Isn’t it amazing to see your toddler growing and learning so quickly? It’s really important to make sure that they have a healthy, balanced diet packed with all the nutrients they need to help fuel all that amazing development.
So make sure that your toddler enjoys a combination of foods from these four groups: 

Starchy foods (carbohydrates) for energy, fibre, vitamins and minerals

Cereals, pasta, bread, rice, couscous, potatoes, crackers, sweet potatoes & yam 

4 servings daily

Fruit and vegetables for vitamins and fibre

Bananas, apples, pears, pineapple, grapes, kiwi fruit, oranges, tomatoes, peppers, apricots, plums and carrots... all these make great nutritious snacks for toddlers when cut into easy-to-eat finger foods. Offer some at every meal so your toddler learns to expect them as part of a normal meal

2-4 servings daily

Meat, fish and pulses for protein, fat, vitamins and minerals

Meat: fish, eggs, beef, turkey, chicken, pork and lamb are good sources of protein, fat and iron for your growing toddler. Minced beef is great for making homemade mini beef burgers without the added salt that is present in prepacked versions.

Pulses: chick peas, kidney beans, hummus and lentils are also nutritious and tasty ways to add some protein to your toddler’s diet – particularly if you’re vegetarian

2 small servings daily

Milk and dairy: milk, cheese and yogurt for calcium, other minerals and protein

Milk, cheese, yogurts and other dairy foods provide protein and give your toddler essential calcium for growing bones
3 servings daily

Foods high in fat, salt and/or sugar, like biscuits, crisps and cakes provide energy but little else so try to keep these to a minimum. If your toddler’s hungry between meals, let them snack on fruit, vegetable sticks, crackers, rice cakes or bread. It’s best to limit juice drinks to mealtimes.

Vitamin D is essential for strong bones and teeth, so it’s absolutely vital for fast-growing toddlers! The challenge is to ensure your toddler gets enough vitamin D, as it’s only found in certain foods – and not all toddlers enjoy them!

Vitamin D has really become more and more important in the diet and although your body can make vitamin D when the UV rays from the sun hit the skin, in Ireland we don't get enough of the right UV rays to provide us with enough of it. Also, sun screams which are important in preventing skin damage have an effect too.

We know from research in Ireland that toddlers aren't getting enough vitamin D, along with iron in their diets. 

Getting enough vitamin D is difficult to achieve due to the lack of sunshine in Ireland and the limited number of foods rich in vitamin D. Do your best to encourage your little one to eat oily fish, vitamin D fortified foods/milks and eggs each week to boost their vitamin D intake.

Iron is essential for your toddler’s health and development. Their little brains are still growing and developing at a rapid pace. Iron is really important to support this growth and development. You can get it from a variety of sources. But it is impotant that you keep in mind the different types of iron: haem iron and non-haem iron.

Haem iron is found is meat and fish and is easily absorbed by the body. Non-haem iron is found in non-meat/fish sources and is harder for the body to absorb. But eating vitamin C rich foods (e.g. citrus fruits, berries) at the same time boosts the absorption of the iron by the body.

One in four toddlers don't get enough iron.

Including a range of iron-rich foods in your toddler's diet will help supply essential iron and prevent iron deficiency anaemia, which can affect their development. Good sources include:

Take a trip down the supermarket aisle and you’ll see lots of drinks labelled for children. While many of them may look good, some contain added sugars. Read below for a list of drinks to pick and to skip!

Now quite confident at feeding themselves, your toddler will probably have their own routine of regular meals and snacks. They know what they like, but do keep trying out new foods on them from time to time.

If you haven’t introduced them already, try tasty ‘combination dishes’ like macaroni and cheese, spaghetti bolognese and casseroles.

Your toddler will need about three regular meals a day and two or three healthy snacks. Make sure they get enough vegetables by experimenting with things like mashed carrots, green beans, broccoli, potatoes and peas. It’s natural for toddlers to be fussy and refuse some foods, but don’t give up. Keep offering the refused food, as this fussy stage generally disappears. Toddlers can learn to accept different foods, particularly by watching you or their brothers and sisters enjoying it!

Keep meals interesting and varied so that your toddler keeps eating a variety of nutrients. Give them a surprise new fruit for pudding occasionally, such as rice pudding with banana, a fruit salad with yoghurt, apple crumble and custard, or a pancake with a variety of fruit slices.

Between 1-3 years toddlers’ nutritional needs can be more than double those of an adult’s for their size.* Keep feeding them the good stuff!

Sweets and chocolates: high fat and sugar foods like biscuits, ice-cream, cakes, chocolate bars should be limited as they can reduce your toddler’s appetite for healthy foods.

Salty foods: It’s important to not give your toddler too much salt. Never add it to their food and check ingredients on pre-made foods.