This Is The Best Feeding Schedule For Toddlers, According To Experts
A schedule is the only thing stable in their energetic life.
5 August 2017
Editor
Unless you’ve been blessed with a saint instead of a toddler, we can bet family mealtimes at your place are less about eating and more about messing around a bowl of unfinished veggies.
Food – after bedtime — is perhaps the touchiest subject to the parent of a toddler. The majority of tots go through a rough patch in their mealtime. One day, they’ll eat boiled broccoli like a lollipop and the next day, they’re going to ruin the entire meal.
For most parents, it takes a lot more than just cooking and feeding to make sure their toddler get a healthy and balanced diet. Some restore to cajoling and bribing while others take a stern stance such as time-out or no-dessert policy.
As a parent, your job is to make sure that their eating habits don’t hamper their growth. Your baby needs to consume a sufficient amount of iron-rich foods that accelerate their growth.
Why you need a feeding schedule for your toddler?
You may think that feeding your tot whenever they are hungry is the way to go but as it turns out, there’s a universal schedule that paediatrician recommends.
According to pediatric feeding specialist Melanie Potock, "We segment the day into 'growing times' — time away from the meal or snack table, when we play outdoors —and 'eating times.'"
In general, experts believe that toddlers between the ages of should have more than 3 meals a day to keep up with their energetic day. Instead of adding a 4th large meal, it’s better to add healthy snacks in between. But snacking doesn’t mean giving them a free pass to eat what they want whenever they want.
Following a set time for feeding prevents unhealthy grazing and improves their digestion and sleeping patterns.
According to experts, the following schedule works best for toddlers.
• Eating Time - Morning
• Growing Time - 2 to 2 ½ hours
• Eating Time - Mid-Morning
• Growing Time - 2 to 2 ½ hours
• Eating Time - Mid-Day
• Growing Time - 2 to 2 ½ hours
• Eating Time- Mid-Afternoon
• Growing Time - 2 to 2 ½ hours
• Eating Time - Early Evening
