“A healthy outside starts from the inside.”
– Robert Urich

Healthy eating practices daily in toddlerhood are essential to lifelong nutritional habits. In their early years, children begin discovering their likes and preferences which affect their food choices, and they begin developing the motor skills that allow them to eat on their own. As infants grow into toddlers, they gain truncal control i.e. they progress from sucking liquids to eating solid foods as they begin chewing. Their body positions also evolve from supine (laying on their back) to a seated position while feeding.

As children transition from breast milk to the family diet & meal paterns, it’s important to discuss the nutrients of the food they are eating. Feeding children the right food at the right time plays a role in their acceptance and response to healthy food during adulthood. Nutrition management, weight management, and even mood management as adults are dependent on their eating paterns as children.

Food Is Memories

Assessing nutrition is the method of primary choice when motoring growth. Weight becomes a variable to understand the nutrition values. We ofen focus on weight as a singular value in kilograms, our minds responding to the number. Healthy eating consists of nutrition-rich and light on calories types of food for growing children. It is due to this that it is suggested that sugar-sweetened beverages must be avoided in all toddlers, and milk or water could be offered instead.

When children refuse to eat certain foods (picky-eating) or refuse to eat nutritious food such as fruits or vegetables, it might make mealtimes stressful and challenging. These experiences deny the children the nutrients from the food and healthy, responsive interactions with caregivers that they need. Parents need to sync their eating habits with those of their children from themselves and as models for children. During pretend play games, encourage them to grow their veggies and feed farm-fresh food to their animal friends.

‘The best memories are made around the table’

Moderation & Balance

Give your child a variety of snacks at different timings throughout the day, the variety will be exciting for them. Space out the food, it will make them look forward to it. The key is to focus on variety and lesser quantities. Completely avoiding junk food from the diet is impossible and make sure it is an occasional occurrence. The reasonable inclusion establishes reasonable consumption and limits children from treating it as a forbidden object to be acquired in excess when available.

Forcing children in different ways, by rewarding or coaxing them to finish their food, could lead to a habit of overeating in later years. Parents must look out for behavioral signs from their children indicating they are full like an infant might push the botle away, and a four-year-old might push his plate away and get lethargic. Parents can recognize these cues and teach kids to learn to understand their body signs of hunger and fullness.

Parent Provides & Children Decide

Parents are providers for children, in terms of bringing food to the table, and teaching them appropriate eating behavior. It’s on the parents to make eating fun. Where there is a will, there is a way! Be creative and smart in your approach! If the child isn’t fond of potatoes, try feeding different forms of it each time. If children don’t like it mashed or salted, they might prefer to eat it as potato wedges or diced potato in salad or vegetable form, or probably even as some form of soup! Experiment and find out what suits your child’s taste and needs the best!

Life is stressful and there are various things that affect our mood. Mealtimes are part of regular family time. Due to various reasons, children see adults engaging in unhealthy behavior towards food. We, as adults, underestimate the intelligence of children. We might skip a meal due to excessive work, the order in when we are too tired to cook, watch TV while eating, use food (or lack of it) as a punishment tool, or eat a snack in the bed when we feel the kids are asleep. When we begin to think and act as though food is a negotiation tool, our children believe that it can be a manipulative technique. Avoid using food as a reward with kids as well. It could develop an unhealthy relationship with food as they grow up. Instead include sweets or liked snacks in moderation in the regular diet. It allows children to learn to healthily moderate, and not use ‘bad’ or ‘unhealthy’ foods to regulate nice or naughty behavior.

Active Children, Hungry Children

In present times, children are trapped indoors for longer durations. They are less active than they should be. Being moderately active throughout the day increases the appetite of children and their bodies crave nutrition. Children develop beter social skills, feel more confident, and develop emotional stability when they are more physically active. Limiting screen time always for more practical & creative play!

Thank You For The Food

Practice the habit of expressing gratitude for the food you have been blessed with. It teaches children to appreciate the good things and be thankful for the things they have, especially the food. It teaches them to not be wasteful of the resources they have!

To get your toddler to love the food they are provided with on the table, they need to teach to value it. Let them start with baby steps by feeding the stray animals in the society, or accompanying you to volunteer for serving the needy at an ashram. This enables them to experience first-hand, the privilege of the food they get every day. As role models, parents can talk to children about the foods they enjoy on a regular basis and always make mealtime a joyful time. Teaching your child healthy food habits, understanding their food preferences and tastes is a prolonged and gradual process. Do it with positivity!
Arigato!