How to Feed a Hungry Toddler

Toddlers use up lots of energy and need plenty of healthful foods close at hand to build it up again. Follow these simple steps to keep them happy and healthy without spending all day in the kitchen.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cereals
• Cereals
• Dried Fruits
• Fruit Juices
• Fruit Snacks
• Healthy Foods
• Milk
• Raisins
• Vegetables
• Plastic Food Containers
• Plastic Food Containers
• Plastic food containers
• Vegetables

1. Clear out a shelf or drawer in your refrigerator, and fill it with healthy toddler snacks. This means you will always have something appropriate close at hand and ready to serve.

2. Offer your child healthy snacks at regular intervals throughout the day ' this will help to keep him or her from getting too hungry and cranky.

3. Prewash some fresh fruit, and keep it in a bowl or in the fridge.

4. Keep low-sugar cereals handy ' serve them with or without milk, as a snack or as part of a meal.

5. Wash and chop some vegetables into finger-food-sized pieces ' carrot and celery sticks, and tiny broccoli "trees" make great toddler snacks.

6. Get some plain yogurt, and mix fresh fruit or fruit preserves into it ' this is always cheaper and often healthier than buying flavored yogurts.

7. Chop some cheese into small cubes or strips, and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.

8. Keep raisins, dates, dried apricots and other dried fruits around ' these are great finger foods, and toddlers love them. Encourage your child to brush his or her teeth after these snacks, since dried fruit often sticks to the teeth.

9. Have healthy drinks in the fridge and ready to go ' milk, soy or rice milk, and unsweetened juices.

Tips & Warnings

• Prepared vegetables keep well if you store them in cold water, inside an airtight plastic container.
• At mealtimes, try offering your child a selection of foods from the family dinner, but don't worry if he or she refuses the more highly flavored options ' children's taste buds are very sensitive, and it may take your child a while to acquire a taste for spicy or rich foods.
• Avoid serving nuts and other high-allergen foods to your young toddler ' in particular, wait as long as possible before adding foods containing peanuts to his or her diet.
• Watch out for choking hazards. Grapes should be cut in half, and carrots should be cut into sticks rather than rounds.
• Make sure all meat products you give your toddler are thoroughly cooked - this will help to protect your child from E-coli, listeria and other dangerous infections.

[Allandra]

on 7/22/2007 Avoid giving your toddler sausages all the time. It's not the best food even though it's easy to prepare. Sausages are loaded with salt and pieces of rejected meat products.

I find that offering my toddler a variety of fruits and vegetables at the table really helps. Don't be too stressed out when it comes to feeding that picky toddler. As long as you have a healthy and happy kid, that's all that matters.

on 11/22/2005 i try to give my toddler a banana every day. usually for breakfast. i switch it up on how i serve it. some days he likes to hold the banana in its peel and i just peel it down as he eats it. other days i mash it up and stir it into his gerber oatmeal cereal. some days i dice it up and coat it in ground up cheerios or cocoa puffs and he eats it as a snack. he always eats it if it's covered in ground up cereal. probably his favorite way.

on 11/22/2005 I add cottage cheese to eggs (about 1 tablespoon per serving) before I scramble them. It keeps them moist and adds a boost of protein and calcium. I also add cottage cheese to cooked pasta and then add a little Parmesan cheese and some butter. Try to sneak in some cooked broccoli or a little frozen spinach to the noodles as well. Also, try topping a baked potato with a little cottage cheese. My kids love it, and I know that if they eat nothing else, at least this is nutritious.