Careing For a Toddler
Nutritional Needs
what does a toddler need?
Age-appropriate activities can help aid your little one's growth and development. These developmental activities will keep your active child busy, while helping him reach important learning and developmental milestones.
The following tips can make mealtime more pleasant for both you and your child:
Plan a quiet time before meals and snacks. Children tend to eat better if they are relaxed.
- Encourage children to sit at the table when they eat, and give them plenty of time to eat their meal.
- Even if you are not eating with your children, sit at the table with them. Young children should be supervised while they eat, to aid in encouragement and in case of choking.
- Don't use food as a reward or as a punishment. This can lead to unhealthy attitudes toward eating and food.
- Respect your children's food preferences, and let them choose or reject foods as adults or older children do.
- Get your children involved in preparing certain parts of the meal. Make every effort to make eating, and not watching television, the main focus of the family meal.
- Use child-size dishes and utensils that the child can handle with ease. Using too large a plate can be overwhelming.
- Offer foods with kid appeal. Younger children usually like plain, unmixed foods, as well as finger-foods that make eating easier.
- Offer plenty of variety from each of the food groups. If your children don't like spinach, don't assume they don't like vegetables. Just offer another vegetable.
Choking Hazards
-Hot Dogs
-Carrots
-Apples
-Grapes
-Nuts
-Peanut Butter
-Marshmallow
-Bubble gum and Hard Candy
-Popcorn
Human Growth and Development
Allison Rose