Food and Nutrition Guidelines - Barnsley Council Online

5. Children 1-4 years
Why is good nutrition
important for young
children?
By now, your baby can fit in with the family by
eating three mashed or chopped meals a day
as well as milk. Your baby may also like healthy
snacks such as fruit or toast in between meals.
If your baby is on the move, they may want more
food. Babies have small tummies and they need
energy and vitamins for growth, so make sure
you give them full-fat dairy products such as
yoghurt, fromage frais and cheese. Cutting back
on fat is sensible for adults, but not for babies.
• Positive food habits developed at the
toddler stage are important because they
will be taken forward into later childhood
and adult life.
• Children develop likes and dislikes and start
to have a say in what they want to eat.
• Toddlerhood is a time of rapid growth and
development.
• Well nourished children are less likely to
develop infections.
• Energy and concentration levels are better
in children who eat regularly and include a
wide variety of foods.
• Improved oral health.
• Helps to prevent childhood obesity.
• Helps prevent anaemia and constipation.
• Eating together helps children develop
social skills.
What is the ideal
toddler diet?
By the time your child is starting to stand up
and take their first steps, they will be joining in
family meals. As they get more active and use
more energy, they will need a varied, energy-rich
diet for good health and growth. Babies and
children under two have small tummies and
cannot eat large amounts of food all in one go,
so they need small meals with healthy snacks
in between. Like the rest of the family, your
toddler needs to eat a variety of foods from the
four groups:
• fruit and vegetables
• bread, other cereals and potatoes
• meat, fish and other proteins
• milk and dairy products.
Babies and children (and adults!) should not
eat many foods containing fat and sugar, like
biscuits, cakes, puddings, ice cream, fats and
oils. It’s OK to give your child chocolate and
sweets occasionally. If you do, it’s best to give
them at the end of a meal, which helps to
reduce the risk of tooth decay.
While it is recommended that children over
the age of 5 follow the ‘Eat Well Plate’ model
it is not intended to apply in full to pre-school
children. Between the ages of 2-4 years a
flexible approach is therefore recommended.
• Less strict on fat
- choose ‘good’ fats like sunflower, rapeseed
or olive oil.
- avoid skimmed milk. Full fat milk should be
used for children under 2 years. Children 2yrs
and above can have semi-skimmed milk
• Low fat & high fibre diets for children
under 5 will not provide enough calories
• Less fibre
- use a variety of white, brown, wholemeal
and granary bread.
• Regular meals and snacks – every 2-3
hours
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