Healthy snacks for children 1 to 3 years old

Some children between the second and fourth year of life They seem to be too busy playing and exploring the world to sit down to eat quietly. Others may be picky eaters or refuse to eat what is served for breakfast, lunch, or snack.

Children this age need to eat a variety of healthy foods, but they don’t usually eat a lot in one sitting. And this is where what the family gives them at mid-morning and mid-afternoon comes into play.

The healthy snacks given in a timely manner they can help balance an irregular diet, helping children get through well between main meals and keeping them from being so hungry that they become nervous and cranky.

In addition, you will improve the intake of nutrients that your child needs to be healthy if you offer fruit, vegetables, whole grains, proteins and foods rich in calcium, says Dr. Mary L. Gavin, of the Division of Weight Management, Department of Pediatrics, Nemours Hospital for Children, Delaware.

Most young children do well with three main meals and two or three snacks a day; maybe one after dinner.

Select a list of snacks for the toddler

Your influence on your child’s diet may never be as important as it is now. A child this age cannot run to the store for candy or chips. He will eat what you serve him and it will ask for what it knows you keep in the kitchen. Take this opportunity to establish healthy habits.

Keep fresh, nutrient-dense foods (vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber) on hand, and try to avoid processed, prepared, and packaged foods, which are often high in sugar, salt, and fat.

Children of this age should feed themselves, so think of simple foods that can be eaten with your hands and are cut into small pieces, What:

• Whole-grain, low-sugar breakfast cereals.
• Fresh fruit cut into very fine or small pieces.
• Whole-grain crackers and bagels.
• Cheese cut into strips or small pieces.

Portions should also be small in size. Adults tend to overestimate the amount of food children need, but the recommended portion for a small child’s snack is quite small:

• ¼ cup (57 ml) dry cereal with ½ cup (118 ml) milk (If your child is over 2 years old, serve low-fat milk) is a good mid-morning snack.
• Half a banana with ½ cup (118 ml) of milk it is excellent for mid afternoon.

Small servings not only don’t overwhelm picky eaters, but they also help prevent a binge eater from overeating.

Respect the refreshment schedule

Routine is good for children; therefore, try to serve main meals and snacks at around the same time each day. This way, your child will always know what to expect.

The feelings of being full and of being hungry again after a few hours teach children to responding to internal hunger cues, knowing when to eat and, more importantly, when to stop eating, something essential to maintain a healthy weight.

If you allow your child to eat throughout the day without following a schedule, they may lose the ability to detect their own hunger and satiety cues, which could lead to overeating.

Now let’s talk about home and commercial juice drinking culture. Juice, even 100% natural fruit juice, contains about the same number of calories as soda. And drinks made with fruit juice have excessive amounts of added sugar. Letting children carry a container of juice with them throughout the day can lead to diarrhea in some of them and contribute to the weight gain in others.

Limit your child’s juice consumption to no more than 4 oz. (120 ml) per day. When your child is thirsty, the best options are water and milk. If your child loves juice, offer fruit instead of juice, because whole fruit contains important fiber and vitamins.

An opportunity to teach how to choose well

In her eyes, her young son is still her baby; but he is increasingly prepared to take the reins from time to time. Food is an excellent opportunity for children to take command in a limited way. Offer your child a few nutritious foods to choose from and let him or her decide what they want to eat and how much they want to eat.

Even though it’s easy to fall into that temptation, resist the urge to offer only foods that you like. This is particularly difficult for parents of picky or light eaters who just want their children to eat something! Make combinations of something your child likes a lot with a new food. Even if your child tends to reject them, keep offering them. It may take several tries for a child to agree to eat something different.

Don’t stress if your child leaves food on the plate. But also do not allow her to choose foods that are not on the menu (adult treats, candy from the store) or to decide when main meals or meals are served. snacks. that you learn that Meals are only available at certain times and you can only choose from the foods that you offer.

Do not promise sweets or treats, they are not prizes

Most parents have ever bribed their children by promising a delicacy, but this is not a good strategy. The use of sweets as a bribe makes them believe that they are more valuable or better than other foods much healthier; In addition, children quickly learn to use them as a bargaining chip.

When it comes to sweets, there really is no reason, nutritionally, for young children to eat them. Regardless, you don’t have to deprive your child of birthday cakes or other delicious delicacies from time to time. But don’t let these empty calorie foods become a regular part of your regular meals.

Make sweets and treats the exception rather than the rule, and your child will not feel entitled to claim them or be surprised when you say no. Your child will be much less likely to beg for sweets and chips if you keep these non-nutritious treats out of the house. (I)