Child nutrition: Are you feeding your toddler in the right way? 29^th November 2021

Toddler years are the most crucial milestones in your kid's life that emphasize utmost transformation, growth, and development. The child begins to consume table food and adopt new tastes and textures in 1-3 years. And once your baby imbibes these habits, the importance of a healthy diet comes into play.

A good diet provides them with the nutrients they require for overall health, energy to play, move about, and participate in the growth and development of their body. Feeding your newborn with just breast milk is acceptable for the first six months or a year, but now it is time for your kid to start absorbing what they need from a range of meals.

Here are a few pieces of advice to get you started with feeding your child the right way.

What should a toddler eat?
Offering your child a range of meals from each food category with diverse tastes, textures, and colours is the best idea to come up with. A regular meal and snacking schedule might benefit your child in developing good eating habits. Try to follow a pattern for feeding them around the same time each day. Give your youngster 3 modest meals, plus a couple of snacks, but a healthy one, within every two or three hours.

What is the recommended amount of food for a toddler?
Every kid is unique, and the quantity of food they require varies according to their age, activity level, pace of growth, and appetite. Your child's appetite may fluctuate daily. The mood, health, time of day, and food supplied to your child can all influence their diet. It is all based on averages in nutrition, so don't worry if you don't meet the target every day. Instead, focus on providing a broad range of nutrients in your child's diet every time. Begin by serving tiny portions of food at meals and snacks, and then allow them to crave for more.

What to avoid feeding toddlers?
Examine and avoid food items they have an allergic reaction. Also, be careful with the food items that can choke them. Always chop the food items into tiny pieces and keep an eye on them as they eat. Avoid greasy, complex, and sticky foods especially.

Whole grapes, vast portions of meat, chicken, and hot dogs, as well as candies and cough drops, are all slippery meals. Nuts, seeds, popcorn, chips, raw carrots, and raisins are small, hard foods. Peanut butter and marshmallows are sticky foods. You need to acquaint yourself with the proper knowledge of food categories and how those categories will benefit your toddler.

Being constantly concerned for your child is quite natural. Every parent ensures to provide their kid with the best things available. With some excellent guidance, it can ease a bit. Model some good eating habits and let your child see you and follow them. However, due to undetected disorders, a kid may not consume the proper diet. If you're still distressed that your child isn't consuming a balanced diet, consult a doctor.

Don’t forget to cover your toddler with the benefits of health insurance. You no longer have to wait 18 whole years to get health insurance cover for your children. All it requires is to look up online health insurance that covers the entire family and children, and you’ll be flashed with multiple Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Choose the policy that suits the best for your child’s requirements.

To look for online health insurance, click HERE .

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.