A while ago, I had written about weaning a young child, a baby to be more accurate.
Now with my child growing older, I thought it may be worth writing down my lessons learned when it came to feeding a toddler.
There could be some overlap with my previous article but I must say that the challenges are different so I am still going to log my experience and suggestions to feed that tiny tummy that has to fuel an energetic body.
I have heard people talk about terrible twos and it probably varies from child to child but you cannot help but notice few changes in your child at that age.
They want to be independent, feed themselves, change themselves, wash up themselves etc.
They are so busy exploring the world and playing that sometimes they behave as though it is a waste of time to sit and eat.
It is said that up to the age of four, the body is very good at controlling how much food to eat and will in general not over eat.
However beyond that, they could get caught in lot of junk and finding it hard to control the intake just like we adults do.
Many experts say that every toddler has days when they eat everything in sight and days when they will just survive on milk or juice.
It is in general advised that rather than worrying about everyday intake, it is wiser to think how much the child has eaten over a week.
It does take a while to get used to the days when they will absolutely not eat anything and it is quite painful, at least for me.
It makes it hard for me to have food as I feel like I leave him out.
However, I just become practical and think that if I do not eat and get energy, there is no way I can deal with a cranky toddler on empty stomach.
So, sometimes I just put up with the fact that he is not eating but I am.
Like I said earlier, sometimes they would not eat because they are not up to it and there are times when they cannot be bothered eating because there are better or more exciting things to do.
It helps to understand which is the case and deal with it accordingly.
If it is the former, then I just keep offering fluids like juice, milk or water so he does not become de-hydrated however if it is the latter, then it forces me to become more innovative.
Few silly ideas actually have worked well and it is a matter of luck.
For example, I showed him how he could tuck a piece of baby corn into a penne pasta and eat that.
It worked for the next two days.
I also make some interesting shaped pancakes or crepes (called dosa in India) which are usually loaded with lot of wholegrain.
He likes cat shaped ones and the latest addition is duck shaped.
You can get some shapes from the shop as well and make it look more appealing and entice them.
When it is being playful that stops them from eating well, I have found finger foods to come to the rescue.
I make dishes that he can run around with.
Fruity oats bar, thick pancakes cut into diamond bits, muffins, home made biscuits, homemade loaf or just some fruits.
I always think it is important for the child to be able to have adult food from around one year of age but we just have to admit that there are days when it just will not work.
Rather than putting them to bed on an empty stomach, I would whip some finger food like what I mentioned earlier and that would keep him going.
Remember, they need to be re-fuelled frequently and it does not have to be a big meal every time.
As long as it is not junk food that you are stuffing them with, it is OK to give them such finger food if that is all that will go down that day.
As they say old habits die hard and for that key reason it is important to impart healthy eating habits at this age.
My wee one barely gets to eat chocolates or other sugar loaded sweets.
Some people say I deprive him of these things and that it is part of childhood to eat all this.
To me, it does not make sense because if this is part of childhood then part of his adulthood will be facing the consequences.
I know that when they grow out of their toddler years and go to school they will want to eat more junk and it is impossible to completely avoid them.
However, if I show him that snacks does not have to be a sweet treat and needs to be something healthy, I believe he will grow up with that thought process.
Also, junk food should only be taken occasionally is the message that I would like to communicate to him and it is not OK to make it part of everyday diet.
I know that some parents offer sweets to their kids as a bribe for finishing a meal.
If I notice that he is not eating because of distractions I usually tell him we would not do some particular activity if he does not finish his meal.
I do not expect a clean plate returned, but at least partially empty plate.
Also, the general advise is to not offer any food, especially sweet treats instead of their meal.
This would encourage bad habits and it is hard to get rid of.
While still on the topics on sweets, I do make desserts for him but do not load it with sugar.
In general, even the desserts I make for adults is not sugar loaded and now I am extra careful.
Remember that just because we are used to have all the sugary stuff and deep fried stuff does not mean that they will only relish that.
Their preferences are still evolving so we should not force ours on them but instead show them healthy options.
Coming back to desserts, I usually use quite a bit of fruits to sweeten the desserts as it is nutritious and sweet while sugar is just empty calories.
At this age, they try to mimic what the parents do and that is a very good reason to lead by example.
It is important for us to show that we eat vegetables and snack on fruits so he also becomes keen to have them.
That is not to say that we do not have any junk because there are times when my husband would insist on something deep fried or I crave some crunchy snack.
What I insist on during such times is that we should give some of it to him.
It serves two purposes, it exposes him to a variety of food, texture and flavour and also gets to enjoy these treats and it is not just us.
It serves another purpose that we limit such occasions.
The satisfaction I get from feeding him a healthy meal is nowhere near how I feel about giving him junk.
So, if I have to share the junk with him, I would avoid eating it myself and that also is the control for my husband.
I hope people do not get the wrong message that if you share the junk with your kid, it becomes okay to have it everyday! The other common challenge is that because we are born with more sweet taste buds than savoury, it is quite natural for kids to love sweets.
It does not necessarily mean your kid has a sweet tooth.
Try to offer savoury snack as well and not just sweet tasting ones.
Something as simple as savoury biscuit or savoury muffins could serve as great snacks.
This is likely to help them develop a liking for their meal as well as they will not always expect to eat something sweet.
Back home, it is said that the food a mother makes for her child is delicious because she makes it with so much love and care and also with the hope that every grain and every piece of the meal would give him the required nourishment and make them healthy and strong.
Home food always remains special and the very reason is that it is prepared with so much care.
It is the parent's responsibility to provide good foundation for healthy living.
Scientists say that mothers who had a lot of junk food when pregnant have kids that love junk food at the toddler years itself.
Every parent would want the best for their child and one of that would be best health and long life.
If we make every effort to build these habits in them so they live long.
It is easy to silence a crying toddler by giving them an ice cream or a lolly pop but next time, try offering some fresh fruits or even dry fruits.
Involve your toddler in the cooking process and make them feel proud of what they have done and they will also enjoy eating what they have prepared (in their own little way).
Enjoy parenting, the healthy way!