Feeding Toddlers: Feeding Chart, Meal Ideas, and Serving Sizes

Experts explain how to provide toddlers with the nutritious food they need for their growing bodies.

Your child is walking, climbing, running, and "talking" nonstop now. Such developmental milestones mean his nutritional needs have changed, too.

Welcome to toddler territory. Armed with some basic know-how, you'll discover how best to nourish your child up to age 3.

It's ironic: Because of a slowdown in growth, toddlers, who are far more active than infants, have lower calorie needs, pound for pound. That doesn't diminish the importance of good nutrition, but it does present some challenges.?

Toddlers need between 1,000 and 1,400 calories a day, depending on their age, size, and physical activity level (most are considered active). The amount of food a toddler requires from each of the food groups is based on daily calorie needs.

In addition to choices from each of the food groups, toddlers need the equivalent of 3 to 4 teaspoons of healthy oils, such as canola oil and tub margarine.

Daily Servings,

12-24 months

Daily Servings,

24-36 months

3, at least half from whole-grain sources

5, at least half from whole-grain sources

1 slice of whole-grain bread; 1 mini bagel; 1/2 cup cooked pasta, rice, or cereal; 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal

1 small apple; 1 cup sliced or cubed fruit; 1 large banana

1 cup cooked mashed or finely chopped vegetables including legumes (chickpeas, black beans, etc.)

1 cooked egg; 1 ounce cooked meat, poultry, or seafood; 1 tablespoon nut butter; 1/4 cup cooked legumes

1 cup milk or yogurt; 2 ounces processed American cheese; 1 1/2 ounces natural cheese, such as cheddar (low-fat for ages 2 and older)

Every day, toddlers hone their motor skills, including at the table. Mastering the pincer grasp, which allows children to pick up small bits of food (and other objects) between their thumbs and the forefingers, is one of the first steps to self-feeding, says pediatrician Tanya Remer Altman, MD, author of Mommy Calls.

Children start to develop the pincer grasp around 9 months, the same time they're ready for a lidded sippy or straw cup filled with infant formula or breast milk.

Many toddlers can self-feed an entire meal at around a year old, while other toddlers may need help until 18 months or so, Altman tells WebMD.

"After age 2, most toddlers can use a regular cup without a lid without spilling, but if they enjoy a straw cup or a sippy cup, there's no harm in that," Altman says.?

Once a child discovers he can get food into his own mouth, he may not want you to help so much anymore.?

Toddler self-feeding gives a whole new meaning to the term mess hall, but it's worth it to let him try to get food into his mouth, says Elisa Zied, MS, RD, author of Feed Your Family Right! and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

"Self-feeding is an important developmental skill that parents should nurture," Zied says.

Allow children to self-feed as much as they can and want to, advises Altman, but if they aren't getting enough food, you can help, too.

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ED Invites Ideas to Improve Federal Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements

The U.S. Department of Education reached out to education leaders and stakeholders last week inviting them to offer ideas to reduce the burden of some administrative recordkeeping and reporting requirements tied to federal funding and to better promote existing flexibility that can reduce burden in low-income schools.

State, local and tribal governments that administer federally funded programs must follow federal recordkeeping and reporting requirements intended to ensure the proper use of federal dollars. One example of these requirements is time-and-effort reporting, which verifies that an individual whose salary is supported by a federal program is spending the appropriate amount of time carrying out allowable activities of that program. Completing these requirements can often be time consuming and provide little information on the impact of services supported through the program.

In an effort to reduce administrative burdens while still ensuring the proper use of federal funds, the Department is seeking ideas to improve administrative recordkeeping and reporting protocols regarding the use of federal funds, including those pertaining to time-and-effort reporting. Ideas submitted should consider alternative evidence that could replace applicable recordkeeping and reporting requirements, increase the use of data and development of data systems, or encourage reforms that create long-term improvements around efficiency and productivity. For example, within the context of time-and-effort reporting, interested education leaders and stakeholders may wish to offer suggestions that will improve the quality and content of the information reported, such as demonstrating the valuable impact federally funded positions have on improving student achievement, school services and community involvement in education.

The Department is also interested in ideas to better promote existing flexibility called “Schoolwide schools” that can permit schools with large numbers of low-income students to reduce requirements associated with time-and-effort reporting, in addition to providing other benefits. Yet, districts and schools rarely take advantage of this flexibility. Last March, the Department released promising practices for productivity and flexibility, encouraging States to take advantage of this available alternative. To help further these efforts, the Department invites education leaders and stakeholders to offer ideas that will help promote or improve guidance around existing flexibility.

In a memorandum sent to federal departments last February, the President urged federal agencies to work with state and local officials on increasing efficiency and reducing costs of protocols tied to federal dollars while maintaining accountability. Soliciting ideas from local, tribal and State governments as well as the general public as part of the Department’s ongoing outreach to engage local officials in an open dialogue about ways the federal government can better serve their needs.

To submit an idea or learn more, visit http://www.ed.gov/blog/2011/10/granting-administrative-flexibility-for-better-measures-of-success.

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