What baby or toddler food you give totally depends on you. A lot of the rules have changed, and they’re more flexible and easier for parents to navigate. Comparing your child to your friend’s kids is something we all do, but please remember that EVERY child is unique and even the closest of siblings have different ideas and tastes. It’s absolutely no reflection on you if they turn their nose up at some of your delicious offerings; even if they loved it yesterday! You don’t want to force your child to eat anything that they dislike, there’s no winners by doing that.
Baby & Toddler Food – What to do
Do: Feed Your Baby Real Food
In the not so distant past, parents were fearful about giving children real food. They started with rice cereal and built up to other foods. But, this has been shown not only to be ineffective but even harmful, causing more problems with allergies. Try starting your baby with real food that’s mushy like mashed bananas, baked sweet potato, and avocado. Smoothies are an amazing way to get essential minerals and nutrients, and anything unpalatable on its own is easily hidden by other things naturally sweet! In the summer freeze the smoothie mix in ice cube trays and they’ll be a delicious treat!
Do: Keep Nursing If Your Baby Is Thriving
Even when you start your baby on solid food, it’s fine to keep nursing as long as your baby still wants to and you still want to. Breast milk is the best for your baby and will keep offering him not only vitamins and minerals but also protection from infection and illness. Tests have shown that a mom’s breast milk changes based on the needs of the baby.
Do: Eat Meals Together as a Family
Starting as young as possible, eating meals together as a family will help teach your child many values. One of them is that they are important and that you are willing to stop everything else for just an hour or so, to ensure that everyone has the nutrition they need.
As your child gets older, this will be ground zero in terms of conversations and lessons about the day. If you want to know your child, start eating dinner with them while they’re young and keep doing it as long and as often as possible. Eating really is a social event and so starting this habit early will really help in later years; the chances of them showing you up in your favorite restaurant is reduced if they’re well versed in sitting around a table enjoying food.
Mealtime is very important and it should not be spent in front of the TV. Meal times are a chance for bonding, and believe it or not they offer a perfect opportunity to teach your children the importance of eating healthy food.
If there’s one tip I recommend it’s trying this out for yourselves.
Do: Offer Variety as They Age
You don’t want to force your child to eat anything that they dislike, there’s no winners by doing that – they’ll be crying, you’ll be crying, everyone will be crying! Instead, always offer them a variety of healthy choices. Then let them lead the way. Even if they dislike something one day, keep offering it because after a few times of it being offered they may decide they like it.
One of the best ways to teach your child to be healthy would be to set an example and eat healthy foods yourself. Think about it, your child follows everything you do and uses you as their example for what you are supposed to do and how you are supposed to act in life. Therefore, if you set your little one a positive example and make sure that you eat a healthy diet, they will almost surely follow suit and see it as a normal thing to eat healthy foods.
Do: Be Artistic
Making food fun is a great way for your little one to eat food they either previously refused or have never tried before. Food on a stick is so appealing and it appears special to them. Grapes, cheese, pineapple, orange, olives are all favorites of ours!
Cutting sandwiches into shapes using bento cutters is another way to get them to eat lunch! Dinosaurs are currently number 1 in our house.
Do: Be Patient
Some babies are pickier than others. You might feel as if your child is living off nothing more than a grape and a cracker. But, babies WILL NOT starve themselves. When food is offered, they will eat until they’re satisfied. This is the best way to feed your baby so that they learn to listen to their own bodies. Be patient with your child and let them guide you on how fast they want to try things and eat different foods. If they say no today, they may say yes tomorrow.
Another good way to teach her about the importance of proper nutrition is to learn how to limit the amount of sugary treats and other types of unhealthy snacks that you introduce into their diet. Make sure that she knows that it’s OK to have an occasional candy bar, but make sure that they also know that it is not a good idea to eat one every day!
