What foods for toddlers?

Abstract

Summary The toddler years (12–36 months) are a period of changing nutritional requirements and food intake. As a time of considerable growth and development, they are crucial not only to the health of the toddler, but also to his or her later health. Toddlers need a relatively energy‐dense diet to meet their needs for growth and activity, but also adequate micronutrients to guard against iron deficiency, rickets and growth faltering. Healthy eating habits in toddlerhood can be the basis for lifelong healthy eating, including the prevention of obesity, diabetes and dental caries. Parents and carers need clear and consistent advice, and healthcare professionals need access to evidence‐based information and best practice in order to support them.

Micronutrient Intake in Healthy Toddlers: A Multinational Perspective

“…The toddler years, from one to three years of life, are characterized by crucial physical, mental and behavioral changes, such as rapid growth, weight gain, the development of cognitive and psychomotor skills, and a transition in food preferences and eating habits [ 1 ]. On a per kilogram of body weight basis, toddlers’ daily nutrient requirements are higher than those of older children and adults, but their gastric capacity is only about one-third that of adults [ 2 ]. Therefore toddlers need small but energy- and nutrient-dense meals throughout the day to meet their basal requirements [ 2 , 3 ].…”

Parenting Efficacy and Health-promoting Behaviors for Children of Mothers from Native and Multicultural Families in Korea

“…Bae and colleagues [13] found that mothers from multicultural families had difficulty with preparing baby food. Nutrition for infants and toddlers is important due to their rapid physical development [29]. It is necessary to examine why mothers perform nutrition-related behaviors the least frequently.…”

Barreras y facilitadores para el establecimiento de hábitos alimentarios, modelo Póngale Vida®

“…Los niños/as tienen la capacidad innata para ajustar su consumo de energía con objeto de cubrir los requerimientos (energía, macro y micronutrientes), cuando se les permite decidir cuándo comer y cuándo dejar de hacerlo, sin interferencia externa (2,11). Sin embargo, no tienen la capacidad innata de elegir una dieta nutritiva y equilibrada, por lo que es necesario ofrecerles alimentos saludables (3).…”

“…El rechazo a los alimentos/preparaciones ya ha sido documentado. Es común que el preescolar muestre un menor interés por los alimentos y que los padres tiendan por consiguiente a forzar las comidas, lo que puede provocar una continuación de la conducta de rechazo (12,13) Así mismo, alrededor del año de edad, los niños/as presentan preferencias alimentarias y quienes no han sido expuestos a una gran cantidad de alimentos, tienen mayores probabilidades de ser melindrosos (11).…”