can wash fruits and vegetables, snap beans, tear lettuce, and peel bananas. Older toddlers can open packages, pour cereal, toss salads, make sandwiches, stir and mix, and set the table.

■Serve sweets and desserts occasionally as part of the meal. Do not make the sweet treat more desirable than other foods. Do not bribe, reward, or punish your child with sweets. This may lead to power struggles and perhaps lifelong inappropriate use of food. Try to use wholesome desserts, like custard, milk pudding, fruit in gelatin, and oatmeal cookies.

Healthy Eating on the Road

Healthy Eating on the Road


Tips for Keeping Your Family and Wallet Happy when Traveling -- By Sarah Haan, R.D., BabyFit Contributor

Whether you're embarking on a cross-country journey or a day trip to Grandma's, you can benefit your budget and your body with some tasty snacks and meals on the go. Having the right tools and some creativity will help you and your family resist those blinking neon lights that seem to beckon you to their golden arches and endless buffets.

A bit of planning before you leave home will ensure that your family eats right no matter where the road takes you.

Meals on the go
Not all food items pack as well in a cooler as others, but there are a few meals and snacks that are breeze to pull out of the cooler.

If you're on a multi-day trip, make sandwiches before heading out for the day. If you're just taking a day trip, prep sandwiches before leaving home.

(Note: Do not give nuts to children under three or honey to children under age 1, and give age-appropriate bites to avoid choking. For more information on age-appropriate snacks, read Tasty Treats for Toddlers.)

■PBJs, please! For kids and grown-ups alike, you can't go wrong with peanut butter and jelly. A thin layer of peanut butter on both slices of bread keeps the sandwich from getting too soggy. Cut sandwiches into four for easy eating.

Tip: Store sandwiches in plastic containers to prevent smashed sandwiches.

■Sandwich roll-upsUsing whole wheat tortillas for sandwiches prevents smashed bread. Place all the your favorite sandwich ingredients in the middle of a tortilla, roll it up, and place in a large zippered bag. Another tip is to keep your condiments in the middle to prevent sogginess or add them just prior to eating. Try various combinations of deli turkey, ham, or chicken, hummus, lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, mustard, light mayo, or balsamic vinaigrette. The options are endless!

Tip: Sneak a few shredded vegetables into the middle of each tortilla for a bit of nutrition.

■DIY LunchablesA box of wheat crackers, pre-sliced cheese and deli meat can go a long way when it comes to quick lunch to refuel the kids.

First, ask the deli to slice meat thicker than usual, and if you're feeling creative, use cookie cutters to cut fun shapes out of the meat and cheese. (Or you can just cut the slices into bite-size pieces.) Place a serving of wheat crackers in a sandwich bag, then place cheese, meat, a few grapes or carrots and the crackers into a plastic container. The kids will have their own "lunchable"! You can also add sliced vegetables like peppers or cucumbers.

Tip: Put a small cookie, toy or other treat in the container, too. (Wrap it in foil so kids can't see what it is.) Tell them they can have the treat if they behave in the car!

Snacks on the go Great snacks to pull out of coolers are:

■Pre-sliced veggies

■Individually wrapped cheese (like string cheese, Laughing Cow wedges, or BabyBels)

■Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries and bananas are popular)

■Fruit snacks

■Small plastic tubs of fruit in juice (Drain the juice before giving to the kids and keep wipes handy.)

■Sliced apples (Drizzle a bit of lemon juice over your apple slices to help prevent browning or bring along an apple corer.)

■Whole fruit: bananas, apples, strawberries, etc. (Tip: When you give kids fruit, PBJs or any other potentially sticky snack, immediately give them a baby wipe or damp paper towel and a plastic sandwich bag for their peels, cores and other refuse. Tell them to wipe their hands after eating and put the paper towel in the baggie when they're done.)

■GORP or trail mix

■Peeled hard-boiled eggs

■Baggies of cereal

■Yogurt tubes (freeze them before leaving home)

■Whole-wheat pretzels

(Need more healthful snack ideas for your road trip? Read 20 Nifty, Nutritious Snacks for Kids.)

