Is my toddler eating enough?
Toddlers are busy little humans exploring and learning about the world, with short attention spans and often quick-changing moods. If you have a toddler you would know that feeding them isn’t the easiest task at times.
Toddlers are super active all day, running, climbing, and talking non-stop – they need adequate energy to fuel these activities but often not as much as we may think. There is a slowdown in growth during the toddler years comparative to babies so their needs are less kilogram for kilogram, they can therefore afford to become choosier! However good nutrition is still key for their growing body and mind.
Toddlers need to eat from the 5 food groups, plus the equivalent of 3-4 teaspoons of healthy oils/oil-based spread per day. Below is a guide to how much of each food group a toddler needs each day based on the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating:
Note this is the recommended intake for a whole day. Your toddler may eat most of this in the first half of the day and then taper off near the end of the day, or eat similar amounts at each meal – every toddler is different, just like us!
A few quick tips to help to assist your toddler’s nutrition:
Adjust your expectations
: as mentioned, toddlers need less energy/calories relatively per kilogram then they did as a baby. Toddlers are also good at self-regulating, so trust their ability to eat as much as they need – one day this may mean big meals and other days only small amounts. Remember they have small stomachs and varying appetites due to growth spurts and changing activity levels.
Schedule
: provide eating opportunities every 2-3 hours, aiming for 5 small meals per day. Routines help toddlers to listen to their bodies through establishing normal hunger and fullness patterns whereas, grazing all day can mess with these cues. Grazing can make mealtimes difficult as your toddler isn’t hungry for the meal, or can cause meltdowns as they are overly hungry from a lack of balanced meals throughout the day.
Self-serve
: provide your toddler with an empty plate and let them serve themselves, this makes meals more fun for them and satisfies their feeling of independence (this is appropriate from around 18-24months).
Snack formula
: aim to serve a fruit/vegetable + protein + healthy fats – this will keep them feeling satisfied until the next main meal. For example, fruit with yoghurt, veggie sticks and nut butter, fruit/veggies with cheese slices +/- wholegrain crackers. This also provides an opportunity to make a snack a ‘mini meal’ which can be an important tool during picky phases.
Check their milk/dairy intake
: aim for 2-3 portions per day maximum, drinking their calories will leave little room for other nutritious foods. Mealtimes are meant to be enjoyable and a chance for social connection whilst also nourishing our children’s bodies and helping them form a healthy relationship with food so they can grow, thrive and enjoy all their little worlds have to offer.