One common dilemma faced by the parents of toddlers is getting them to stop playing and exploring for long enough to refuel their bodies with nutritious foods. Exactly how to do that is up to you. What we eat at our house and how we eat it may be different than in your home. What is most important is that we as parents offer our toddlers plenty of opportunities to eat nutritious foods throughout their day.
In the morning, Dylan wakes up hungry. We all wake up at about the same time, so we head out to the kitchen. He loves cereal in the morning, and he likes for me to put it into a mug. He enjoys his mug of Cheerios and milk while standing at his little play kitchen. I often have eggs or a banana with peanut butter for breakfast, and I eat it at the kitchen counter so that we are eating together.
Since Dylan is such a busy little boy, I have found that a good way to ensure that he gets enough to eat is to have a selection of small snacks available that he can choose from whenever hunger strikes. I keep things like string cheese, unsweetened apple sauce cups, and cut fruit in snack containers on the low shelf of the fridge and little containers of home made trail mix and crackers in the cabinet.As an added bonus, these things are easy to toss in the diaper bag before we go out the door.
One thing that I have noticed is that Dylan tends to start acting out when he gets hungry. This is not uncommon for toddlers, so watch for behavioral cues that may tell you that your little one is hungry before he asks for a snack on his own. He is probably too busy to notice how hungry he is. I keep a reusable water bottle close to wherever he is playing so that he gets enough to drink.
At lunch time, Dylan is often busy playing. He does not want to stop for long, so I usually offer up something quick like hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, or tuna fish with some fruit or a veggie on the side. We usually enjoy it out on the deck, and he goes right back to playing afterwards.
Dinner can be a real challenge because I like to eat “real meals”. You know, a meat with a starch and a vegetable. The trouble is, those kinds of things take time to prepare and between tending to the needs of Dylan and his baby brother it can take hours to prepare a meal from start to finish. Sometimes I enlist the help of my friend, the crock pot. Sometimes I prepare foods that are quick and easy yet nutritious. Things like salmon or cod can be topped many different ways and baked for just ten minutes. I wept tears of joy when I discovered that you can microwave a baked potato and it takes only ten minutes. Frozen veggies of all kinds are another standby in our kitchen, as are fresh vegetables that do not need any cooking, like tomatoes.
What are your toddler’s favorite meals and snacks?