Providing and types of food for toddlers aged 1

Entering the age of toddlers (1-5 years), your child can eat the family food menu at home. She no longer needs mashed textures or special baby biscuits. This condition makes it very easy for parents to serve food menus, because they only do one cooking process. Even so, there are several things that need to be considered in the provision and types of healthy food for toddlers to suit the nutrition and nutrition of toddlers. Here's the explanation.

Healthy food choices for toddlers

Food choices for children aged 1 year and over are increasingly varied and can follow the adult menu, you have to be careful in choosing. Your little one's food must be monitored so that his body gets balanced nutrition and nutrition for the child's growth and development.

Kids Health states that the nutritional needs of toddlers depend on their age, activities they do often, and the toddler's body size. However, ideally toddlers need 1000-1400 calories per day.

The following table can be used as a reference in giving food to toddlers to increase the child's height and weight.

What about 1 year olds? Quoted from Kids Health, 1-2 years of age is a period of transition for children to learn to recognize food with new tastes and textures.

For toddlers 1-2 years of age, you can use the table for 2 year olds as a guide. However, do it slowly considering that it is still a transitional period and your little one can be surprised by new foods.

For example, you may subtract meals and portions from the 2-year-old table above.

For the types of food that are good for toddler food, here is the list:

Vegetables and fruits

It is no secret that vegetables and fruit are foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber for toddlers. It is important to introduce a variety of vegetables and fruits as early as possible to toddlers to avoid growth and development disorders in children.

Whether it's fresh, frozen, canned, or dried vegetables and fruits. Make sure that vegetables and fruits are always part of the menu on the dining table.

Every vegetable and fruit contains different vitamins and minerals. So, the more varied types of vegetable and fruit foods toddlers consume, the better for their growth.

However, don't worry if they only want to eat one or two types of vegetables because they are still in the introductory phase.

You can give toddlers a regular menu of vegetables and fruit with small portions, so that children learn to like the taste. Make vegetables an interesting menu, such as clear soup, or make soup.

Carbohydrate foods

Carbohydrate foods contain energy, nutrients and fiber which are good for toddlers. This type of food is generally favored by children, ranging from bread or cereal, potatoes or sweet potatoes, rice, to pasta.

You can also give toddlers, foods made from whole wheat grains (whole grains), such as whole wheat bread, pasta, and brown rice. However, this diet is not recommended for children less than two years of age.

The reason is, wheat germ will make your little one full faster before he can receive the calories and nutrients he needs.

Once you are over two years old, you can gradually introduce more whole grain foods to your toddler's eating schedule.

Milk and processed products

Fresh milk and other high fat dairy foods are the main sources of calcium for toddlers. This serves to support the growth and health of bones and teeth.

Toddler's milk is also rich in vitamin A which helps the body fight infections and is needed for healthy skin and eyes.

Given that toddlers are children in the 1-5 year age group, you can replace breast milk or formula milk with UHT milk.

Quoting from the NHS website, you can try to give 350 ml of UHT milk every day. However, if your little one looks unappetizing, it can be replaced with foods containing milk, such as cheese and yogurt so that the toddler's nutrition is maintained.

In addition, keep paying attention to your child's CHAPTER, whether or not there is a problem with the milk you provide. Instead some children can experience cow's milk allergy

Apart from milk, cheese also plays an important role in the health of toddlers because it contains calcium, protein and vitamin A.

Even though your toddler has entered the age of 1-5 years, the cheese that is consumed must still be pasteurized. If not, your little one can be exposed to bacteria called listeria and disturb their health.

Meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and other sources of protein

Children need high protein and iron intakes during their infancy. Try to introduce toddlers to high protein foods at least one serving a day.

Meat, fish, eggs, whole grains (eg green beans and peas), and processed seed products (eg tofu, tempeh) are good sources of protein and iron.

It is important to remember, don't stop giving your child high fat fish because the benefits will far outweigh the health risks. This is of course as long as they do not consume more than the recommended amount.

Types of snacks that are healthy for toddlers

Choosing healthy snacks or snacks for toddlers is not easy. Your little one tends to choose sweet foods and if consumed too much, it can increase sugar levels.

Quoting from the NHS, drinking sugary drinks can cause dental problems, increasing the risk of diabetes and obesity. You need to get your little one into the habit of consuming water every day.

To replace unhealthy snacks, there are several healthy and delicious snack options for toddlers that you can try, such as:

Cut fruit
Fried banana with grated cheese
White bread using a sheet of cheese and ground beef
Cereal mixed with UHT milk
Low sugar biscuits
Cheese
Pudding

How about a drink? For babies aged 1 year, you can offer a drink in a baby glass (sippy cup).

Sometimes children like drinks, especially sugary drinks like juices, which fill them up easily so they leave little room for heavy meals.

You can offer three cups of milk only every day, and give it water at a later time so you don't get thirsty. Fatty milk should be given until the child is two years old, then drink less fatty milk.

Things that must be considered when choosing food for toddlers

Avoid choosing foods that can harm your little one, such as choking. Even though toddlers aged 1-5 years can eat the same foods as adults, supervision still needs to be done.

The following are things that must be considered when choosing food for your little one:

Raw foods are not good for toddlers

Adults still have good antibodies to fight bacteria from raw or undercooked foods.

However, this is different from toddlers because it can cause health problems. Keep giving toddlers food in cooked conditions, such as eggs, meat and fish.

Food with squishy texture is dangerous for toddlers

Choking is a condition most often experienced by toddlers because the food is too large or slippery in texture. Healthy Children said that children under 4 years of age are very dangerous to experience choking.

Some fruits have a slippery texture and often make children choke, namely whole grapes, melons, bananas, lychees, longan, and rambutan. To fix this, cut into pieces but not too small and still can be chewed by children.

Give small meals

Types of food that are small in size can also prevent children from choking. Avoid giving peas, popcorn, candy, chocolate that is difficult for a child to chew, so that the potential for choking on him.

Avoid skimmed milk

If you see this type of milk in the store, it should not be given to your little one. The reason is, skim milk only contains 1 percent fat and cannot meet the fat needs of children under five.

Skim milk can interfere with the development and growth of toddlers because it cannot meet the nutritional needs of toddlers, either used as food or directly drunk.

Before giving the right milk to children, consult your doctor first.

Pay attention when feeding toddlers in the vehicle

Eating in a car or other vehicle risks choking your child. The reason is, it is difficult to watch your little one eat while driving a car. Car shocks will also make your little one more prone to choking.

Supervise children when they are eating in the vehicle. To reduce the risk of choking, choose foods that are not slippery and sticky to the throat.