Bifalgorithm post · Human Nutrition · Toddler Years
Feeding
Feeding (Human Nutrition · Toddler Years) — "As children grow older, they enjoy taking care of themselves, which includes self-feeding. During this phase, it i…
Ideas in this flowchart
- Supporting children’s self-feeding and healthy nutrition
- Older children increasingly enjoy caring for themselves through self-feeding
- Children should be offered foods they can manage safely and that reduce choking hazards
- Suitable foods include cut fruit, citrus sections, mashed peas or potatoes, yogurt, and cut whole-grain bread
- Learning to feed themselves may be messy even with preparation and training
- Caregivers can provide child-sized utensils, stable cups, edged plates, small servings, and supportive seating
- Toddlers may face food-related obstacles and conflicts
- Parents should continue offering nutritious choices, including vegetables, despite resistance
- Children may eventually accept foods they previously disliked
- The toddler years are a time to establish or reinforce healthy habits
- Feeding responsibility is shared between the parent and the child
- Parents decide what, when, and where children eat
- Children decide how much they eat and whether they eat
- Caregiver responsibilities include preparing food, scheduling meals and snacks, creating pleasant mealtimes, teaching behavior, and limiting between-meal eating