Getting your 2-year old baby to eat healthy food is next to impossible, as soon as they turn toddlers. The more you try to feed them, the more they spit it out. Mealtime tantrums will be an almost everyday scene. While we know that most of you worry about giving your toddler the right nutrition that will support their health and development, here are some tried and tested ways to get them to eat healthy.
Few of the things that can get your toddler eating healthy baby food are:
- Timely scheduling of their meals
- Planning fancy dinners
- Cooking meals at home
- Introducing new foods
We shall take a look at each of these points elaborately, here:
- Meal timings:
An ideal meal plan for meal schedule for toddlers would be
- 3 meals
- 2 snacks
- Tons of fluids
Your growing toddlers need every three to four hourly food intake. These foods should necessarily be foods that are healthy for your 2-years old. Planning of these meals helps to ensure that your toddler is getting a balanced meal. The 2-year old healthy baby foods play a vital role in the overall growth. Include foods such as yoghurt, carrots, cucumbers, peanut butter, etc.
- Dinner plans:
Planning a menu for an entire week can be daunting; thus, we suggest you plan something for 2-3 days first and then for a week. This will give you a fair idea of which 2-year old healthy baby food does your child like and vice versa. Some dinners can be plain and simple, but, ensure that some are a bit fancy. However, while planning these fancy dinners, you shouldn’t compromise on the nutritional aspect of the meal. Keep the dinners balanced by including – whole-grain bread, rice, or pasta; a fruit or a vegetable; and a protein source like lean meat, cheese, or beans. Cut a bowl of seasonal fruits or apples or melons to complete the meal.
- Home-cooked food:
There is absolutely nothing as nutritional as a proper home-cooked meal. Not only will this help you include healthy baby food for your 2 year old, but also, you can take this opportunity to share with them the family-style of having a hearty meal together.
- New foods’ introduction:
While you are eager to feed your toddler new foods once they start eating solids, it is crucial that you do so with proper time intervals. Toddlers, by nature, are new-food-phobic, which makes it difficult for parents to introduce new foods on their plates. So, introduce one food a week and let them get used to the taste of it before you introduce the next food. It is said to be a good practice to introduce foods that are healthy for your 2-year old. An acquired taste for healthy foods will take your toddler a long way in adolescence and adulthood.
Apart from this, you can also combine textures and flavours as you introduce your toddler to new foods.
Remember:
Every child’s appetite is different, and their need for nutritious varies too. So, no matter how much your child eats or leaves, don’t point it out to them. Hold back your words; these comments can have an adverse effect on them and put them on the way of malnourishment.