Do: Give nutrients
The following are some examples of these nutrients:
Calcium:
Many children do not have enough calcium in their diet. The problem with this is the fact that calcium contributes to children developing strong bones. New research also suggests that there are many other benefits that were previously unknown, it is now believed that calcium can prevent breast cancer as well as other forms of cancer. One way that you can get her to start consuming more calcium would be to have them eat a bowl of fortified cereal with breakfast.
Vitamin D:
Is another form of nutrient that is extremely important for the growth of healthy and strong bones. Vitamin D is absorbed through the skin and it is provided by sunlight. The thing is that kids seem to be spending less and less time playing outside and more and more time sitting on the couch watching TV, so limiting the amount of time he can watch TV each day will surely contribute to them getting out in the sun much more often. There are other ways you can get vitamin D other than the sun, eat some rockfish, tuna, or vitamin D fortified milk.
Potassium:
Is a very important part of anyone’s diet, but this is especially true when it comes to the diet of a child. It is a little known fact but a lack of potassium in a diet can result in high blood pressure and other undesired medical issues. Potassium can be found in many different types of food, including beans, spinach (yuk! Chuck it in a smoothie) potatoes, and tomatoes. Tasty fruits such as bananas also contain high amounts of potassium.
Fiber:
Many people are not aware of just how important fiber is in their child’s diet. Consuming the proper amounts of fiber on a daily basis is a great way of preventing certain issues, such as heart disease and type II diabetes. Fiber helps digestion and you can give your child a lot of fruit or vegetables to help them get the right amount, or try feeding them nuts or cooked dry beans.
Vitamin A:
Making sure that your child gets enough vitamin A is very important for many different reasons, however, many children are still lacking when it comes to the intake. The problem with this is the fact that vitamin A contributes to healthy eyesight, a healthy immune system and is also involved with tissue growth. Feeding them food such as sweet potatoes, romaine lettuce, as well as dark and bright-colored vegetables, will really boost their intake!
Baby & Toddler Food – What Not to do
Don’t: Feed Rice Cereal First
It used to be that doctors recommended feeding rice cereal first to get the baby used to eating solid food. But, there is nothing to prove this to be a good thing. In fact, rice cereal essentially offers nothing in the way of nutrition other than what’s added to the product. Therefore, feeding your baby real food instead is always better.
Don’t: Forget about Choking Hazards
While you do want to feed your baby a variety of foods, you want to be careful about things that can choke your child. Hot dogs should be cut up into small square chunks that a baby can pick up with their two fingers. Some foods that are too slippery (like peaches) or too hard (like pretzels) should be held back and given to them when they’re more experienced eaters and have teeth.
Don’t: Feed Your Baby Risky Adult Food
Things like raw meat and fish should be completely avoided by babies and toddlers. Babies are more susceptible to getting ill from these types of foods. If it’s risky for you to eat, it’s extra risky for them. So, don’t feed them undercooked meat, raw fish, tartar, or raw or undercooked eggs.
Don’t: Stuff Their Face
Some parents think that they need to stick the food in the baby’s mouth, but you don’t need to do it that way. If you do need to feed them to avoid a mess for some reason, only stick the food in your baby’s mouth when they are ready for it and really wanting it. If you stuff their face and make them eat more than they really should due to their hunger level, you may train your baby to ignore their natural hunger cues.
Many people, especially doctors and nutritionists, would agree that far too many children are consuming too many calories and not enough healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. This is exactly what is contributing to the problem of childhood obesity in the United States. It is highly important that you begin teaching your child from a young age to eat healthy in order to maintain good health and grow up to be big and strong, just like I always tell mine!
Don’t: Give Up
Babies and toddlers are developing independent personalities. Due to this they are often very persistent and vocal about what they do and don’t want. Therefore, when you offer your child food that they don’t like, don’t get frustrated. Don’t give up. Offer it to them again another time and never force them to eat something they do not like. There are always other food sources available that will provide whatever nutrients they need.
These do’s and don’ts of feeding babies and toddlers are essential because nothing is more important than your baby getting enough nutrients. They need a diet high in vitamins and minerals which require a variety of food choices.
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