Home > Healthy Eating at Various Lifestages > Female

Healthy Eating At Various Lifestages

Girls 1-3 years old

This information is based on the Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand Including Recommended Dietary Intakes, the Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia (incorporating the Infant Feeding Guidelines for Health Workers), and The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. These recommendations are for healthy people with standardised weight, height and estimated energy requirements and may not meet the specific requirements of individuals. Specific advice for individual needs should be sought from a qualified dietitian.

For the purpose of these pages girls aged 1-3 years will be referred to as toddlers.

Healthy Eating Guidelines for Girls aged 1 - 3 years

The Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia, states that children need sufficient nutritious foods to grow and develop normally. For optimal health they should be encouraged to:

Enjoy a variety of nutritious foods
Eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruit
Eat plenty of cereals (breads, rice, pasta, noodles), especially wholegrain varieties
Include lean meat, fish, poultry and / or alternatives (eggs, legumes)
Include milk, yoghurt, cheese and / or alternatives (reduced fat varieties are not suitable for children under 2 years, because of their high energy needs, and should only be encouraged in older children and adolescents when the diet has diversified)
Choose water as a drink

Care should be taken to:

Limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake (low fat diets are not suitable for infants).
Choose foods low in salt
Consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars.

Energy requirements (kilojoules / day)

Toddlers need energy to grow and develop and a toddler’s rate of growth is the most important indicator of good nutrition and health. A toddler's growth should be regularly checked and monitored against growth charts. Community nurses and doctors can assist in explaining a growth chart and where the child fits in. A toddler is growing well if his or her growth is consistent with a percentile curve on the growth chart over a period of several months or years. Movement across growth percentile curves can be normal if it happens slowly. A sudden change in the rate of growth, eg from one curve to another, should be discussed with a dietitian and/or a doctor.

Toddlers may fail to thrive if parents have restricted foods to combat a potential allergy; ensure you seek advice before restricting your toddler’s diet to ensure they continue to get all the nutrients they need to grow and develop.

Note: A toddler only gains a modest 1.5 - 3 kilograms in body weight each year.

Physical Activity

Physical activity is important for toddlers. Generally a toddler will be walking by 15 months and running by 20 months of age (with frequent falling). Most young children are energetic with their developmental need to explore and learn about themselves and the world around them. This should be encouraged in a safe environment. Toddlers don't need much encouragement to run around in the fresh air. If you play with them, they'll love it even more. Play at the park, fly a kite, dance, teach them to swim, or go bushwalking.

Healthy Eating for Girls aged 1 - 3 years

The Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia encourage parents to introduce toddlers to a variety of foods from the five food groups in order for them to get enough of the nutrients essential for good health.

The five food groups are:

Bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles (preferably wholegrain)
Vegetables, legumes
Fruit
Milk, yoghurt, cheese
Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes

There is a wide range of nutrients that are vital for a toddler’s development. For instance, iron is important for transporting oxygen around the blood; calcium is important for the development and maintenance of bones and teeth

Iron can be found in red meat, fish, poultry, green leafy vegetables, legumes and iron-enriched breakfast cereals. Sources of Vitamin C such as tomatoes, capsicum and broccoli will increase the absorption of the iron. It is best to avoid excessive amounts of cows milk (more than 600mls a day) because it is a poor source of iron and can displace other foods (the toddler will feel full after drinking milk)

Calcium can be found in foods like milk, cheese, yoghurt, legumes and fortified breakfast cereals. If breastfeeding, the child will be getting calcium from breast milk and will be less reliant on dairy foods.

While we generally recommend that fats, especially saturated fats are limited in people’s diets, in young children fats are a valuable source of energy which toddlers need in relatively higher amounts than other age groups for their rapid growth. A major source of fats for children of this age are the dairy products. Children under 2 years old should therefore be given the full-fat dairy foods (cheese, milk, yoghurt etc) rather than the fat-reduced varieties. Fats can also be found in margarines and other spreads, cooking oils, nuts and meats. Choose lean meats for your child and use good monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils such as olive, sunflower and canola in moderation.

