Articles - Toddlers

Healthy Food Habits

A toddler learns to eat by practicing with both finger feeding and holding a spoon. Once she starts doing it for herself, you can expect an occasional mess—being a neat eater takes lots of practice.

Some toddlers will feed themselves certain foods but want a parent to feed them others. If this practice continues, it is possible that Toddler will build up faulty eating habits—she will discriminate between the foods she wants and the foods you want her to eat.

Such a practice can develop into a parent/toddler tug-of-war. In the future you may find that she may not have an appetite for your foods. We urge you to allow Toddler to feed herself in spite of the mess she may make.

Between the first and second years many youngsters will give up certain foods, particularly some vegetables. Accept her preferences and return to the rejected foods in a few weeks.

By pushing a temporary dislike on her, you increase the probability that the particular food may become permanently distasteful to her.

Toddler’s preferences may result in an occasional lopsided meal but from day to day or week to week her choices should even out to a balanced diet.

There is no doubt that the quality as well as the quantity of her appetite will change during this period. She may drink less milk, but a pint a day (in any form) is satisfactory to cover her needs if she’s receiving a reasonable diet.

If she rejects milk, don’t force it just quietly take it away. Experienced parents report that each time Toddler says "no," her determination becomes stronger.

Should it happen that she is without a daily pint of milk or other calcium-containing products (such as cheese or yogurt) for more than two weeks, it might be wise to report this to your physician.

Toddlers require variety in their menu just as we do. Chewy foods, especially finger foods like shredded carrot strips or a chicken leg are excellent for their emerging teeth and for exercising the muscles of her mouth.

The identical muscles used in chewing are used in speaking. Regular vigorous chewing practice will make the movements of tongue, lips, and jaws more proficient.

Caution: finger foods should be introduced with care and in small amounts, such as shredded carrots, not sticks. Meat bones should be checked carefully to make sure there are no small fragments that can come off and choke Toddler.

For children, play is work. For them, it may not be as simple as it looks. In fact, there are several categories of play that can be observed when two or more preschool children are present.

Onlooker Play. In this situation one child is a passive spectator as he watches another child play without participating in the activity. By means of onlooker play, a child may learn new behaviors or may muster up the courage to develop some new skill at a later time.

Onlooker play often enables a shy child, a younger child, or a child who is in unfamiliar surroundings, to adjust more easily to a new situation.

Parallel Play. This type of play may be observed when two or more children play in close proximity but independently of one another. Although playing alongside one another, each child is focused on his or her own activity.

Sometimes a child will alternate from parallel play to onlooker play, and then later imitate the play of the other child in resumed parallel play.

Associative Play. In this form of play, children as young as 3 share materials, while each one pursues his or her own goal. Two or more children, for example, may organize an activity around a common theme such as "going to the store." But each child concentrates on his or her own "agenda" or "shopping list."

In associative play, there is a great deal of lending and borrowing—crayons, trucks, stuffed animals—but without any coordinated purpose or other direct social interaction. The children are more interested in exchanging materials than in performing any specific task.

Cooperative Play. This type of play generally emerges around 4 years of age and continues throughout the school years. Cooperative play involves organized group activity. It may be as simple as collaborating in building a house of blocks or as complex as a structured game such as football, with specific rules which all must obey.

In cooperative play children generally have an opportunity to expand their vocabulary. Facial expressions and vigorous gestures will often accompany their words. Cooperative play also helps children develop better social skills and enlarge their circle of friends.

Social Fantasy Play. Many preschool children enjoy combining cooperative play with pretend play to form what is called social fantasy play. In this type of play, each child is assigned a specific fantasy role (firefighter, nurse, superhero) in a game with a specific fantasy theme ("A trip to the moon").

Social fantasy play enables children to assume leadership roles, learn to better manage their own feelings; and through role playing be more understanding of others.

As young children progress from solitary play to cooperative and social fantasy play, it is apparent that the functions of play are most important elements in their physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development.

In a true sense, a child’s play area is his best classroom. Play should indeed be the essential work of every young child.

Courtesy Growing Child www.growingchild.com