Chapter 18: Feeding Toddlers and Young Child ECE105 Profile of Toddlers and Preschoolers Toddlers (1-2 ½ year olds) are a challenge. They want to assert their independence but need and want limits. Toddlers begin to be avid television watchers and what they see will affect their behavior including their reactions to food. Hours spend sitting in front of the TV reduce valuable time that should be spent in physical activity. Recent research shows that even brief exposures to commercials can influence children to choose low-nutrition junk food. The Toddler grows less rapidly than the infant, but still has a high nutrient need and limited stomach capacity. The toddler is described as being neophobic-having a fear of anything new. This may interfere with getting the child to eat an increasing variety of foods. Preschool aged children (2 ½ - 5 years) are easier to manage. The still assert their independence but they want to please and learn to express their individuality in ways that are more appropriate. The Challenge of Feeding a Toddler Toddlers in asserting their independence, begin to make their preferences known. This includes their firm announcement of what foods they will or will not eat. Fortunately, their will and will not foods change almost daily. Great care must be taken so that the parent or teacher does not become involved in a battle of wills over what the toddler will eat and when it will be eaten. The teacher is responsible for: Serving a variety of nutritious foods Deciding when food is offered Setting a good example by eating a variety of foods The child is responsible for: Choosing what foods will be eaten from those that have been offered Deciding how much of the offered food to eat What foods should be served and how much Families and teachers have a responsibility to provide a variety of nutritious foods each day. Recommended daily servings include are: Grains- 3 ounces Vegetables- 1 cup Fruits- 1 cup Milk- 2 cups Meat and Beans- 2 ounces Oils (use sparingly) Foods from all food groups should be offered at each meal and can be served individually or combined in one main dish like spaghetti with meat sauce. Toddlers usually prefer foods presented individually. Toddlers serving sizes are approximately one-fourth that of an adult serving for each food group with the exception of the milk group. When feeding a toddler, it is preferable to serve slightly less than what the teacher thinks the child will eat and let the child ask for more.
2 WHEN TO SERVE FOOD Timing of meals and snacks is important when feeding the toddler. Too much time between feedings will result in over-hungry, cranky child who is less likely to accept the food presented. Meals and snacks spaced too closely will not allow ample time for a child to become hungry, again resulting in a poor eating response. Because of toddlers great need for nutrients and small stomach capacity, they must eat more often than the three-meal family pattern. A good eating pattern is: Breakfast Mid-morning snack Lunch Mid-afternoon snack Dinner Bedtime snack, if needed Snack foods such as chips, snack cakes, rich cookies, candy bars, fruit drinks, and sodas have no place in the toddler s daily food plan. Some appropriate food choices for snacks are: Cheese cubes Crackers with peanut butter/hummus 100% fruit juice-orange or other juices fortified with vitamin C Raw vegetables- cut in small pieces to reduce the risk of choking Lightly cooked vegetables- broccoli flowerettes, green beans, carrots Fruits- apple and orange wedges, bananas, applesauce, diced peaches Whole grain crackers or bread Dry, non-sweetened cereal Yogurt How to make eating time comfortable, pleasant and safe Children are more likely to eat in comfortable surroundings. Furniture should be at an appropriate size. Eating utensils should be child-sized and non-breakable. Small (4-6 ounce) cups with broad bases are easy for children to hold and reduce spilling. During the toddlers and preschool years, children are developing better fine motor skills and hand/eye coordination. They should be encouraged to use these skills but should not be given too many hard-to-manage foods at one time. Serving finger foods along with those foods that require using a fork or spoon reduces meal time frustration. Finger foods encourage self-feeding; they are well accepted and easy to handle. Sanitation is an important consideration in feeding the toddler. The teacher and toddler must thoroughly wash their hands before handling or eating food and again after eating or before returning to work or play. Hand washing is mandatory since this age group does a lot of eating with their hands. As the toddler becomes a preschooler As children grow older they begin to eat more willingly. The preschooler grows in spurts that are followed by periods of little or no growth, only weight gain. During active growth periods the child s appetite and food acceptance is usually good. However,
3 as growth slows, so does the child s appetite. The important thing is to be sure that the snack food presented is of the same nutritious quality as the lunch. During the preschool years, attitudes about food and eating patterns are formed that will be carried throughout adult life. Preschoolers like rules even though they resist them. Rules about acceptable eating behavior should be consistent but with enough flexibility to allow a parent or child to escape from a high-stress feeding situation without a battle. Guidelines for feeding the preschooler As with toddlers, the Food Guide Pyramid provides a simple guideline for feeding preschoolers. The main difference is in amount of food served. Serving the preschooler a little less then you expect them to eat does not over whelm them, but rather gives them an opportunity to ask for more. Attention should be given to presenting a variety of colors, shapes, and textures in a meal. The same rules for making mealtime comfortable for the toddler also apply for the preschooler. The