Toddlers are going through the transition from infant feeding to eating normal foods. So during this age, it is encouraged that toddlers be exposed to and learn to develop taste for a variety of foods. The regular family diet should be a starting point for this provided the family diet is healthy. It is also helpful for your toddler to start to establish a healthy relationship with food. Toddlers can choke on food so always supervise eating.

1 year olds

By one years of age, toddlers should have already experienced a wide range of foods. It is important that you continue to offer a wide range of foods from the five food groups in order for them to obtain all the nutrients they require.

A toddler needs small, but frequent amounts of foods. Toddlers generally like routine so would prefer meals and snacks at regular times.

Fluctuation in appetite may occur from day to day, depending on how much they are growing and how physically active they are. One year olds often throw food as they learn to explore and assert their independence so expect mealtimes to be messy.

Offer solids before breast milk or formula so the child does not fill up on milk but rather gets the amounts of nutrients needed from a variety of foods first.

Avoid allowing your child to go to bed with a bottle of milk or juice as this can lead to tooth decay. Letting your child drink a bottle lying down can increase the risk of choking and ear infections (bacteria enters the middle ear through the eustachian tube, a narrow channel that connects the inside of the ear to the back of the throat).

At this age toddlers can chew with their gums. Cut food finely or cook until soft. One year olds can use a cup and feed themselves with a spoon or fingers.

Avoid providing highly refined sweet and salty foods, such as lollies, soft drinks, sweet biscuits, nuts, savoury crackers and chips. These are not good for the child and can cause tooth decay, allergies or be a choking risk.

Encourage your child to consume water with every meal to help keep their teeth clean.

2-3 year olds

Two to three year olds no longer need food to be pureed or provided in soft lumps but food should still be given in tiny pieces. Vegetables and hard fruits still need to be cooked and legumes should be well cooked. Soft fruits can be given raw in small pieces.

Avoid introducing lollies, chips, nuts, popcorn, seeds, raisins and grapes until the child is 5 years old as these foods are a choking risk.

Fruit juice can be consumed but to avoid tummy upsets and infections dilute with 50% water and choose a pasteurized 100% juice type with no added sugar. Mineral water should not be given as it is high in certain minerals that can stress the toddlers kidneys.

There is no particular time to stop breastfeeding, it is up to you and your child. This link contains helpful information on how to wean:
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Breastfeeding_deciding_when_to_stop

Developmental issues

A young child is learning to identify him or herself as a separate person from his or her parents. Toddlers like to try to do things on their own, although they still totally rely on parents to meet their needs. This means at some point they will like to try to feed themselves as part of developing their independence.

As a parent, you are responsible for:

What food and drink your child consumes;
Eating times - meal, snack and drink times;
Where your toddler eats; and
Food safety ie ensuring that the food is prepared and stored hygienically.

However, your child is responsible for how much and whether or not he or she chooses to eat. Toddlers are usually very good at recognising when they feel hungry and when they feel full. They can regulate their energy intake over the day, so if they don’t eat much at one meal they’ll make up for it at the next one. Research shows that children who are forced to eat lose the ability to determine when they are full which is a risk for the development of obesity later on in life.

Trying New Foods

Young children do not always like the taste of a new food the first time they try it. It is helpful to give your toddler many chances to try new food and learn to like it. A helpful way to trial food, without wasting it, is to give your young child about a tablespoon of each food. You can give more of the food if your child asks for more. (See the "Allergy" section below for more information about the safest way to introduce new foods).

Toddlers are also developing their motor skills needed for eating. It takes time to learn to eat neatly with a knife and fork. Toddlers can master the cup with a spout first then move onto a spoon but while your toddler is still learning to use a spoon, it may be helpful to allow them to eat with their hands when they want to rather than insisting they use cutlery all the time.

Choose to prepare and present foods in easy-to-eat ways. For older toddlers this may mean cutting food into short, thin strips or fingers. Make sure that foods are safe for your toddler to pick up, chew and swallow.

Some ideas for nourishing finger foods at meals or snacks for toddlers include:

Finger sandwiches, with cheese or meat
Vegetable sticks or slices
Cheese sticks
Small tubs of yoghurt
Slices of fresh fruit
Cut up or cubed meat

You do not need to add extra flavourings such as salt or sugar.

