Lecture 14: Toddler and Preschool Nutrition Flashcards
What are toddlers defined as?
Children between the ages of 1 and 3 years
What happens to growth velocity in toddlers?
It slows
What happens to appetite in toddlers?
Decrease in appetite coinciding with slowing growth
What 5 things increase in toddlers?
- Gross motor skills
- Fine motor skills
- Independence
- Exploration
- Language
What are gross motor skills?
Use of large muscle groups exhibited as walking along, running, walking up stairs, hopping, skipping
What are fine motor skills?
Smaller muscle groups demonstrated by stacking objects, scribbling and copying shapes
When does dramatic development in language occur?
18 to 24 months
What is preschool age?
3-5 years
What is pre-school age characterised by?
Increasing autonomy
- Need for rituals/regularity
Broader social circumstances
Expanding ability to control behaviour
What do feeding skills look like in toddlers and pre-schoolers (>12 months)?
Increased fine motor skills and visual coordination:
- Use of cups and utensils
- Prefer to eat with their hands
- Happy self-feeding and exploring new tastes
What are some food items prohibited from pre-school lunches?
- Nuts and seeds
- Crisps, popcorn and rice crackers
- Hard or chewy sweets
- Sausages and saveloys
- Dried Fruit
How do we manage toddler appetite?
- Routine and regular meals are important
- Parents often overestimate portion sizes (start with small portions)
- Offer a variety of foods
- Allow children to ask for more of something on offer
Why do we not want to serve large plates to toddlers?
Full plate can be overwhelming:
- Better to start with smaller amounts, they are more accepting of this
- From there, the child will then be able to ask for more
- Continue to offer the foods they are eating and want more of
What are the MOH recommended servings for toddlers?
Veges = 2-3
Fruit = 1/2
Grains = 4
Legumes = 1
Milk products = 1-1.5
For toddlers its not about being strict about servings, its about…
Variety
How is cows milk beneficial as a food for toddlers?
Provides energy, protein, calcium, riboflavin and vitamin B12
What type of milk is recommended for toddlers?
Whole (dark blue) milk
- Reduced fat milks should not be used before 2 years of age due to child’s high energy requirement
What is the maximum amount of milk that should be drunk per day for toddlers?
No more than 350mL
Why no more than 350mL of cows milk?
- Low in iron
- Displaces nutrient rich food in the diet
What are toddlers milks? What are they fortified with?
Cows milk based drinks that are fortified with minerals and vitamins such as iron, iodine, vitamin D and vitamin C
What is toddlers milk promoted as?
‘Alternatives’ to cows milk (“nutritionally superior”) for infants over the age of 12 months
Are toddler milks recommended by MOH?
No!
Why are toddler milks not recommended by MOH?
- Can continue a child’s preference for milk (limits variety in foods)
- Achieving optimal nutrition from a variety of healthy foods is important to set up healthy eating behaviours
- They are expensive
What percent of total energy was found to come from toddlers milk in Australian toddlers (12-24 months)?
22%
- This is problematic because could be replacing other important nutrients
