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| |    Nourishing Your Toddler by Mary Silva, M.S., R.D. reviewed and revised by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. Parents frequently are surprised by the almost sudden change of appetite they see in their toddler. Oftentimes, the infant who once ate well becomes the toddler who shows little interest in food. The reason for this is that the child's growth has slowed somewhat. The typical infant triples his birth weight in the first year of life, while a toddler will usually have only quadrupled his birth weight by the age of two. The child then will proceed to gain somewhere between 4= and 6= pounds in the third year of life. This normal decrease in the rate of growth means that toddlers need less food, which is why their appetites fall off. Small portions are best Toddlers are notorious for having variable appetites. They may eat very well one day, then eat very little the next, and yet still manage to grow at a healthy rate. Your responsibility as a parent is to provide nutritious foods at scheduled mealtimes, as well as snacks, in an atmosphere that is pleasant; it's up to the child to decide whether and how much to eat. Try to stick with small portions--your toddler can always signal if he wants more. Beverages may affect your child's appetite, too. For your toddler to develop well, he needs to drink between 16 and 24 ounces of milk a day (or have another source of calcium and vitamin D, such as soy milk and calcium-fortified juice). Drinking more than 2 or three cups of milk may leave a child too full to eat foods that contain other important nutrients, like iron. To avoid this possibility, serve milk after your toddler has eaten most of his meal. And while your little one may love juice, try to limit it to about 4 ounces a day, as too much juice commonly causes a poor appetite and/or diarrhea. How to foster feeding skills Once toddlers discover how to feed themselves, they usually find the prospect so exciting that they won't allow their parents to feed them. Even though children may struggle to pick up a slippery piece of ripe fruit or to scoop up a spoonful of rice, many will refuse all help. You can help ensure that your toddler gets enough to eat by providing foods that are soft and easy to chew, cut up in bite-size pieces. And cooking foods that tend to stick to a spoon, such as oatmeal and mashed potatoes, will help your toddler master using a spoon. Most children can be weaned from a bottle to a cup by the time they are 14 months old, although many will need help drinking from the cup. Practice with a small amount of fluid in a small sippy cup after meals and snacks, and before you know it, your toddler will be handling it all on his own. A comfortable environment is key Making mealtime a pleasant experience is often a challenge for the parent who worries that their child isn't eating enough. As a result, some parents might become very pushy about food, and a toddler will learn quickly that he can gain control of the situation by refusing to eat. This situation often can be avoided by taking a few precautions: Make sure that your child is seated properly for ease of eating (a high chair works well), and reduce distractions from the television or house traffic to avoid overstimulating him. Parents can describe the food or talk about other things during the meal, but avoid negative talk, such as, "You're a bad boy for not eating your vegetables." When possible, parents should sit down to a meal with their toddlers so that they can model how to eat and expose their children to new foods. You can decrease fat--gradually Although a toddler needs fewer calories than an infant, don't start restricting his fat intake until at least age two. At this time, you can gradually decrease the fat in his diet while at the same time providing more grains, vegetables, and fruit. Focus on cutting back on saturated fats--that is, animal fat and foods prepared with animal fat, such as fast-food french fries. If you like, you can use low-fat dairy products. The importance of iron Unfortunately, iron deficiency anemia is common in young children. The lack of this nutrient can negative affect a child's overall health as well as his ability to learn. To prevent anemia, feed your toddler iron-rich foods, such as meats, poultry, fish, and fortified cereal, as well as foods that are a good source of vitamin C (citrus fruit). b?accept as above - revised
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