Healthy drinks
Keep it healthy with drink choices as well! Sticking to water is going to be your best bet, especially when you're outside in the summer heat. You can also offer kids boxes of milk or 100% juice boxes. Avoiding sugar-loaded sodas and juice cocktails is going to save you some calories and keep the sugar in your child's diet down.

Once your cooler is packed, you're ready to hit the road. Don't forget to save room for baby formula or extra breast milk!

Room service
Once you arrive at your destination, even if you're staying in a hotel, you don't have to stop eating right. Your trusty cooler can take a break and let a mini fridge take over. (Don't forget to put the ice packs in the freezer so you're ready for the next day.)

Breakfast of championsBreakfast is the most important meal of the day, and sometimes it's the hardest to coordinate on the road, even if there is a free breakfast offered at the hotel. Cold cereal and milk work well in hotel rooms, and so do healthy muffins (bring them from home or buy some along the way), yogurt and granola, or that old favorite, PBJs. Another option is whole-wheat mini bagels with peanut butter and sliced banana. Cottage cheese is a good source of calcium and protein in the morning. Mix a low fat cottage cheese with berries, pineapple or mandarin oranges for a quick morning meal. The supplies for these meals can easily be packed into a cooler.

If you've got a microwave in your hotel room, pack oatmeal or cream of wheat, plus dried fruit and nuts. Serve a glass of milk and some fruit, and you and the kids will be ready to start the day.

Three square meals, plus snacks Pack a few staples that you can turn into lunch, snacks and dinner. You can travel to you hotel with most items in a cooler and bag, then transfer them to the fridge. Or, hit the nearest grocery store once you're in your destination city. Pack the following groceries and use the ingredients in different combinations to get many meals!

■Whole-wheat tortillas

■Whole-wheat mini bagels

■Light cream cheese (plain or garden style)

■Shredded lettuce or baby spinach

■Deli chicken, turkey or ham

■Peeled hard-boiled eggs

■String cheese

■Baby carrots

■Pre-made pasta salad

■Cut fruit (any kind!)

From this list of foods, you can create the following meals/snacks:

■Deli wrap: Use the whole-wheat tortilla to wrap up a smear of cream cheese, lettuce and deli meat.

■Cow in a blanket: Wrap a slice of deli meat around a cheese stick for a protein-packed snack

■Bagel sandwich: Pile lettuce, deli meat and a bit of cream cheese in the middle of a mini bagel.

■Wrapped carrot bites: Spread a bit of cream cheese on a slice of deli meat and wrap it around a carrot for a crunchy snack.

Enjoy the above snacks and meals with your the fresh fruit and carrots you packed, and you'll enjoy a few days worth of healthy meals while you're away from home. Remember, planning is everything. The more you can cut, chop, wash, and pack in baggies and containers the better. It will make you vacation more enjoyable once you're settled in and having a great time with the family.

The trick to eating right on the road is in your ice chest, which when packed appropriately, is a treasure chest of healthful and tasty food for you and your family.

Keep your cool. Coolers are essential for food safety, and it's important to pack them well so the food and beverages will stay cold as long as possible. When packing only drinks, loose ice will do the trick. It will melt as your day goes on, but if you drain some water from the vent in the bottom of your cooler each time you stop throughout the day, you won't be fishing like a polar bear to grab a drink.

Packing food is a different story. Using ice packs is a better tactic for chilling food and packaged items. Water from melted ice leads to soggy containers and potential leaks. Don't have enough ice packs to chill the whole cooler? Fill large, zipper-lock freezer bags with ice to achieve the same effect, or multitask and freeze water in reusable bottles to stand in as ice packs while you travel. Making sure your food is completely chilled before packing helps keep the ice from melting so quickly.

The tricky part is using one cooler for both drinks and food. To pack both in one cooler, try finding a tub or bag that all your food will fit into to place inside the cooler. This way, you can put loose ice and beverages in the bottom of the cooler, then fit your stash of food with an ice pack or two right on top of that. Another option, if you have extra space, is to pack two coolers--one each for food and drinks.

