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Toddler

Toddler Nutrition

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TV Segment

Thomas DeWitt, MD, FAAP, Director of General and Community Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's, answers Family FAQs on Channel 12, WKRC. On Jan. 22, 2004, he answered a question about Overweight Toddlers. Watch this segment:

Get help and answers to frequent questions about streaming media.

Radio Segment

Steve Muething, MD, associate director of clinical services in the Division of General and Community Pediatrics, can now be heard weekly "The Health Show," distributed by WAMC/Northeast Public Radio. On April 29, 2004, he spoke about Winning Over Picky Eaters. Listen to this segment:

Helpful feeding information for your toddler

The toddler (ages 1 to 3 years) phase can often be challenging when it comes to feeding. Several developmental changes occur at this time. Toddlers are striving for independence and control. Their growth rate slows down and with this comes a decrease in appetite. These changes can make meal time difficult. It is important for parents to provide structure and set limits for the toddler.

The following are suggestions to help manage mealtimes so that the toddler gets the nutrition he / she needs:

  • Avoid battles over food and meals.
  • Provide regular meals and snacks.
  • Be flexible with food acceptance as toddlers are often afraid of new things.
  • Be realistic about food amounts. Portion size should be about one-fourth the size of an adult portion.
  • Limit juice intake to about 4 to 6 ounces per day.
  • Dessert should not be used as a reward. Try serving it with the rest of the food.
  • Make the food easy for your toddler to eat:
    • Cut food into bite-sized pieces.
    • Make some foods soft and moist.
    • Serve foods near room temperature.
    • Use ground meat instead of steak or chops.
    • Use a child-sized spoon and fork with dull prongs.
    • Seat your child at a comfortable height in a secure chair.
  • Prevent choking:
    • Slowly add more difficult-to-chew foods.
    • Avoid foods that are hard to chew and / or swallow such as nuts, raw carrots, gum drops, jelly beans and peanut butter (by itself).
    • Modify high-risk foods: cut hot dogs in quarters, cut grapes in quarters and cook carrots until soft.
    • Always supervise your child when he / she is eating.
    • Keep your child seated while eating.

Healthy food choices

The food guide pyramid is a guideline to help you and your child eat a healthy diet. The food guide pyramid can help you and your child eat a variety of foods while encouraging the right amount of calories and fat.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Department of Health and Human Services have prepared the following food pyramid to guide parents in selecting foods for children 2 to 6 years of age. Choose the proper number of servings from each food group for your child each day.

Contact us

For additional information on this or any Health Topic, please call the Family Resource Center, 513-636-7606, or your pediatrician.

Rev; 9/06