Everything you need to know about feeding your kids. From the Division of Responsibility to tips for keeping your kids at the table, to the importance of family meals, I’ve got you covered.
I may be a bit biased, but I think that every parent could benefit from working with a pediatric nutritionist. Most pediatricians get very minimal training in nutrition and often don’t have the time to answer questions in depth. Dietitians, however, specialize in just feeding and often our appointments are longer, giving us more time to focus on any area of concerns you may have.
When babies are first starting to eat, it’s very common for them to put too much food in their mouth leading to mouth stuffing or food pocketing. It may actually take them a while to realize that they need to swallow their food. Many babies will figure out what they need to do on their own, but there are some tips and tricks you can use to help them figure it out.
Every parent knows the struggle of getting their child to bed. No child is ever as hungry or thirsty as a toddler at bedtime. Are they really hungry or are they stalling? While not necessary for every child, a bedtime snack can be an easy way to ensure that your child isn’t hungry and is really just avoiding bed.
If you’re dealing with a constipated toddler, you’ve probably heard how important fiber is for kids. Many times that’s all the information that parents are given. You may not have been told where you can get fiber or that you can actually have too much fiber.
Many people refer to fiber as roughage because it comes from plant foods or bulk because it’s something that our body doesn’t digest and adds bulk to our stools.
Do you find yourself constantly cleaning up the floor after every meal? Has mealtime become a game where your toddler tosses food down just for you to pick it up again? If so, know that you’re not alone. Food throwing is a common issue plaguing many parents.
When we think of calcium, we often think of bones which is why it is such a crucial nutrient for kids. Calcium is also used in other processes throughout the body and is actually the most abundant mineral in our bodies. Even if your child doesn’t like milk, they can still get all the calcium they need from other sources.
While most people think of vitamin C as a supplement for when you get sick or something you get from orange juice, when we talk about it for kids, the focus is almost always on its ability to aid with iron absorption. Iron is a critical nutrient for young kids and vitamin C can help our bodies absorb more, especially from plant foods.
Many animals are able to make their own vitamin C, but humans are reliant on foods or supplements to get it. Labels list it as ascorbic acid which is the version commonly used in supplements and as a preservative.
Whether we’re talking about infant feeding, introducing solids, or picky eating, vitamin D is an important part of the conversation. Vitamin D is a vitamin that we can technically make ourselves, but most of us do not make enough. There are also no that many good food sources of vitamin D, meaning that many people need to supplement.
One of the critical nutrients all babies need is zinc. Luckily, many of the foods that contain zinc, also contain iron, so if you focus on iron-containing foods, your baby should get all the zinc that they need.
