Ensuring proper nutrition for children aged one to five is crucial for their growth and development. This age group requires a balanced diet that provides essential nutrients while promoting healthy eating habits. This article offers comprehensive advice on how to make mealtimes enjoyable and nutritious for young children, addressing common concerns and providing practical tips for parents and carers.

1.0 Making Mealtimes Enjoyable

Creating a positive mealtime environment is essential for encouraging children to eat well. Here are some strategies:

• Create a Child-Friendly Dining Space: Cover the floor to catch any mess, and ensure your child is safely strapped into their seat but with their hands and head free to move (University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, 2023)​​.
• Family Meals: Sit together as a family during meals. This not only models good eating habits but also makes mealtimes a social activity​​.
• Limit Distractions: Turn off the TV, tablets, and phones to focus on the meal and each other.
• Finger Foods: Allow your child to use their fingers to touch and explore their food. This helps them learn to eat and makes the experience more engaging.
• Meal Duration: Keep meals to around 20 minutes, as this is generally sufficient for young children​​ (NHS, 2023A).

2.0 Nutritional Needs

Children between one and five years old need a variety of foods to meet their nutritional requirements. Their daily diet should include:

• Dairy: One pint of milk or three servings from options like a beaker of milk (120ml), a small chunk of cheese (20-30g), or a pot of yoghurt (100-120g)​​.
• Protein: Meat, fish, eggs, pulses, or foods made from pulses should be included at least twice a day, with three portions daily for vegetarian children (British Dietetic Association (BDA), 2023) ​​.
• Fruits and Vegetables: Aim for five child-sized portions a day, including fresh, tinned, dried, or frozen options.
• Starchy Foods: Include starchy foods such as rice, potatoes, bread, chapatti, breakfast cereal, or pasta in every meal (NHS, 2023B).
• Iron-Rich Foods: Foods like eggs, meat, oily fish, green vegetables, beans, and fortified breakfast cereals should be included for their iron content.
• Vitamin C: To aid iron absorption, include foods rich in vitamin C, such as green vegetables, citrus fruits, and berries.

3.0 Meal and Snack Ideas

Incorporate these meal and snack ideas to ensure variety and nutrition:

3.1 Main Meals:

• Chicken or fish with rice and peas.
• Tuna pasta with carrots or broccoli.
• Grilled sausages or vegetable burgers with mashed potatoes and peas.
• Shepherd’s pie served with peas or carrots.
• Fish fingers with baked beans and potatoes.
• Chapatti or rice with lentil curry and yoghurt​​ (BNF, 2023)

3.2 Quick Meals:

• Grilled cheese on toast.
• Sandwiches with cheese spread, cooked meat, or banana.
• Wholemeal crackers with hummus or cheese spread.
• Jacket potato with tuna and sweetcorn.
• Toast fingers with baked beans or scrambled egg​​.

3.3 Puddings:

• Fresh fruit.
• Milk puddings like rice pudding.
• Tinned fruit with yoghurt.
• Banana with custard.
• Yoghurt or fromage frais with blended fruit​​ (Netmums, 2023).

3.4 Drinks:

• Encourage drinking from a cup rather than a bottle to reduce tooth decay.
• Offer water between meals and diluted, unsweetened fruit juice at mealtimes.
• Avoid sweet, fizzy drinks and limit tea and coffee as they can inhibit iron absorption (USDA Food and Nutrition Service, 2021)​​.

3.5 Snacks:

• Fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, unsweetened breakfast cereals, and savoury options like mini pitta with cheese spread are good choices.
• Avoid sugary snacks, cakes, and crisps (Murkoff, 2014) ​​.

4.0 Special Considerations

4.1 Vitamin Supplements: The National Health Service (NHS) recommends vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C, and D for children aged six months to five years, especially if they are not drinking 500ml of formula milk daily (NHS, 2023)​​.

4.2 Weight Management: Monitor the intake of fatty and sugary foods, maintain regular meals, and encourage physical activity to prevent excessive weight gain (Ward & Cupples, 2006) ​​.

4.3 Constipation: Ensure adequate fluid intake, include wholegrain starches, and provide plenty of fruits and vegetables to alleviate constipation (Karmel, 2010).

By following these guidelines, parents and carers can help young children develop healthy eating habits that will benefit them throughout their lives. For further advice, consult a health visitor or doctor​​.

References

British Dietetic Association (BDA) (2023) “Healthy Eating for Children”. [Online]. Available at: https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/healthy-eating-for-children.html. [Accessed on 09 June 2024].

British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) (2023) “Portion Sizes for Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers”. [Online]. Available at: https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutrition-for/toddlers-and-pre-school/. [Accessed on 09 June 2024].

Karmel, A. (2010) Top 100 Baby Purees: 100 Quick and Easy Meals for a Healthy and Happy Baby. Atria Books.

Murkoff, H. (2014) What to Expect: The Toddler Years. Workman Publishing Company.

National Health Service (NHS) (2023A) “Vitamins for Children”. [Online]. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/vitamins-for-children/. [Accessed on 09 June 2024].

National Health Service (NHS) (2023B) “Start4Life: Healthy Eating for Children”. [Online]. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/. [Accessed on 09 June 2024].

Netmums (2023) “Healthy Eating for Toddlers”. [Online]. Available at: https://www.netmums.com/. [Accessed on 09 June 2024].

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (2023) “Start Right: Eating for the One to Five Year Olds”. [Online]. Available at: file:///C:/Users/mtisl/Downloads/Start%20right%20-%20Eating%20for%20the%20one%20to%20five%20year%20olds.pdf. [Accessed on 09 June 2024].

USDA Food and Nutrition Service (2021) “Nutrition and Wellness Tips for Young Children: Provider Handbook for the Child and Adult Care Food Program”. [Online]. Available at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/cacfp/crediting-handbook. [Accessed on 09 June 2024].

Ward, E., & Cupples Cooper, S. (2006) Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense. Bull Publishing Company.