three-to five-year-old child still has trouble managing eating utensils and is more cooperative if some finger foods are provided and if unintentional messes are ignored. Children enjoy preparing some of the food that they will eat. Nutrient needs of School-age Children The need for a well-balanced diet continues to be critical for school-aged children. School aged children tend to eat more at one sitting and require fewer in between meal snacks than when they were younger. Many children consume a portion of their daily nutrients from meals eaten at school. Children with Special Needs Children who have developmental disabilities or delays may present a range of different nutritional needs and feeding challenges. Some genetic conditions, such as Down syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome increase the tendency for obesity, and thus make it necessary to monitor children s food intake carefully Teachers must work closely with the child s family to determine how the child s condition may affect eating ability and nutrient requirements. Good eating habits Life-long eating habits are formed between the ages of one to five years. Parents and teachers can promote good eating habits in two ways: Serving and enjoying a variety of nutritious foods Eating with the children and showing enjoyment of a variety of nutritious foods One of the most important goals in developing good eating habits is to gain the toddler s and preschooler s acceptance of a variety of foods from each of the various food groups. Children should be encouraged to accept a variety of new foods and familiar foods should be prepared in different ways. Teachers should eat a variety of vegetables in front of the children, comment on how delicious they are and usually display pleasure (such as smiling). This should help to promote healthy life-long eating habits. Children quickly pick up on negative reactions to food and imitate them.
4 Rewards should not be offered for trying a new food. Also foods should never be used as a reward for any type of behavior. Appropriate desserts should be nutritious and planned as an important part of the meal. Also, a child should never be asked to present a clean plate before receiving their dessert. This is one sure way to start the child on the road to obesity. HEALTH PROBLEMS RELATING TO EATING HABITS Teaching the child healthful eating practices can benefit the child on through adulthood. A number of health problems are now thought to be directly or indirectly related to foods. Dental caries (tooth decay) - The occurrence of dental caries may be affected by sugar in the diet. Providing sugar in the form of fruits and vegetables may give protection form tooth decay. Obesity (excess body fat) - Prevention of obesity should start with infant feeding. Look for the infant s signals of satiety and then stop feeding when they occur. Hypertension (high blood pressure) - For many years hypertension (high blood pressure) has been correlated with a high intake of salt (sodium). Cardiovascular disease (CVD) - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is most often associated with high levels of certain fatty substance in the blood. The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that no cholesterol testing be done before the child is two years old. The two to eight-year-old child should be tested for cholesterol only if there is a family history of early (55 year of age) cardiovascular disease. Diabetes mellitus- Fats, including cholesterol, should not be restricted in the diet of the infant or toddler; fats are a source of essential fatty acids and are required for normal nerve development. Some cancers Some Common Feeding Concerns in Younger-Children Consuming Excessive Amounts of Milk. The child who drinks milk to the exclusion of other foods may be at risk for iron-deficiency anemia and vitamin C. Milk is very deficient in iron and vitamin C. Child s Refusal to Eat. Toddlers and preschoolers may refuse food either because they are not hungry or because they are asserting their newly found independence. The best response is to ignore it. Hunger will eventually win over the challenge of refusal. However, it is important that the teacher does not try too hard. Dawdling and Messiness. These are the trademarks of the toddler and preschooler and cannot be avoided; however, they can be controlled. Establishing mealtime rules and consistently enforcing them will usually end dawdling. Food Jags. Foods served to young children should be chosen so that a specific food does not appear too frequently. This helps to avoid the child getting fixed on a given food. Food jags occur when children consume a limited variety of foods and eventually results in a deficient intake of certain nutrients. Inconsistencies in Adult Approaches to Feeding Problems. It is very important that parents and teachers communicate and agree on the manner that certain food related problems are going to be handled. Food Additives and Hyperactivity. There is lots of interest in the possible link between food additives and behavior problems, particularly hyperactivity and ADHD. Several
5 early double-blind studies failed to show a link between additives and/or sugar and hyperactivity; however, more recent studies of specific additives have indicated some responses related to the amount of the additive given. Research still has not provided clear-cut answers. Fast Food Consumption by Toddlers and Preschoolers. The current cultural pattern of increased numbers of two-working parent and single parent families has changed family eating practices. More meals are eaten outside of the home, especially in restaurants. Effect of Television on Food Preferences and Food Choices. Television advertising affects a child s attitudes toward food more than TV programs do. Preschoolers watch TV for many hours each day. It is estimated that a child is exposed to three hours of commercials per week and to 19,000 22,000 commercials each year.