Feeding Kids

B vitamins are a group of water soluble vitamins that help our body make energy from the food we eat and also form red blood cells. You may see them written out as something like vitamin B1 or as a name like thiamine.

Because they are water soluble, our bodies don’t store them very well. When we eat too much, we tend to get rid of it in our urine. This is actually why you may have extremely bright yellow pee after taking a vitamin B complex or even a multivitamin containing B vitamins (it’s the riboflavin that does it).

Around age 1, most parents are advised to switch from formula or breast milk to cow’s milk. There are many reasons why families may not want or be able to offer cow’s milk and are looking for milk alternatives. There is no food that your child NEEDS to eat, so if you do not want to offer milk, you do not need to offer an alternative, however you definitely can.

One of your jobs as the parent is to determine when your child eats. As with all feeding recommendations, your child’s personal wants and needs should be taken into account, but the overall decision should be yours.
In general, I recommend a flexible routine more than a rigid schedule. This allows for changes as needed. Some days your child may be hungrier than others. Some days they may need more sleep and take longer naps. The routine allows for predictability while still allowing you to respond to your child’s needs.

When most people think of potassium, the first thing that comes to mind is a banana. There are many other foods that have as much, if not more potassium than a banana, so if your child doesn’t eat bananas, don’t worry. It’s still possible for them to get enough of this critical mineral.

It is not uncommon for toddlers to go through a picky eating phase where they want nothing to do with meat. During this phase, many parents wonder if their child is getting enough protein. The answer most of the time is yes. Protein needs for kids are very low, which is why it’s not often a nutrient of concern.

If you are focusing on other nutrients, like iron, you will probably be able to help your child meet their protein needs. Many iron containing foods also contain protein, which is why I don’t list protein as a nutrient in my balanced plate.

You may never have heard of choline in your health classes or prior to the last few years. It’s only been recently that it’s been getting a lot of buzz. It’s used in a lot of processes in the body, one of which is early brain development, making it very important for babies and kids.