Tips for Creating a Well-Balanced Meal Plan for Toddlers
It’s no secret that toddlers can be picky. I’m sure that you have had nights where your toddler refuses to eat his carrots! This is fairly normal for that age, so don’t freak out that your toddler seems like the only one who won’t eat their veggies. All you have to do to fix this problem is to get a little creative. Here are five tips for creating a well-balanced meal plan for your toddler so that they will get the nutrition they need:
1. Make sure it consists of the right foods
When planning your toddler’s dinner, you should make sure that you include a grain, veggies, fruits, milk and protein. These are necessary nutrients for a healthy well-balanced meal. One meal I know my toddler will eat is chicken, a protein, with a yummy fruit salad, a slice of whole grain bread and a glass of milk. Normally I have carrots and dip as a dinner before snack. This is a great way to get almost all of the important food groups in one meal.
2. Pre-dinner snack
Like I previously stated, I am a big fan of the before dinner snack. One tip I have is to make sure it is a healthy light snack. Oreos, chips or cookies is not a good choice. Carrots, sliced apples, strawberries or celery are good choices. Make sure to choose a snack that they don’t eat often, so that they can get those nutrients too.
3. Always include milk
Milk is so important for a growing child. It helps to build strong bones! Try to always have them drink milk for lunch and dinner. If they aren’t big milk fans, add a tiny squirt of chocolate syrup. All kids love chocolate milk! You can also incorporate milk into their diet by putting it in their morning cereal or oatmeal.
4. Protein + veggies
One great way to get protein and veggies into your child’s diet is by having sandwiches for lunch. Make sure that you make the sandwich on whole wheat or grain bread. You can use any kind of high in protein meat that your child likes, and then top it off with veggies. Sandwiches are great, because they won’t even notice they are eating vegetables.
5. Apples and peanut butter
Protein, check. Fruit, check. Yummy, double check! Apples with peanut butter are a creative way to get your child to eat some healthy foods. Slice the apples into finger-sized bites and apply as much peanut butter as your toddler likes.
Written by Holly MacLean from Wee Urban
As a new mom, Holly was driven to start Wee Urban™ to offer the modern family a unique and fresh collection of eco-friendly baby gear and accessories that goes beyond the conventional and explores the exceptional! Tired of traditional pinks and blues and cute motifs, we offer sophisticated designs, “conscious” organic alternatives, practical functionality and superior quality. Using our custom certified organic cotton blends, low-impact dyes, and other trendsetting fabrics, we hope to inspire families to be make better choices and of course- do it all in urban style!
Beyond our organic cotton and azo-free dyes, Wee Urban uses 100% post-consumer packaging and tags for our Wee Dreams™ Sleep Bags. Our distinctive screen-printing is done with 100% eco-inks and are all phthalate free.
We also recycle our remnants and donate as much as possible to local elementary schools to help with arts and crafts programs.
For more information, visit wwww.weeurban.com
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