Whether you have a toddler or a teen, healthy eating habit is essential for children at every age. Healthy meals serve a significant role in the development of the human body. It provides all the necessary vitamins and minerals to support growth and give better nutrition for toddler meal planning.
Without enough nutrition, your little ones can suffer from many health problems. Inadequate nutrition can also lead to many growth complications. Therefore your children need to develop healthy eating habits so that they can enjoy a happy life.
Now the question here is, how can a parent develop toddler meal planning and how to give a balanced diet for toddlers?
In this article, we bring the best eight healthy eating tips for toddler meal planning to encourage healthy eating habits among children.
8 Healthy Eating Tips to Encourage Healthy Eating Habits in Toddlers
Here are the eight healthy eating tips for the toddler to start from today.
- Take A Healthy Start
Toddler meal planning starts with a healthy breakfast. The most important meal of the day is breakfast. A healthy breakfast is necessary for toddlers to boost their energy and play all day.
Its not that kids need to eat a lot for breakfast, but a nutrition-rich breakfast would be enough to fuel the metabolism for the day ahead. You can go with easy kid-friendly meals such as whole-wheat toast with peanut butter or low-sugar cereal.
- Be A Role Model
If you want your child to develop healthy eating habits, you should also start eating healthy yourself. Children adapt to things that their parents do. They will follow every habit you model for them.
When children see their parents giving preference to fruits and vegetables over unhealthy meals, they will do the same. Therefore make sure to establish healthy eating habits that you want your toddler to take on. You can show your toddler how you try new and different food items, give preference to homemade meals, and shop for healthy foods.
- Involve Toddlers In Meal Planning And Preparation
When you involve your toddler in meal planning and preparation, it excites them for the food. Although toddlers are too little for meal preparation, you can get them involved as much as they want.
For instance, you can take the toddlers to the grocery store and ask if they like to buy red apples or green ones. They would get excited to eat the apples that they buy for themselves. In this way, it would be easier introducing new foods to toddlers.
Parents can also let them decide which veggies to serve for dinner. You can also involve your children by assigning them age-appropriate kitchen tasks, like mixing the salad or peeling the potatoes. You should not get mad if they make a mess. Once you finish cooking, take their help to clean the kitchen and dining area.
- Introduce New Food To Toddlers
A balanced diet for toddlers is necessary to support a healthy life. Therefore, parents should offer a variety of new food to toddlers, even if they don’t want it. Just give them a plate full of fruits and veggies, and you will see the little hands automatically going toward the plate when the hunger attacks.
In this way, your child will explore different tastes and start liking new food over time. It’s fine if they pick only one item from the plate. They will develop the taste over time. Make sure you give them a plate full of a balanced diet.
- Stock Up On Healthy Foods
Most parents serve their children what is available at home. That is why it is important to stock up on only healthy food to offer your toddler when they get hungry. You can also place some healthy snacks or fruits on the table so that your child can easily reach them.
- Have Regular Family Meals
Family meals are a good option to enjoy family time and to develop healthy eating habits in children. Your toddler will try every nutritious food on the table when he is sitting happily with his loved ones.
According to the research, eating with family also reduces risky behavior in children. It also discourages unhealthy food consumption.
With all these advantages, every parent should schedule a family meal and let their child munch on fruits, vegetables, and grains regularly.
- Don’t Force Them To Eat
Many parents force their toddlers to eat healthy food. It is not a good way to fulfill the nutritional needs of your toddler. The toddlers are not good at self-regulating. They cannot eat until they are not hungry. If you force them to eat more than their hunger or clean their plate, it can lead them towards overeating.
Your goal should be to make your child try his food and not clean the plate. As a parent, you should provide healthy eating options and let your child enjoy the food happily.
- Encourage Mindful Eating
Mindful eating means enjoying the taste and texture of your food. It is a good way to promote healthy eating habits in toddlers.
You can easily encourage mindful eating in toddlers by praising the specific food item. For instance, you can give it to your toddler saying, “Look how delicious the red apple is” or “Wow the apple is so juicy and crunchy.”
In this way, your child will enjoy every bite of his meal slowly and delightfully.
Healthy foods to stock up
Following are some of the healthy foods that you can grab on your shopping trolley for routine serving
- Fruits and vegetables
- Low-fat yogurt
- Peanut butter
- Cherry
- Whole grains crackers, bread, and cereals
- Cheese
- Foods rich in proteins (Fish, egg, beans, and nuts)
Unhealthy food that parents need to avoid
Parents should limit offering the following unhealthy food to toddlers:
- Fast food
- Low-nutrient snacks such as candy and chips
- Fried food
- Sugary drinks such as soda and fruit-flavored drinks
Although the above-mentioned strategies will help you develop healthy eating habits in your toddler, the thing you need most to accomplish your goal is your support towards the child.
While introducing new foods to toddlers, you should stay positive and never lose your temper. Tell your child that you love and praise them, and you will see how you succeed in your goal smoothly.