Children's dietary guidelines 1

Of course, giving food to children cannot be done carelessly. The reason is, food can determine the development and growth of your baby. Especially if the child is 1-3 years old. At that time their eating patterns and habits will begin to form. Therefore, you must prepare food for children 1-3 years old properly and correctly, according to their needs. Confused about what foods to give children 1-3 years and how? Check out the following explanation.

Food guidelines for children 1-3 years

Entering the age of one year, your little one is allowed to eat family food. This means, you don't need to make soft food for your little one anymore. However, many mothers do not know what kind of diet to give their little one and are not sure how to give it. Actually, the food guidelines for children 1-3 years are almost the same as for adults, the things that must be regulated are the type of food, the portion of the meal, and the eating schedule.

Types of food for children 1-3 years

If you stick to balanced nutrition, of course the food choices for children 1-3 years will not be much different from adults. In his daily diet, all food ingredients must be present. Starting from staple foods, vegetable side dishes, animal side dishes, to vegetables and fruits.

This period will determine whether your little one will become a picky eater (picky eater) or not. This depends on the type of food you are giving him at that time. The more diverse the child's diet, the less picky he is.

Even though you can eat family food, but when you are one year old, you should give it food with a texture that is still a little soft. A new child will receive family food well when he is 2-3 years old.

Meals portions for children 1-3 years

According to the Ministry of Health's nutritional adequacy figures, the average calorie requirement for children 1-3 years is around 1,125 calories per day. So, in one day, you can divide your food needs into appropriate portions, such as:

Staple food. You can give your little one about 150 grams of rice, bread, vermicelli, potatoes, or noodles. This portion is equivalent to 2 portions of adult rice or about 2 scoops of rice.
Animal side dishes such as beef, chicken, eggs, or fish. In one day, you can give him one side dish for one meal. For example in the morning you give him a chicken egg, during the day 35 grams of beef or a medium piece, and in the afternoon a medium piece of chicken is equivalent to 40 grams.
Vegetable side dishes such as tempeh, tofu, soybeans, or kidney beans. You can provide one serving of plant-based side dishes for one meal. One serving is equivalent to 1 large slice of tofu.
Vegetables and fruits. For children 1-3 years old, the portion of vegetables a day is 1½ servings or equal to 1½ cups star fruit and 3 servings of fruit.
Snack. Make a snack or snack for your little one, you can make a snack from a mixture of fruit, so that it tastes better. Examples of snacks that you can give include pudding, green bean porridge, or even cake. You can also use fruit as a snack for your little one.
Milk You can give it once a day as a substitute for breast milk (if your little one is more than 2 years old).

Feeding schedule for children 1-3 years

We recommend that, since childhood, children should be accustomed to having a regular eating schedule. For children 1-2 years who are still being breastfed, they can use the following schedule scheme:

06.00: ASI
08.00: breakfast or breakfast
10.00: snack
12.00: lunch
14.00: breast milk
16.00: snack
18.00: dinner
20.00: breast milk

Meanwhile, if your child is no longer breastfed, it can be replaced with regular milk. If you want to make a regular eating schedule for your little one, you should not provide other foods in between these meals. This is to prevent your little one from becoming overweight due to eating too much or eating out of control.

If you have difficulty designing your little one's food menu according to your needs, you can consult a nutritionist.