Tips for responsible feeding of children aged 1-5 years

By Branislava Vidanović - Published 5 years ago

Healthy habits of children should be encouraged since their earliest days. Forming healthy habits with children is the foundation of good health. Therefore we offer you a few tips on the healthy diet of your children:

It is essential to provide a child with more meals during the day. Your child should have three main meals and two snacks. Try to offer meals always at the same time. The recommendation is that a child gets the first meal in the first hour after waking up and the last meal at least an hour before going to bed.
Variety of food is vital for the good health of your child, who also has an opportunity to try and start loving new types of food. Offer your child on a daily basis: dairy products, fish or meat or eggs, cereal, fruit, vegetables.
Do not give children: fried, salty and too spicy food, sweets, carbonated drinks, black tea, snacks. Also, avoid bony fruits and popcorn.
Do not insist on quantity. Daily needs depend on age and activities during the day. Your little one will eat a large amount of food today, the next day considerably less – don’t worry about that! Respect your child’s choice, taste and desire. Don’t force your child to eat.
Make sure that the child took in a sufficient amount of fluids. Children aged from one to three need five to six cups of fluids per day. The best solution is water. Avoid giving fluids to children immediately before, during or shortly after meals.
Respect the child’s choice not to like a particular ingredient. Offer them a food supply at another time or in another combination. Children from the first to the fifth year respond to food appearance in a plate. Maybe making different “drawings” of food can help make your child like a specific food.
Eat together as a family whenever you have a chance, at the table. Cook together. Make your meal a relaxing, pleasant event. Allow the child to bake the dough, help you set the table or pack the dishes in your dishwasher.
Teach your child to enjoy the meal and devote themselves to it. Avoid using tablets, mobile phones, and watching TV during meals.
A little playing with food and dirty clothes are allowed! After the first year, the child becomes more independent and wants to eat without the help of others. Eating is like a game to them. Allow your little one to get dirty exploring “the world of meals”. If a child is younger than three years old, let them eat with his fingers. Offer them a spoon or fork, but do not insist on accepting them immediately.
Encourage healthy habits in your child on a daily level and be consistent. In addition to healthy nutrition, encourage regular activities and enough sleep.

Finally, the most important is – BE PATIENT! Feeding is aprocess of learning.

Bon appetite! 😊