Toddler nutrition and fitness: in a nutshell

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Children watch what you’re eating. You can help toddlers learn good eating habits by eating well yourself. If you load up with hot chips and soft drink, that’s what they will want too.

Some children reject a new food 6-10 times before they taste it and love it. Eat a food enthusiastically yourself. If it is still rejected, try it with your child again in a few weeks or a few months.

There’s no hurry but don’t give up. Children’s tastes can change. Find out more about offering new foods.

Healthy food and eating for toddlers

• Our article on nutrition and fitness basics for toddlers contains guidelines and practical tools to help you ensure your child eats good food.
• For good food made easy, try our suggestions for finger foods for toddlers.
• Pack a goodness punch by including lots of your child’s nutritional needs in one dish. Try Everything fried rice, an omelette with the lot, shepherd’s pie, baked beans on wholegrain toast, or pasta bolognaise with a meat and vegie sauce.
• Healthy eating habits will help your child avoid falling into the trap of child obesity. Try limiting snacks such as salty chips, especially while watching TV.

Toddler exercise

Encourage your child to be physically active – you’re helping to establish a healthy lifelong habit.

Exercise gives your toddler strong bones and muscles, a healthy heart, lungs and arteries, and improved coordination, balance, posture and flexibility. It reduces the risk of your child becoming overweight or obese and of developing heart disease, cancer or diabetes down the track. Being overweight is unhealthy and uncomfortable – and very unpleasant for a young child.

TV is one of the biggest obstacles to physical activity. Many child development experts recommend no TV at all for children under two. If you do want to let your child watch TV, try to keep TV time to 30 minutes. Then follow it up with an outdoor activity (like a walk to the park).

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  By Raising Children Network

  You can help your child adopt healthy eating habits and enjoy being physically active.

  • Set a good example by eating well yourself.
  • Persevere when offering new food to your toddler – you might have to try many times.
  • Try finger foods or a single dish packed with all your child’s nutritional needs.
  • Encourage your child to be physically active.
  • Exercise promotes strong bones and muscles; a healthy heart, lungs and arteries; and improved coordination and flexibility.
  • Remember that eating unhealthy food while watching TV can lead to child obesity.
  • Experts recommend no TV for kids under two. Limit TV time to 30 minutes, followed by an outdoor activity.

  This article is an extract only. For more information, visit  raisingchildren.net.au/nutrition__fitness/toddlers_nutrition.html.

  Sourced from the Raising Children Network's comprehensive and quality-assured Australian parenting website www.raisingchildren.net.au.