Healthy School Lunches Kids Will Actually Eat

Healthy School Lunches Kids Will Actually Eat


40 Real-LifeTips from Moms -- By Samantha Donohue, BabyFit Staff Writer

Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but lunch runs a close second. Studies have shown that children who eat a well-balanced lunch often do better in school and are more alert. It can be difficult enough to get your child to eat right when you're there to monitor what he eats. But in the cafeteria, where the temptations of pizza, vending machines and other unhealthy snacks await, you have to up your game to get kids to actually eat what you've packed.

To help you provide healthy lunches for your family, BabyFit has asked members and experts for tips and advice on packing kids' lunches. First of all, remember that it's not your lunch. If you pack broccoli and your son hates it, he won't eat it. Let your kids weigh in on what they want to pack in their lunches, and offer them a few healthy choices so they feel like they're in control.

Save money and pack smart
■Though you might be tempted by their convenience and kid-friendly sizes, avoid pre-packaged, processed foods for your kids' lunches. They're expensive and loaded with sodium and preservatives.

■Think outside the lunchbox. Did your kids love last night's roasted chicken and vegetables? Pack some in a thermos to eat the next day. Pack leftover meatballs into a hotdog bun for a lunchtime sandwich. Mix leftover rice and vegetables and top with chunks of pork or chicken.

■There's no rule that lunch has to include a sandwich, chips and a cookie. Try a tasting plate of chicken chunks or deli turkey rollups with a handful of grapes and carrots with a small container of low-fat dressing. Finger foods are usually a hit with kids.

■Be safe. Pack lunches properly to ensure food safety and freshness. Invest in a reusable ice-pack, a thermos to hold warm foods and a variety of different sized containers. Include a cloth napkin and reusable utensils to cut down on waste. Remind your child to always wash her hands before she eats.

A balanced meal
Include something from each food group, but be creative. Here are some tips for creating a well-balanced meal.

Whole grains

■Always choose whole-grain or whole-wheat bread. If your kids won't eat the crusts, that's OK--trim them off. It's more important that they're eating the sandwich.

■Toss air-popped popcorn with cinnamon and sugar for a sweet treat or sprinkle on some parmesan cheese. It's a great whole-grain snack.

■Spread brown-rice cakes with peanut butter, all-fruit spread or light cream cheese.

■Whole grain crackers that are low in fat and high in fiber are a good substitute for bread for little mouths. Kids love the crunch. Send a few pieces of cheese so kids can create their own mini sandwiches.

■Make whole-wheat versions of your family's favorite quick breads and muffins.

■Make large batches of cookies--oatmeal raisin is a good choice--and freeze them. You can take one from the freezer and put it in a lunch box. It will thaw by lunchtime.

■Instead of bread, try a whole-wheat tortilla for a sandwich. Roll one up with low-sodium deli meat, cheese and honey mustard.

■Whole-wheat pretzel sticks are crunchy and fun for kids. Make sure the version you buy lists "whole wheat flour" as a primary ingredient.

Fruit

■Use what fresh and in season. Seasonal fruit tastes better and is also cheaper.

■Make fruit easy for kids to eat. Segment oranges and core apples and pears (use lemon juice to keep them from turning brown). Cut up large pieces of fruit into smaller pieces.

■Offer dried fruit like raisins, cherries or cranberries.

■Buy 100% real fruit leathers or rollups.

■When buying canned fruit, make sure it's packed in 100% fruit juice rather than syrup.

■Instead of jams and jellies, make a peanut butter sandwich with banana slices, raisins or berries.

■Offer a handful of seedless grapes in a bag with a wet paper towel for sticky hands. (The wet paper towel also comes in handy after eating an orange.)

■Make a fruit smoothie and store it in a thermos. Add a handful of spinach for an extra serving of veggies. Your kids will never know. (Make the smoothie at night and freeze. It will be nice and slushy by lunchtime.)

Vegetables

■Cut raw veggies into bite size pieces and serve them with a dip. In addition to ranch, try peanut butter or another nut butter, pesto, salsa, hummus or guacamole--whatever you kids will eat.

■Add shredded vegetables to sandwiches and soup.

