Child Nutrition Series
HealthLink BC File #69e, October 2007

Meal and Snack Ideas for Your
One to Three-Year-Old Toddler

• Helping your child eat well
• Cold food ideas
• Hot food ideas
• Vegetable and fruit ideas
• What should a toddler drink?
• How can I help to prevent my child from choking?

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Helping your child eat well

You are the role model to help your child learn to eat a variety of healthy foods. Try the following ideas and suggestions for healthy meals and snacks for your family.

• Share the responsibility for eating:

  - Parents decide what food is served and when.
  - Children decide whether and how much to eat.
• Aim to eat meals together as a family. If this is not always possible, have at least one person sit and eat with your child.
• Offer 3 meals and 1 to 3 snacks each day to keep up with your toddler's high energy needs.
• For meals, aim for all 4 food groups: vegetables and fruit, milk and alternatives, grain products, and meat and alternatives.
• For snacks, aim for at least 2 food groups.
• Serve food, milk, and juice just at meal and snack times, and offer water at other times.
• Let children feed themselves.
• Know that it is normal for your child's appetite to change from day to day.
• Never force a child to eat or reward your child with food.
• Expect a mess - it is part of learning how to eat!

For more information, see HealthLink BC File #69d Helping Your Toddler to Eat Well, and Toddler's First Steps.

Cold food ideas

Here are some cold foods that can be served for healthy meals and snacks:

• Whole grain, cold cereal with whole milk
• Milk or yogurt shakes blended with fruit
• Yogurt with fresh fruit pieces or applesauce
• Yogurt with crackers or roti
• Rice and raisin pudding with whole milk
• Dessert tofu with fresh fruit
• Sandwiches made with egg, tuna, chicken salad, sliced cheese or tender meat
• Grated or small cubes of cheese with whole grain crackers
• Small muffins and orange wedges
• Whole grain crackers or rice cakes thinly spread with cottage cheese or mashed avocado
• Banana bread spread with cream cheese
• Whole grain toast spread with peanut butter, fruit puree, or non-hydrogenated margarine or butter
• Whole wheat pita and hummus

Hot food ideas

Here are some hot foods that can be served for healthy meals and snacks:

Oatmeal or cream of wheat with whole milk Pancakes or waffles topped with applesauce Mini omelettes or scrambled eggs and toast Congee or rice porridge with small pieces of meat Soft tortillas filled with beans or ground meat Soups made with milk, and a whole grain bun Vegetable, split pea, or bean soup with crackers Fish chowder with bread sticks Macaroni and cheese Spaghetti with tomato or meat sauce Meatballs with pasta Chicken with vegetables Rice or pasta and meat with vegetables Fish served in a bun Baked beans and toast Chili, dahl or lentils, and rice

Vegetable and fruit ideas

• Soft cooked vegetables, such as carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, beans or asparagus, with dip or hummus
• Grated beets or grated raw carrots or cabbage
• Pieces of soft fruit with pits, seeds and tough skins removed, such as apples, banana, berries, kiwi, melon, peaches, pears or plums
• Grapes or cherry tomatoes cut length-wise into 4 pieces
• Tomato or mixed vegetable juice

What should a toddler drink?

Children are not always good at telling you that they are thirsty, and they can become dehydrated more easily than adults.

• Breastfeeding is recommended until children are 2 years of age and beyond. Breast milk protects against infection and other illnesses and has many other benefits. Breastfed toddlers over 1 year of age need 200 IU of vitamin D from a supplement every day. You can stop giving vitamin D supplements if your child is drinking 500mL (2 cups) of cow's milk each day.
• If you are weaning a 1 to 3 year old from breast milk or formula, offer milk in a cup to replace missed feedings.
• A 1 to 3 year old toddler who is not breastfed should drink 500 mL (2 cups) of milk each day.
• Toddlers need fats for their brains to develop, so offer whole (homogenized) milk until your child is 2 years of age. Partly skimmed milk (1% and 2%) and fortified soy, rice or nut drinks are not recommended before 2 years of age.
• Offer water between meals and snacks to quench thirst.
• If your child has a bottle, fill it with water only.
• Fruit is a better choice for toddlers than juice.
• If juice is offered, limit to 125-175 mL (1/2-3/4 cup) per day. Offer only pasteurized 100% fruit or vegetable juice.
• Serve juice in a cup, never a bottle.
• Avoid fruit beverages and fruit flavored drinks made from powders or crystals.

How can I help to prevent my child from choking?

• Always stay with children while they eat and drink.
    - Make sure children sit down while eating.
    - Be a good role model by chewing your food well.
• Cook or grate hard vegetables like carrots.
• Chop fruit into small pieces, and remove pits.
• Remove any bones from fish and flake before serving. Rub fish between fingers to find and remove bones.
• Cut round foods like grapes and hot dogs lengthwise first and then into small pieces.
• Spread peanut butter thinly on toast or crackers.
• Do not serve hard or sticky foods such as:

  - peanuts, nuts, seeds or popcorn;
  - hard candy, gum or marshmallows; and
  - peanut butter on a spoon.

Allergy Alert:
Are you concerned about food allergies? Talk to your child's doctor, a registered dietitian, or a public health nurse.

For more information, contact your community nutritionist, or call 8-1-1 to speak to a registered dietitian.

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