Introduction to toddlers and food
This page belongs to collection of short articles and videos in plain language, called Little people + food. The Possums approach aims to make introducing solids and toddler foods a lot easier than you might hear!
Well, first up – this is going to be messy! Making a mess is a normal part of your child’s developing relationship with food.
When feeding a toddler, just relax and enjoy sharing foods together as best you can, even though your toddler might not eat much. It’s important never to pressure your little one to eat, but to offer a wide variety of options from your own diet. We want your toddler to develop a positive, no-stress relationship with food.
Here are some useful tips for feeding a toddler.
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Sit your toddler down with you each time you have a meal. Don’t worry if your toddler’s mealtime doesn’t last more than a few minutes!
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It’s normal for toddlers to eat only small amounts and at different times, so have plenty of good quality snacks (especially fruit) available in between meals.
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Limit cow’s milk to around 2 cups (about 500 mls) in a 24-hour period.
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Toddler's formula is not better for your little one's brain or immunity than cow's milk, but contains extra carbohydrates and sugars which aren't good for your toddler's health.
Acknowledgements
I'm grateful to Professor Sophie Havighurst, Ros June, and Caroline Ma at Mindful, The University of Melbourne, for their feedback on the articles and videos in Little people + food (brief & simple). They helped me keep the language plain and the concepts as accessible as possible.
Selected references
McCann J, Woods J, Mohebbi M, Russell C. Regulated nutrition claims increase perceived healthiness of an ultra-processed, discretionary toddler snack food and ultra-processed toddler milks: a discrete choice experiment. Appetite. 2022;106044:106044.
