Toddler’s Age 2-3 Lifecycle
Do we even remember things at a toddler’s age? There may be people who remember clearly when they were that age. The lifecycle age of a toddler is from two to three or one to three depending on our preferences. According to the book Essentials of Nutrition: A Functional Approach, “By the age of two, children have advanced from infancy and are on their way to becoming school-aged children, their physical growth an motor development slows compared to the progress they made as infants. Toddlers experience enormous intellectual, emotional, and social changes. During this phase of human development, toddlers are mobile and grow more slowly than infants, but are much more active. The toddlers pose interesting challenges for parents or other caregivers, as they learn how to eat on their own and begin to develop personal preferences.” (Zimmerman & Snow, 2013)
The problems we face when feeding our little ones food and nutrition is challenging. We have to introduce new foods to them, while facing or helping our toddler overcome a fear of new foods. As parents we must make sure our toddlers have nutritious choices at every meal. If our child is stubborn or is a picky eater, that is normal because toddlers often experience a decrease in appetite. A poor appetite can mean not feeling well, tired or excited at meal time, or experiencing a slower growth rate. We have to put our foot down as parents when wanting our picky toddler to eat. We should limit snacks and juice before meal time and remove distractions at meal times like television. According to Nutritionist Ellyn Slater, “In the toddler years and beyond, parents are responsible for what children eat, when they eat, and where they eat, while the children are responsible for how much food they eat and whether they eat.” (Zimmerman & Snow, 2013)
Let’s look at the diet for this stage of a