What Should You Feed Your Toddler

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As a parent, it is only normal that you worry about your child's nutrition. It is said that children are most fuzzy about eating at the toddler age. They are restless during this phase of life and are also very picky when it comes to food. What should you feed your toddler?

Parents of most toddlers are concerned about what to feed them, so that they get the most out of the meals that they have.

It is very easy for parents to fall into bad practices when it comes to feeding their kids. One of them is that you let the kid dictate the rules at mealtimes. They become dependent on distraction to eat. You may have to run behind them to feed them or depend on the TV.

Another bad practice is to feed the child what they like. Every kid has things that they prefer more than the others. Parents may think that it is better that the child eats what he/she likes than not eating at all. This is a grave mistake. In doing so, you deprive your child of the nutrients that can be obtained by eating a variety of food items.

We have compiled a list of things in this article that you should feed your toddler with, these are the best foods for your toddlers. Knowing more about this will help you feed your child the right things in the right proportion. Here's what you should feed your toddler. Read on to know more.

Starchy Foods
Make sure you have starchy foods for your kid at every meal time. These may be potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, wheat, plantain, raw bananas, yams and so on. These foods provide your young one with carbohydrates that help generate energy. Make sure that the food is not filled with fibre. Though essential, too much of fibre will fill your toddler up fast and he/she may not get to eat the other essential foods.

Fruits And Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are essential for the growing body of your child. Make sure that your child is well fed with the seasonal fruits and vegetables. Fruits like mangoes, avocado and bananas do not need any cooking to be fed; so is the case with vegetables like cucumber and tomatoes. Other fruits and vegetables can be steamed or boiled and then fed to your child. If you toddler can eat spices, the meal that the rest of the family eats may be sufficient. This is one of the best foods to feed toddlers.

Foods Rich In Iron And Protein
Your child needs a meal that is high on protein and iron content. Lentils and pulses are good sources of iron and protein. If you wish to feed your child non-vegetarian food, make sure that it is fresh and clean. Cook it well and then feed it. Stay away from processed non-vegetarian food, as it is rich in unnecessary oils and salt.

Milk And Milk Products
If your toddler is still consuming breast milk, you may not need to feed him other milk products. But if he/she is weaned, you will need to serve him/her milk and milk products at least thrice daily. Curd, cheese and paneer are good for your child. Make sure that your toddler doesn't have more than 400 ml of milk and milk products daily. Any more than that will deprive your child of the nutrients that milk doesn't contain, like vitamin A.

Fats And Sugar
Fats and sugar are items that are seen as a bad food item. You must feed your child healthy amounts of good fat and foods that are a natural source of sugar. Cooking oil in moderate amounts won't hurt either. Very small amounts of butter and ghee are good after your baby is one.