“Can you please give three tips for parents when feeding toddlers that I can share with my daughter-in-law?“
Here are five tips for feeding toddlers that will hopefully be helpful:
- The best way for toddlers to eat and enjoy new foods is to copy you. Eat with them as often as you can and let them see you eat healthy and varied food.
- Give your toddler the same food as the rest of the family.
- Nowadays, many parents are choosing to let their children eat by themselves (baby led weaning; BLM) instead of the old fashioned way of parents feeding children pureed foods. Whatever method your daughter-in-law chooses is fine. There are no differences in terms of nutritional benefits between toddlers that are spoon-fed and those that are eat by themselves.
- Make mealtimes enjoyable. Chat and have a laugh.
- If your grandchild refuses any foods, try changing how you serve them. For example, a child might refuse cooked carrots but might eat raw ones.
If you want more information about nutrition and mealtimes, we have two fantastic masterclasses with a great nutritionist:
Making Mealtime Enjoyable for your Family
Understanding and Identifying your Child’s Nutritional Needs
I hope this information helps! I wish you all the very best to you and your family.
Love,
Ana
