Petite village

 

Age Appropriate Diet for Toddlers (13 mos. - 36 mos.)

 

What is an age-appropriate diet?  It is one that provides adequate nutrition and is appropriate for a child's state of development.  As parents, we can use the information below as a guide for your baby's first year of nutrition and feeding needs.

 

On average, toddlers gain approximately 8 ounces/month, which can result in approximately 0.4 inches of height/month.  This is a slower growth rate observed than in infants.  An infant's birth weight triples in the first year.  Toddlers are also becoming more curious about their surroundings.  Therefore, their appetite decrease can be twofold - their new found sense of exploration and a decrease in growth rate.  Parents often stress about their struggles with distracted and "not hungry" toddlers during meal time.

A rule of thumb to follow for feeding a toddler is to keep portions small.  An adequate serving size is about 1 tablespoon per year of age.  For example, a serving size for a three year old would be 3 tablespoons.  Let the child ask for more if they are still hungry. This is better than serving too large of a meal and struggling with them to finish.

Preschool children usually do require in between meal snacks. These snacks should be nutrient dense and timed so they don't make them full at mealtime.  Foods should be mild temperate and mild in flavor.  Also, toddlers are at a greater risk for choking. Avoid foods that cause choking such as hard pieces of fruit or vegetables, peanut butter, popcorn and nuts.  

Below are recommended nutritional dietary intakes for toddlers 1-3 years of age:

• Total Energy:  ~1,300 kcalories/day
• Protein (red meat, poultry, fish) : ~16 grams/day (which is approximately 1.5 oz to 3 oz of protein foods a day)
• Fat should make up ~32% of total calories (only 10% of that from saturated fats)
• Fiber: ~19 grams/day of total fiber

 

For more feeding information, check out USDA.