Giving Your Child
the Best Nutrition
By Alan S. Peterson, M.D.
Raising a healthy, active toddler takes work, and parents need to know the best foods to give their child. Feeding toddlers isn’t always easy, but knowing about nutrition and eating habits will make the best choices for your child.
Milk and dairy
Cow’s milk has protein for strength and growth, calcium for strong bones and teeth, and vitamins A and D for eyes and bones. New information has actually determined that vitamin D works in a good way on dozens of enzyme systems in the body. Children older than one year should have 2-3 eight ounce servings of milk every day. Yogurt and cheese are also good dairy foods for children also.
Babies should not drink cow’s milk. After they turn one year old most children should drink whole milk for at least one year. The fat in milk helps these children grow and helps their brains to develop. If you have an overweight child, ask your doctor about using 2% milk in this age group. Toddlers should not drink non-fat or skim milk until approximately 2 years of age.
Never prop a bottle of milk in an infant’s mouth to help he or she to sleep! That can ruin the teeth. Some children drink too much milk, especially if they use a bottle instead of a cup. Try to get your child to drink two cups of milk each day, and add variety with other healthy dairy foods. Many physicians suggest skim milk after 2 years of age.
Juice, fruit drinks and soda
Children can become overweight from drinking too much soda, fruit drinks, and juice. Toddlers love these drinks, but parents need to limit how much their children get. Too much will cause children to gain weight and get bad teeth.
Children should drink milk with every meal. Try plain water for drinking between meals. Look for 100% fruit juice as a snack or treat, but limit it to less than 8 ounces per day. Give your child whole fruit instead of fruit juice.
Multivitamins
Most children do not need a multivitamin. (See exception below.) There are enough vitamins and minerals in small amounts of foods. Your toddler should get plenty of vitamins from fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, and whole-grain bread products. Even if your child is a fussy eater, he or she probably is getting enough vitamins and minerals.
Some children who do not drink enough milk or get enough sunshine might need to take extra vitamin D. If infants drink less than 17 oz (500 ml) of formula or vit D fortified milk daily, the American Pediatrics Association suggests 200 IU of vitamin D supplemented daily. This is needed whether breast fed or not. Your doctor might also do a blood test to see if your child needs extra iron. If your child does not eat meat or has a chronic illness, talk to your doctor to see if your child needs extra vitamins and/or iron.
Fats
It seems like everyone wants to avoid fats, but fats are actually important for infants. About 1/3 of a toddler’s calories should come from fats. You should give your toddler healthy fats which are peanut butter, milk, meat, and eggs. Examples of bad fats are French fries, potato chips, doughnuts, most desserts, chocolate and butter.
If your child is overweight, the best thing that you can do is set a good example by eating healthy foods yourself. Do not eat junk food, but instead eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain breads. Don’t bring the junk food into the house or your child will certainly find it. Do not put your child on a diet without talking to your doctor first.
Eating habits
It is hard to know what toddlers will eat. They skip meals, refuse to eat some foods, and sometimes only eat one thing for days at a time. This is normal and usually is nothing to worry about. Your doctor will measure your infant’s growth every few months and show you the progress on a chart. It is important to give your child a variety of healthy foods to choose from. Remember that you might have to offer your child a new food ten times before he or she dislikes it.
Children prefer frequent small meals. It takes many years for your toddler to get used to eating three meals a day the way most adults do. Think of snacks as “mini-meals” rather than treats. For example, a mid-afternoon snack might be chocolate milk, peanut butter on bagel pieces and carrot sticks.
Letting toddlers feed themselves is important even if it’s messy. Children should get to make healthy choices that you offer and use their fingers to pick things up. Turn off the TV and sit at the table to eat with your child. This teaches your child good eating habits.
More information
Talk to your primary care provider about the best nutrition for your child. There are also several websites that have good information for toddlers:
Dr. Peterson is a doctor of Family and Community Medicine at the Walter L. Aument Family Health Center, 317 S. Chestnut St., Quarryville.