Water and a cup or two of milk daily are the best drinks for toddlers. For 2-3 year olds a small amount of unsweetened fruit juice is OK but the whole fruit is better. Too much fruit juice or sweetened drinks may upset your toddler's digestive system, cause cavities and affect their appetite at meal and snack times.

Meal and Snack Times

Parents need to make wise decisions about snack times and food choices so that their toddler is comfortably hungry when meal times arrive. This way the toddler is ready to eat something. Similar patterns should be established for toddlers that are getting complementary breastfeeds as part of their nutritional intake.

Some tips that may help:

Make meal times routine, regular and predictable. Start to develop an eating routine of three meals a day plus healthy snacks in between, with the television off.
Keep offering new foods now and again. The more the child becomes familiar with this food the more likely they will learn to accept it.
Try alternatives if certain food are avoided or try different ways of preparing the food.
Encourage your toddler to sit down for meals and snacks. Their risk of choking is increased if they eat or drink while running or moving around.
Do not force your toddler to eat everything on their plate. If your toddler no longer wants to continue eating, it is helpful to explain to your child that their meal is over when they leave the table.
Do not use food as a reward as this food can become more desirable and be over-consumed in the future.
Avoid providing non-nutritious foods to make up for missed meals.
Be a good role model, if you eat healthily your toddler will follow in your footsteps. If you do indulge in some unhealthy food, try to do it while they are sleeping and store it out of sight and reach.

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Toddlers_and_mealtime_manners

By eating with your toddler, and including your child at family meals, you can model your enjoyment of eating healthy meals. You may also wish to reinforce your child’s eating behaviours by giving him or her compliments whenever he or she shows good table manners.

Fussy Eating

Many parents can become concerned with their fussy eater, especially if their child does not eat much food. However remember that if there is a true nutrition problem with a child's eating, the toddler's growth will be affected. Some children are naturally very sensitive to food tastes, texture, or smell. However some children may become fussy eaters if their parents place pressure on them to eat, or do not offer enough support with eating, or themselves are fussy about their own food.

Here are some feeding and mealtime tips for parents to try with their toddlers:

Offer 2 or 3 different foods at a mealtime, for example, bread, meat, and different vegetables;
Have regular meals and snacks where your toddler sits down to eat and drink;
Avoid cooking extras or special food for your child outside meal times if they are refusing to eat at meals;
Limit food and drink outside meal and snack times, except water;
Choose healthy foods that your children enjoy; and
Be realistic about the small amounts of food that your toddler may naturally eat.

Allergies in Young Children

To help prevent your child from developing food allergies, it is important to breastfeed your child for at least the first 6 months (if breastfeeding is not possible, it is best to use a partially hydrolysed infant formula for all children. Please consult a dietitian for further advice). As your child moves onto solid food (and weans from breast milk) there are some additional recommendations to follow:

It is best to introduce solid foods one at a time, for example, a new food every one to two weeks. This makes it easier to recognise any adverse or allergic reactions in your young child to a certain food. Start with foods such as rice cereal or rice, pureed pear or apple, or soft cooked vegetables, for example, pumpkin, potato, carrot, sweet potato, green beans, celery and cabbage.
At age 8 to 12 months, introduce more foods, also one at a time:
- Other vegetables and fruit
- Meat, such as lamb, veal and chicken
- Wheat products, for example, bread, pasta (make sure these foods do not contain egg).
Until at least the age of 12 months, avoid introducing foods that are more likely to cause an allergic reaction. These foods commonly are:
- Eggs and food products that contain egg
- Fish
- Dairy products
Highly allergenic foods, such as shellfish, peanuts and other tree nuts should not be introduced until your toddler is at least 2 years old. It is best to avoid these foods until at least the age of 5 years if your family has a history of allergy to them.

Although it is not always possible to stop your child from developing an allergy, some other things that may help reduce the risk of developing an allergy, include:

Not smoking during pregnancy, and
Not exposing your young child to tobacco smoke in the home, ie passive smoking.

If your toddler does develop an allergy, it is important to avoid the offending food in all forms. This includes when the food is 'hidden' as an ingredient in other food products. Recognise early symptoms of an allergic reaction and know what to do to respond to it.

Further information on food allergy, www.allergy.org.au