Toddler nutrition (1-3 years) revised

So your little one won't eat his pumpkin at dinner time. Thats ok. As long as your child has a varied well balanced diet all his nutritional needs will be met.  We should all remember the healthy eating pyramid (eat least/moderate/mostly). Well we do need to instill this type of

eating in our children now why they are young. Especially with obesity (and related illness) on the rise all round the world. Children between the age of 1 and 3 need about 1000-1300 calories a day. Something else handy to know is that because what our kids eat on a day to day basis can and will vary greatly we should look at thier diet as a whole week and not a day. Also with your childs weight almost  tripling in the first 12 months of life, they dramatically slow down as they enter toddlerhood, therefor their appitite may have decreased. This is nothing to be concerned about. Each and every child is an individual and should be treated as one, so if you do become concerned speak to your doctor or child health nurse.   I'm not saying the occasional chocholate or ice cream or chips is wrong. What I am saying is at this age our kids are more likely interested in their enviroment and less interested in food. So we need to make what they do eat count. Finger foods are great at this age, especially things like apple, carrots, fruit biscuits etc. Something they can hold on to and just snack on while they are exploring. Another good idea is having in an easily accesable place a small tray with healthy snacks so that your child can just come and grab something when they feel like it. Or peas, sultanas, cheese, meat cut into small pieces are great if they are in the high chair. ( Also good for hand eye co-ordination and eye focusing)
Now my little man isn't a real fussy eater but when it comes to dinner time it is a game of hide and seek with the brocolli and cauliflour. We mix it in the potatoes with some cheese sauce and he loves it. So if you need to hide food don't be afraid to. Don't be afraid to try new combinations either. Some thing we may find disgusting is something they will more than likely enjoy the most. With vegies and fruit a general rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon for each year of age, so a two year old needs 2 tbsp of 3-5 veg a day and the same again with fruit. Some simple things like yoghurt and fruit or weet-bix are great for breakfast. Tuna cheese and pasta, fish cakes, bubble and squeak (available in the frozen section at your super market) even a vegimite sandwhich is ok for lunch. Meat (or meat alternatives) and veg roughly blended is great for dinner because you can do any combination you like. Or things like spaghetti bolonaise, pasta bakes or soup soaked bread.  Some snacks that I have found great are things like muesli bars, fruit, fruit sticks, Cherry tomatoes etc. Grazing is the best way to keep our blood sugar level stable and this also applies to young children. Have you ever noticed your child becomes more irritable and moody in the late morning and late afternoon. This is because about two hours after a big meal, ie breakfast/lunch if we don't snack our blood sugar levels drop. To help prevent this let them snack.
In saying this if your toddler is difficult to feed a meal time is he/she really hungry? How long ago did they eat? Are they snackers or are they three meals a day kinda kid?  If you would like your child to eat dinner try avoiding snacks and fluids about 1 hour before meal times so they don't fill up their little tummies. Remember thier tummies are about the size of their fist. Obviously if you child is saying they are thirsty and really want a drink a small amount of water or what ever would be fine. Just watch how much they drink.
By about 12-18  months old  solid food should be offered  over a bottle.  And water  as always one of the most important things. I prefer water over juice, flavoured milks etc for my little man and he has 1-2 bottles of about 200mls in a 24 hr period (only befor a nap).
Last but not least, If your little one skips a meal don't stress they will not starve themselves. They will eat when they are hungry. Make meal times fun and always supervise your child while they are eating.

Here is a link to a site which I found after this was published
www.kidspot.com.au/content-page-age-browse.asp