Possible feeding problems with toddlers
You will naturally find that your toddler is becoming more assertive in all aspects of her life, and food is no exception. It is also during this period that the first signs of weight imbalances may appear.
Food fads by toddlers
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Between the age of one and two your child will begin to show pronounced preferences for certain foods. It is common for children to have these food fads, eating one food and refusing everything else. He may, for example, go right off meat and want to eat only yogurt. A week of this may be followed by a dislike of yogurt and desire to eat cheese and fruit.
Being a good parent means not making a fuss about any of this. There is nothing magical about any one food and there is always a nutritious alternative to the one that your child rejects. Don't spend time cooking food that you know your toddler will refuse and then feel resentful when he does. Take the easy way out and cook food that you know he really wants, even if it's something of which you disapprove.
Research has shown that as long as you offer your child a wide variety of foods, the diet that he chooses will be a balanced one. There is, after all, no reason on earth why your toddler should eat the food that you choose. His tastes are not necessarily yours and, if it is your child's happiness and well-being that you are concerned about, you will soon realize that it is more important that he eats something that he likes than that he doesn't eat at all. Be flexible about what you give your toddler.
Dislike of foods by toddlers
I really don't believe in camouflaging a disliked food, mixing it with a food that is well-liked, or bribing a child to have a spoonful of a disliked food with a spoonful of one that is liked.
If your child dislikes something, give him an alternative food that provides the same nutrients and that you know he likes. If your baby shows a profound dislike for one food, trying to trick or bribe him into eating it may well result in the child refusing other foods as well. When you introduce a new food do it when you know your baby is hungry and he's more likely to take it.
The only thing that you must be on your guard against is your child excluding all of one food group. If this happens then his diet will become unbalanced. Other than that there is absolutely nothing wrong with odd fads, and don't forget, the more worked up you get about them the more your toddler will display them because he'll very quickly learn that it is a way of manipulating you. So play them down.
Weight problems
If your baby is offered the right kind of food he can be neither underweight nor overweight. Your baby will always regulate his food and will take in just enough to supply his needs at any particular time. An underweight or overweight baby is, therefore, the fault of the parent in offering the wrong kind of food.
Overweight
Excess weight in a baby is nearly always due to too much fatty meat, too many sweetened drinks and refined carbohydrates (cakes, biscuits, jams and sweet foods) in the diet. It may also be because you curb your toddler's activity by keeping him in a pram or playpen and not allowing him to use up energy by crawling and walking. Always encourage your child to be active by playing games with him yourself - the livelier the better.
Underweight
Unless purposely deprived of food, very few toddlers are actually underweight, even if they weigh less than another baby of the same age and sex. Many parents worry unnecessarily about having a small, thin toddler; some children, like some adults, are naturally (and healthily) small and thin.
If you are giving your baby a balanced diet and he is happy, contented and developing normally (see General Development) then you probably have nothing to worry about. However, if you are concerned, check with your doctor or health visitor.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 03.11.2010
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