TIPS FOR FEEDING TODDLERS

Many toddlers love milk, and would drink it all day if they could! Offer them up to three cups of milk per day, and water for all other drinks. Remember that your toddler must have full fat milk until they're at least two years old.

Small meal servings and regular snacks are the best way to keep up your toddler's energy throughout the day. Their tiny tummies are not accustomed to just three large main meals a day. A toddler often may not eat as much as you would like them to at dinner time - try to remember that this is normal and that as long as they are getting plenty of regular, healthy nutrition, then there's no reason to stress yourself out over it.

Make up some healthy chicken stock and freeze some in an ice cube tray. When serving hot casseroles, soups or stews, mix in a stock ice cube to cool it down without watering down the flavour. 

Try offering food in small containers and bags instead of on a plate. Many toddlers enjoy picking food out of things because it challenges their tiny fingers. Zip lock sandwich bags are an easy option. Some foods you could try are corn kernels, sultanas and diced cucumber.

If you don't already own a miniature frying pan, consider buying one. Frying up eggs, meat, etc in toddler sized portions becomes so much easier when there's only a tiny frying pan to clean afterwards.

Get your toddler excited about what's on their plate by making it visually appealing to them. Arrange fruit pieces to look like smiley faces, bake healthy biscuits using cookie cutters in the shapes of things they like, etc. 

Save leftovers to use in other meals. For example, if your toddler doesn't eat their vegetables at dinner time, save them for the next morning so you can cook them in with scrambled eggs.

Even if your toddler refuses a certain food, offer it again another day. It can often take several attempts before they will try something new.

When offering unfamiliar foods, timing can often be everything. Try to offer new food when you are both relaxed and your toddler is not tired.

Try to minimize distractions at meal times. Turn off the TV, take toys away from the table, etc. Toddlers are very easily sidetracked and will find it difficult to sit still and eat while so many other things are going on.

Set a good example for your toddler. Let them see you eating a variety of healthy foods.

If your toddler is at the stage where they want to help with everything, have them help out with safe parts of cooking such as rinsing vegetables or mixing ingredients. This encourages a good relationship with food and home cooking.

Many toddlers love to dip their food in sauces. By providing them with healthy dipping sauces (eg. Greek yoghurt with avocado blended through) they may be encouraged to eat more of what's on their plate.

Try introducing unfamiliar foods to your toddler by offering them alongside their favorites. 

When introducing new foods, engage your toddler's senses by discussing the texture, colour and smell of the food. This may be more exciting to them than confining the experience to taste alone.