Toddler Nutrition

Growing children need lots of energy (as calories) as well as other nutrients to ensure they grow and develop normally

• There is evidence that the diets of children under 5 are not always optimal and are:
  • Too high in the type of sugar that damages teeth
  • Too low in certain vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A and D, as well as iron and zinc

• Giving a child a healthy balanced diet from all the food groups can help to ensure they have the right amounts of all the nutrients they need

What a toddler’s diet should be made up of

• As your baby becomes a toddler, they should become fully integrated into family meals, though they may still need a hand cutting things up for a while

• It’s really important to make sure family meals are suitable for your child, so use as little sugar, salt and strong spices in your recipes as you can get away with

• Milk still plays an important role in your toddler’s diet, though they need slightly less now, about 350 ml of milk or 2-3 servings of dairy foods per day

• Providing your toddler is eating a good, varied and balanced range of foods, you could consider using full fat cows’ milk as the main drink after 12 months of age

• If your toddler is not such a good eater, you may want to consider using a toddler milk such as SMA Toddler Milk to help ensure they are getting all the nutrients they need every day

• Your toddler should be eating a wide variety of foods from each of the food groups and you should be aiming for:
  • 4 servings of carbohydrate foods a day
  • 2-3 servings of dairy foods a day (this includes their milk)
  • 1-2 servings of meat or meat alternatives a day
  • 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day

What are the nutritional needs of toddlers and young children?

Energy

• Toddlers and young children need energy (as calories) to enable them to function and be active as well as for growth and development

• The body gets energy from fat and carbohydrates mainly but also some from protein

Protein

• Protein is needed for growth and the maintenance and repair of body tissues, as well as to make enzymes that control many body functions

• Protein needs are proportionally higher for children than for adults but most children in Britain and ROI have more than adequate intakes of protein

Fat

• Some fat in the diet is essential and provides essential fatty acids 

• Fat in foods also provides some of the fat soluble vitamins; vitamins A, D and E

• Children need more fat than adults because their bodies use proportionally more energy as they grow and develop. However, the healthy eating recommendation for children aged over 5 is that total fat should make up no more than 35% of their total food energy

• Omega-3 fats are found in oily fish, which should be given 1-2 times per week

Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates are starch and sugars in foods 

• Starch is the major component of cereals, pulses, grains and root vegetables

• It is recommended that these foods should provide 40% of the energy in the diet by the age of 5 years

• Young children do not need ‘sugars’ for energy and foods containing added sugar and honey should be limited

Fibre

• Fibre is the part of cereals and vegetable foods which are not broken down in the small intestine and which are important to prevent constipation and other bowel disorders

• Fibre can be bulky and fill children’s tummies up quickly, leaving little room for other important foods, so should not be given in excess

Vitamins and minerals

• Vitamins are complex organic substances that are needed in very small amounts for many of the essential processes carried out in the body

• Minerals are inorganic substances required by the body for a variety of functions

• Different foods provide different vitamins and minerals and having a varied and balanced diet is essential for providing adequate amounts of all of these nutrients

• There are some specific nutritional considerations to bear in mind, such as the importance of iron and giving vitamin supplements. Click here to go to the ‘Nutrition Matters’ section of our website for more information

Meeting the nutritional needs of young children

• Young children should be eating a wide variety of foods from each of the food groups to meet their nutritional requirements 

• Detailed information on eating a healthy balanced diet from the different food groups can be found by clicking here which will take you to the ‘Eating from the 5 food groups’ section of our website

• Toddler milks are specially formulated to complement a toddler’s diet and are fortified with iron as well as other key vitamins and minerals and can be a useful addition to a young child’s diet