How to Make a Feeding Plan for a Toddler

Опубликовал Admin
25-10-2020, 18:30
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The "Terrible Two's" isn't the only factor in a child's life. Toddlers can be extremely picky of what they eat. Creating and following a feeding plan for a toddler will ensure that they receive a well-balanced and healthy diet, as well as continuing to eat the foods they love.

Steps

  1. Use the USDA MyPlate customized food plan, http://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate/index.aspx . This will give you a list of the food pyramid groups and how much servings should be ideally given to a toddler on a daily and weekly scale.
  2. Create a list of your toddler's favorite foods or what they prefer to eat. You can break it down into meal categories, such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and dessert or food groups, such as cereal, fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, etc.
  3. Prioritize the list by nutritional value. See what is healthy and unhealthy and try to substitute foods. Cross out any cookies and put graham or animal crackers in its place.
  4. Integrate fruits or vegetables into every meal, on the side or in the meal itself.
    • Breakfast: blueberry pancakes or waffles, fresh sliced strawberries, small fruit salad, sliced bananas, etc.
    • Lunch: grapes, Mandarin orange slices, fresh sliced carrots, etc.
    • Snack: watermelon bites, grapes, etc.
    • Dinner: sliced carrots, corn, broccoli, eggplant, yam, zucchini, etc.
  5. Make sure that each meal has its own "weight". Many toddlers aren't up to par in having a big breakfast after waking up, so it's best to keep things very light. Food such as yogurt, a bagel, or fresh chopped fruit are excellent choices without filling them up more than needed.
  6. Keep healthy snacks as a go-getter throughout the day. Kids need energy to play and fulfill their physical needs all the time, so it's always good to have granola bars or a healthy trail mix at hand. It can also keep you as a parent healthy by snacking alongside with them.
  7. Treat all new introduced foods as baby food rules. If they don't like it, never force it. Either take a break from the food and attempt later on, or find another food with similar nutrition or in the same food group. See if they'll try it in a different form. Instead of giving them sliced strawberries, see if they like a homemade strawberry smoothie.
  8. Keep the food list as a guide. Monitor your child as you start the feeding plan. It'll start as a "trial and error" of nutrition, but as time goes on, the list will be more structured and stabilized with more healthier choices.
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