Tucker without tantrums

Disclaimer: This fact sheet is for education purposes only. Please consult with your doctor or other health professional to make sure this information is right for your child.

Feeding young children can be a challenging experience. Toddlers often have small appetites and very definite likes and dislikes. Many parents are worried about the kinds of foods to feed toddlers. Is family food OK or should special food be bought or prepared?

Home-cooked foods

Encourage your child to eat home-cooked foods, as long as they are not loaded with sugar or salt. Sugary foods and drinks can decay young teeth and salty foods can put a strain on young kidneys. Not adding sugar or salt to your toddler's food will help them learn to appreciate natural tastes.

Think like a toddler!

Coping with small appetites and food fads can be a real trial. As with any problem involving young children, it's worthwhile reminding yourself about the way toddlers think and feel. Toddling children are beginning to discover their world - they are finding out what pleases them and what upsets them.

Toddlers are able to make their own decisions. Not wanting to do 'this' and only liking 'that' is a way for toddlers to show their independence. Major battles often involve food. Young children like to make choices about the food they want, and when they want it. These decisions can conflict with parents' wishes. The resulting battles disrupt family routines and make mealtime unhappy events.

How do eating problems begin?

Surprisingly, most toddler feeding problems start with the parents. Adults can have unrealistic ideas about how much and what kind of food young children need. Yes, it is worrying when your toddler seems to be eating less now than when they were a baby but it's important to understand the food needs of your growing child.

The amount of food children need depends on the speed at which they grow. Babies grow rapidly. A six- month-old baby will gain one kilogram every eight weeks. But toddlers grow very slowly and could take even six months to gain one kilogram . This is why babies have large appetites and toddlers don't seem to eat very much. Toddlers don't eat much because they don't need much - despite the fact that they may be on the go all day.

Don't be tempted by non-nutritious snacks!

Understandably, parents become worried that their toddlers will get sick when their appetites become small. Sometimes, in a desperate attempt to make sure that their children 'don't starve', parents offer plenty of sugary or salty snacks throughout the day. Watching the kids fill up on non-nutritious snacks may fool mum and dad into thinking that the children are at least eating something, but the situation rarely improves. Toddlers become less inclined to eat family food when they get tempting snacks all day.

If your child is refusing food, try to:

Offer meals at regular times in a relaxed and happy atmosphere. If your child rejects the food, calmly clear it away. Serve smaller helpings rather than large ones as children can ask for seconds. Most food can be safely kept in the fridge and offered later. Try not to bully or fuss, this can easily make the situation worse. Keep offering new foods even if your child rejects it at first. Food often needs to be familiar before it is tried.

Comfort yourself with the following thoughts

• Healthy children eat when they are hungry and usually not before.
• A child who refuses to eat is not hungry and therefore doesn't need food.
• No healthy child has ever starved to death from stubbornly refusing food.

Convince yourself of these facts. It will make it easier to stop filling your child up with non-nutritious snacks. Avoid bribing - it will only encourage your child to reject food. Children quickly learn that they can manipulate parents by refusing food. It's a form of entertainment all toddlers enjoy. Check the amount of fruit juice, milk, cordial or other fluids that your toddler is drinking. Large amounts of fluid (more than 1000 mls) throughout the day will take the edge off any appetite.

How do you handle food fads?

Some toddlers have times when their diets become very limited. They will only eat foods prepared or presented in a certain way. Toddlers may develop strong likes and dislikes, which frequently change. Days of only cheese and tomato may be followed by a hatred of everything except banana and bread. These food fads are very common and are probably used by children to show their independence. Food fads are rarely a danger to health: they change so frequently that the diet eventually becomes quite varied. It's usually easier for parents to play along with harmless food fads rather than fight them.

Remember

No single food is essential to a child's diet A substitute for refused food can easily be found. Here are some examples.

Alternatives to milk

• Milk is an excellent source of calcium and protein for children. But many other foods contain calcium and protein.
• Cheese
  • soft cheeses eg. cottage or ricotta cheese, which can be mashed into foods like potato and banana
  • hard cheeses eg. cheddar
• Calcium fortified soy milk
• Yoghurt mixed with dried or mashed fruit
• Milkshakes
• Ice cream
• Custards
• Milk puddings.

These foods all contain calcium and protein. Even the milk added to cooked dishes like mashed potato or pancakes will contribute calcium and protein.

Alternatives to vegetables

Vegetables contain valuable vitamins and fibre. But so do fruit and fruit juices.

Most children will eat fruit or salad vegetables of one kind or another. These are perfectly acceptable as an alternative to cooked vegetables. If vegetables are a problem, don't bully or bribe. Just encourage your child to eat salad vegetables or some fruit. Fruit juice is also a good substitute for vegetables - but go easy. Half a cup (120 mls) of orange juice contains the same amount of vitamins as a fresh orange - this is all a toddler needs every day.

Alternatives to meat

Meat does contain valuable nutrients like iron and protein, but so do many other foods. Bread, iron-enriched breakfast cereals, green leafy vegetables, lentils and dried beans all contain iron. However, the iron from these foods is not absorbed as well as from meat. Many parents feel frustrated that their child will not eat meat. Don’t give up all together. Try offering small amounts of chopped chicken, steak, pork, lamb, or fish with meals. Mincemeat dishes are often a favourite and so is chewing on a lamb bone.

If you combine these foods with foods rich in Vitamin C, this helps the iron to be absorbed. Foods rich in Vitamin C include oranges, capsicum, strawberries and tomatoes. Protein and iron is found in milk, dairy foods, eggs, peanut butter sandwiches, baked beans on toast and iron-enriched breakfast cereal. Meat is not essential for children. Remember that it pays to be cunning. The egg, cottage cheese or milk you slip into favourite foods like mashed potatoes, milkshakes, and banana custard is just as nutritious as when they are eaten alone. Don't be afraid to add nutritious foods to favourite dishes.

Make food fun!

There is no reason why mealtime shouldn't be fun. Food should be enjoyed even if it's not all eaten. And enjoying food for a toddler means touching, feeling, and playing with food. This can be messy, but armed with sheets of newspaper to catch the spills it will be fun.

Discovering food means experiencing the tastes and textures that different foods have. Think of the colours, textures and tastes of fruit and vegetables alone! Young children can explore food through play. Fruit and vegetables are easy to make models with. This arouses childhood curiosity and overcomes suspicions and prejudice about particular foods.

Let children help in food preparation. Anyone can tear lettuce for a salad or peel bananas - it's child's play. Allow children to feed themselves. Hands are just as good as spoons, even if they are a bit messier. What about food stories? Stories about food can create great interest in children. Why is milk white? Why is meat brown or cheese yellow? If food experiences have been unpleasant experiences, food play and stories can bring parents and children together in a happier, less stressful atmosphere.

Set an example

Children are great copiers. They will always want the foods they see you eating. So it's worthwhile to take a look at your own diet. Are you eating too much sugar, salt or fat? Would you confidently feed your child those foods you eat? Good food habits learnt in childhood can last a lifetime. It's so important to guide toddlers and help develop healthy eating habits. Can you set a good example to your toddler?

• Children eat when they are hungry
• No single food is essential to a child’s diet - substitutes for refused food can be easily found.

The Children's Hospital at Westmead Cnr Hawkesbury Rd & Hainsworth St, Westmead Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, 2145 Tel: (02) 9845 3585 - Fax: (02) 9845 3562 http://www.chw.edu.au/ © The Children's Hospital at Westmead 1997-2009.