Mummy Monday

Healthy eating and play for toddlers (1-2 years)

Hi guys! If you haven’t guessed by the title we are talking about healthy eating and play for you little baby’s!

The world is a fun and exciting place, as toddlers get older they begin to explore life independently. Try to encourage your toddler to enjoy family meals, even try different foods and see what they life and don’t like, and don’t forget to play actively every day!

What do toddlers eat?

Offer your toddler the same foods as you and your family are eating, with a variety of textures and flavours.

Encourage a variety of food from these food groups:

- Vegetables and beans/legumes

- Fruits

- Grains and cereals

- Meat, fish, chicken and eggs

- Full fat dairy products such as cheese, yogurt and milk. Reduced fat dairy products can be used after 2 years of age.

Why does my child eat less than before?

Toddlers eating patterns change a lot in the toddler years, picky eating is quite common. Some of the reasons for changes in eating are:

Development

The world has become a very exciting place for your toddler to explore. Food may be less important when there are a lot of other exciting things to do or look at.

Slower growth

Toddlers grow slower when they hit their second year, which means less food than during their first year. Amounts eaten can also change during the day, this may be worrying for parents but it is completely normal and doesn’t mean they are unwell

Fussy eating

Showing independence is normal for any toddler and this may include refusing to eat the foods they used to enjoy. Refusing food doesn’t mean they don’t like it – they may just be testing to see how you react.

Eating patterns

Some toddlers may prefer smaller sized snacks instead of a meal pattern, as a guide try offer three small meals and 2-3 snacks a day. Try allow 1-2 hours between each meal and snack. Offer snacks like fruit, milk and dairy products and whole grain foods.

Encourage active play everyday

Active play is important for every toddler’s development. Benefits include:

- Building strong muscles and bones

- Maintaining healthy growth

- Improves sleep

- Making new friends

- Developing movement skills.

Outdoor play is ideal for toddlers. Outdoor places to play are everywhere and can be as simple as finding some water, sand, leaves or stones. Play materials such as large soft beach balls, tyres and cardboard boxes encourage imagination and provides opportunities for learning. Coping other people dancing and being active also makes wonderful play for little ones!

- Encourage at least 3 hours throughout the day for free play.

- No more than 1 hour a day should be spent sitting or lying still at a time. (sleeping doesn’t count)

- For toddlers under 2, screen time isn’t recommended.

- For children over 2, screen time should be limited to an hour a day and it should be supervised.

- Let your toddler walk short distances instead of making them sit in a stroller, they will find it quite enjoyable.

Alright guys that’s it for this week’s mummy Monday I hope this helps with some great times on eating and play.

If you have any questions about this week’s mummy Monday or want to suggest anything for future mummy Mondays just send me and email and I’ll answer any questions and get to your suggestions as soon as possible. Xx -j