THE GOOD NUTRIENTS TODDLERS NEED
As your baby grows into a toddler it’s a time of rapid change & development. Everything is a big new adventure which can make things tricky when it comes to toddler nutrition & mealtimes. Check our guide below to find out what nutrients toddlers needs...
Vitamin D
Needed for healthy bones. Under 5s will need to take a supplement as what they need can’t be found in food alone.
Vitamin A
Helps keep little one’s immune system tip-top along with their vision. Find it in liver, sweet potato and leafy greens.
Zinc
Great for healing scratches and grazes and an energy boost. Lots of dairy foods, meat, fish and eggs contain it.
Vitamin C
Helps with growth and repair of skin and other tissues. Oranges, mango, cauliflower, broccoli and berries all contain it.
Iron
Essential for making healthy blood cells & carrying oxygen. It's in red meat, fish, poultry, eggs & beans, lentils & dried fruits.
TODDLERS FOOD TO AVOID
Sugars are a carbohydrate and they provide energy. Milk, fruit, vegetables and other healthy snacks all provide natural sugars and a range of essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fibre. Refined sugar provides nothing but empty calories and offers no other nutritional benefits. It's important to limit your child’s intake of sugary drinks, sweets and high sugar snacks. A diet high in sugar can lead to dental issues as well as encourage a sweet tooth.
When giving your children a sweet treat it is better to give pure fresh or dried fruit – these can also be added when cooking to sweeten foods, for example rice pudding, porridge, muffins or cereal.
The maximum daily salt intake for 1-3 year olds is just 2g per day. Little ones cannot tolerate large amounts of salt due to them having immature kidneys. A lot of processed foods contain high levels of added salt so these must be avoided too as children can become accustomed to these and can develop a high salt tolerance.
If you are worried the foods you are serving your toddler don’t have enough flavour, rather than adding salt try adding herbs and spices which will also help broaden your child’s diet.
HOW MANY CALORIES DO TODDLERS NEED DAILY?
Young children live a very active lifestyle and are growing and developing at an alarming rate. The energy they require aids rapid growth, brain development, development of immunity, rapid recovery following infection and physical activity. Their dietary needs also vary considerably to that of an adult. For little ones aged 1-3 a guide of 1,165-1,230 calories is suggested, but remember each little one is different.