Build a Perfect Diet
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Given the chance, two-year-old Maris would eat macaroni and cheese for most meals. You can probably guess what happens when her mother, Amy Cohen, a marketing manager in Dallas, offers her fruits and vegetables. "Her typical response is an instant 'I don't like that,'" reports Cohen, who worries that her slender daughter isn't getting enough calories or balance in her diet.
The eating habits of the typical two-year-old can be confusing for parents. At 24 months, a child's appetite may spike and then fall off. The child may also have aversions to some foods, for reasons parents can't comprehend. Diane Sembrot, an editor living in Trumbull, Conn., and also the mother of a two-year-old Lauren, reports that her daughter is an eager but easily distracted eater who is "the first at the table and the last to leave. "I try to make mealtime fun by asking her questions about her food: What are those green things? Peas? Ohhh. Peas. I like peas. What shape are they? Do those go squish in your mouth?" This method "sometimes works" for Sembrot-but not when it comes to meat, which is most often refused flat-out. So Sembrot resorts to hiding it, "sneaking chicken bits into her pasta or mashed potatoes." Another tactic: You can try grinding up veggies and camouflaging them in meat loaf.
All of this can be frustrating and time-consuming, but it's not necessarily anything to worry about. If your two-year-old is active and growing at a rate of about a pound every three months, you probably have no cause for concern, says Dr. Vincent Iannelli, a Dallas pediatrician who's the dad of two-year-old twin boys.
"The ideal diet for a two-year-old is similar to that for a healthy adult," says Peggy O'Shea, a dietitian in Brookline, Mass. "Toddlers need enough energy and protein-drawn from all food groups-to grow normally."
To help you figure out what you should feed your child, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed an online tool that allows you to input your child's age, gender and activity level (click on the My Pyramid Plan link at mypyramid.gov/kids). With that information, the site constructs a pyramid plan, giving guidelines for calorie levels and suggested daily amounts of food from the various groups. Sembrot was relieved to learn that Lauren's daily target for the combined meat-and-bean group is just two ounces. She was also happy to discover that her two-year-old was easily satisfying the rest of the daily suggested amounts, including three ounces of grains, one cup of vegetables, one cup of fruit and two cups of milk. At 24 months, most children switch from whole milk, which has the extra fat needed for early brain development, to 1% or 2%. Check with your doctor to see if that change is appropriate for your child. As for other fats, three teaspoons of oils is recommended daily, with a caution that extra fats and sugars should be restricted to just 165 calories per day.
One important note about using the mypyramid.gov online tool: Sembrot discovered that the recommended amounts for her three-and-a-half-year-old son, Cole, were higher, with five ounces of grains and four ounces of meat and beans, for instance. So be sure to create individual food pyramids for kids of different ages, updating the plans as your children get older.
Busy parents often resort to popular prepared foods, such as chicken nuggets or fish sticks. However, because they are usually fried, they pile on fat and calories. Instead, oven-bake these items or, better yet, modify your own fresh-cooked meals for your little one. Chop or puree the veggies; cut the meat into bite-size pieces and remove (or avoid cooking with) sauces.
About 10% of American children ages two to five are overweight, and another 10% are at risk. As a result, some parents wonder if they should restrict their child's diet. No, says Iannelli. The best way to help a youngster maintain a healthy weight is to stress healthy foods, few sweets and plenty of exercise.
With perseverance and understanding, you'll expand your child's food repertory. And don't worry if he hasn't consumed the recommended servings for every food group in a given day. Instead, focus on the balance over the course of a week or even a month.