Good Nutrition and Healthy Eating Habits in Toddlers

Have you ever wondered why one child could so bubbly and full of vigour? While another is so lethargic and sleepy?The secret is in the food and the motivation provided by his environment. The saying, 'You are what you eat' is indeed true. Children eating habits are formed from a very early age.

Good nutrition is the key to good health even in toddlers. Instilling good and healthy eating habits by setting a good example goes a long way to influence children on the choices of food that is good for them.

Often, the effect of bad eating habits will only be evident upon reaching adulthood.Heart disease, diabetes and hypertension are common adult diseases that stem from bad eating habits from young. Obesity, undernourishment and constipation in young children are indications of bad eating habits.

Bad nutrition leads to bad skin tones, insomnia, unhealthy bones and skin and retarded physical development in children. This eventually leads to a lower immunity against infections. Due to the weakened defences you will find that you have to visit the paediatrician more often because your child is more often than not, always ill. Allergies and asthmatic children are also the result of weakened body defence systems. Constipation in young children can be prevented if they are fed a more fibrous diet of cereal, grains and vegetables. Prunes and bran or oats are great fibre food that make trips to the potty less trying for parent and child.

The secret in good nutrition is to provide a variety of food in small quantities over a week. In this way, not only different nutrients are served, the child is given something exciting to look forward to, at meal times. We should all realize that serving the same meals every day will create predictability and boredom. Boredom is a killer to the appetite. Hence, Mum have to develop interesting ways to tempt her child's taste buds. Mum should make the food colourful and easy to eat. Vegetables like carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, red spinach and fruits like bananas, apples, oranges and melons add colour to the table and should be eaten from young.

Toddlers are often fussy when it comes to accepting new foods. They must not be forced to eat but the parent has to make meal times a happy event and not a battle of wits. When food is enjoyed in a relaxed atmosphere, toddlers will cooperate more willingly. There are various ways to get toddlers to eat up and take to new tastes and textures of food:

• Arouse your child's interest in a new food with a funny story behind it.
• It is best to introduce new food when the child is hungry.
• Serve only small quantities, paying attention to colour and texture.
• Give your child a choice. It would make him feel like a grown-up. He would then choose one food rather than none at all.
• Cut food into small portions so that your child will have fun feeding himself.
• You can get your child to help you during the food preparation by letting him measure, stir, decorate and arrange in a plate. Allow him to be the first to taste as well.
• Praise your child and don't be too annoyed if he spills and messes up the table.
• Remove all food if your child throws a tantrum and shows unacceptable behaviour like throwing food.

Perfect eating habits are generally hard to achieve. You may have to give in during visits to grandma's but as long as grandma's diet is not followed most of the time, your child will be okay.Similarly, once in a while, you may treat your child at MacDonald's or Kentucky Fried Chicken's. Believe me, once your child has taken it to your diet styles, he would not be too wild about fast foods.

It is the parents' responsibility to develop healthy attitudes towards food in their children. If you succeed in teaching your child that he should eat a variety of food, he would grow up to be healthy, alert, active and will readily adopt a sensible eating pattern. This would stand him in good stead for a healthy adult life.