1 - 3 Years
When 1-2 years old, most children can eat the same as the rest of the family. When the child is 3 it can eat practically everything. However, the children will still need extra fat to cover their energy needs. The fat increases the content of energy in the stomach and makes it easier for the child to cover its energy need. The child’s stomach is still too small compared to the amount of energy (calories) the child needs.
From the age of 1 the child no longer needs an iron supplement and from the age of 2 no vitamin D or other vitamins either. The child’s needs can be covered through its diet. If the child does not eat healthily and varied, you can give the child multivitamin. But if the child eats healthily and varied there is no need for supplement of vitamins or minerals.
The child may eat less in some periods than others and may eat more at some meals than others. This is normal and is not because the child is particular. It is best to accept that sometimes the child is not hungry or does not want to eat its food. Force will never lead to anything but crying and arguing. It can be worth your while to let the child decide for itself what it wants to eat as long as the parents decide the selection.
The child can drink ordinary milk – preferably full-cream milk. Full-cream milk has a high fat content and therefore provides the child with more energy (more calories) – energy the child needs. It is best to give the child milk in between meals because full-cream milk is rather filling and can take the room intended for the real food. The child should not drink more than half a litre of milk a day.
It is important that the child gets the iron it requires. Iron comes from especially meat and you can enhance the absorption of iron by giving the child food rich with vitamin C. This is why it is a good idea to eat greens with meat or fruit as dessert – it increases the absorption of iron in the child’s body. Milk decreases the absorption of iron and it is therefore not suitable to give the child milk with its main meals.
The child should eat 3 main meals and 2-3 snacks between meals. It is important that the snacks between meals are healthy as well. A snack between meals can consists of pieces of fruit, crispbread, biscuits or sticks of cucumber or carrot.