■Try mixing chopped broccoli or cauliflower with brown rice and a bit of cheese for a healthy casserole.

Dairy

■Either provide money for your child to buy milk or include a small carton of shelf-stable milk in every lunch.

■String cheese or a few cubes of cheese are a great way for kids to get calcium and protein.

■Freeze a small container of cottage cheese or yogurt. Add it to his lunchbox and it will be thawed by lunch.

■Instead of paying for preflavored yogurt, add your kids' favorite all-fruit spread, chopped fruit or a drizzle of honey or maple syrup to the yogurt.

■Try topping cottage cheese with chopped tomatoes or pineapple chunks.

■If your child will only drink chocolate milk, allow it. It's better than drinking no milk at all.

Protein

■If your child isn't a fan of meat, that's OK. There are plenty of ways to get protein into his lunch. It's very important to include protein, because it will help keep him fuller longer. As long as your child is old enough to eat nuts and there are no allergen concerns, experiment with various forms of nut butter. Beyond peanut, there's cashew, almond, sunflower, soynut and even hazelnut butter.

■Eggs are another great source of protein. Include a hard-boiled egg (peel it first) or a couple of deviled eggs (made with low-fat mayo).

■If your kids are fans of tuna, egg or chicken salad, sneak some veggies into it. Minced carrots, celery, zucchini and even cucumbers mix well. In addition to regular sandwiches, these salads make great dippers for whole-grain crackers and raw veggies.

■Hummus or black bean dip is full of filling fiber and protein. Like the salads mentioned above, it's great in sandwiches or as a dip.

■Disguise protein as a treat by mixing nuts with dried fruit and just a few chocolate chips for an easy trail mix.

Mom-tested tips:
 Here what BabyFit community team members are doing to make lunch fun, tasty and healthy for their kids.

LISAMARIE55 uses a thermos for both warm and cold food items. Pasta salad with diced tomatoes, cucumber, cheese and carrots, with an olive oil-based dressing, is a great lunch. In the winter, put veggie soup in the thermos. To sneak in extra vegetables, add shredded veggies (zucchini, carrots or celery) to tuna or chicken salad.

JAKE_ADAMSMOMMY likes to pack string cheese, grapes, carrot sticks, and cheese-and-cracker sandwiches that her kids can put together themselves.

COOKIECHRISTIAN likes to keep lunchtime fun with the following ideas: bagel sandwiches, celery sticks filled with peanut butter or cream cheese, carrot sticks, cucumber, "trees" (cauliflower and broccoli) with ranch dressing, frozen tubes of yogurt (they thaw by lunch), dried fruits, black olives, fruit kabobs with pineapple, melon, and berries, chips and cheese or bean dip, guacamole and pico de gallo for kids to assemble themselves.

LUV4MY3BOYS likes to include as many food groups as possible in her sons' lunches. She fills celery with peanut butter and raisins and uses a cookie cutter to make heart-shaped peanut butter sandwiches. She chooses whole grain bread, natural peanut butter, and all-fruit preserves. For something sweet, she includes yogurt and granola with fresh fruit, apples dipped in peanut butter, homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, and trail mix.

KIMMER322 loves cutting up fresh fruits such as pears, bananas, apples and grapes and tossing them with vanilla yogurt.

TAMMYBEE5 likes to pack sliced carrots and cucumbers and fruit salad

what's in my momma bag

I totally used to make fun of my mom all the time her bag always had so much crap i never understood. Now at 23 my mommy bag is the same way LOL. I have the things you'd laugh at. I have two girls plus my stuff so I'm prepared to say the least. I have forgotten how it is to just carry my essentials. What's the strangest thing you think I have in my bag?

ninja mom

no one tells you that once u find out you're pregnant you're automatically classified as ninja. i guess i skipped the first three years cause out comes baby two and in come these secret ninja skills. i have to fight with my little one to get a diaper on geez never saw that coming.

not only do my ninja skills come in handy for fighting the baby diaper situation, it comes in handy when the terrible 2s that go on till uhhhh idk how long that goes on. also it works when daddy is gone and your alone being super mommy AND daddy.

take that evil mommy taker downers