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What Nutrients/Food Groups Must a Toddler Consume on a Daily Basis?
Creating a nutritious meal plan for your toddler is challenging. The trick to doing it right can be put into two simple steps. Firstly, understand the important food items that need to be included in the everyday diet. And then, make the most of your creativity to put it into interesting and healthy snacks!
Once you are a parent, it becomes almost a habit to worry about everything related to your child. Yes, it is natural that you torture yourself to believing that whatever you feed your little one isn’t just good enough! Want to get over this fretful feeling? Get to know what exactly are the most essential nutrients and food items that you must include in your little one’s diet! Here is a compiled list of the top-most essential nutrients that must be a part of your toddler’s diet. A balanced diet for a toddler necessarily involves the following food groups:
Proteins
Proteins are nutrients that are required to build body muscles and tissues; essentially helping the child to grow. Moreover, they boost the immune system to fight infections and also help to carry oxygen throughout the body. An average intake of proteins for a 2–3 year old is 13 gm per day. High levels of proteins are found in food items like meat, fish, eggs, nuts, beans and dairy products.
Calcium/Milk Group
Calcium is very important to build a child’s healthy and strong bones and teeth. Calcium is also important as it helps in blood clotting and in the proper functioning of nerves and muscles. An average 2-year-old toddler requires a minimum of 700 mg of calcium in a day. Food items that contain high levels of calcium are milk, cheese, yogurt, broccoli and spinach.
Carbohydrates/Grain Group
Carbohydrates are the most important source of energy for a toddler. They help in using the fat and protein in the body. Carbohydrates come in the form of sugar and starches or grains. Make sure to provide toddlers with more of starch and less of sugar. Carbs should make up 45-65 % of your toddler’s diet. They are usually found in breads, cereals, etc.
Fruits and Vegetables Group
Considered as the protective food group, fruits and vegetables help to build immunity and keep away illnesses. Fruits and vegetables provide the toddler’s body with essential vitamins, especially vitamin-C that helps to fight off the common cold and to help heal wounds. On an average, a 2-year-old toddler needs 1 cup each of fruits and vegetables in a day!
Top 10 Ideas for Healthy Lunch Snacks for Toddlers
By age two, children should be eating three healthy meals a day, with one or two snacks in between. If they are at home the whole day, it is much easier to feed them frequently. However, if your little toddler needs a snack or meal packed for daycare, nursery or babysitter, then you need to come up with smart and healthy options to get them to eat!
We have compiled a list of some healthy snacks for toddlers’ lunch boxes that are easy to pack and stay fresh till they eat. You can try out the same snacks or draw inspiration from these to come up with new ones. There shouldn’t be an excuse for you to not come up with a toddler's lunch snack ideas now! All the recipes are easy to prepare and won’t take up too much of your time.
Hummus Sandwich
Hummus is essentially a middle-eastern recipe prepared from chickpeas and tahini (paste from sesame seeds). You can add other nuts like peanuts and cashews to the recipe to make it even more nutritious. The creamy texture of hummus makes it a favourite among toddlers. You can either spread it over bread to make a sandwich or simply serve it as a dip for vegetable sticks.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 2 tsp tahini
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 brown bread slices
Instructions:
- Place all the ingredients, except the olive oil in a blender jar or food processor.
- Puree or blend till creamy and smooth.
- Mix in the olive oil.
- Add more lemon juice, if needed.
- Spread the prepared hummus in between bread slices.
- Toast the bread according to taste.
Whole Grain Zucchini Muffin
Muffins are probably the easiest and most convenient way to include whole grains and veggies into your toddler’s snack, yet make it interesting for them. Besides, you can store muffins for more days, thus save time on busy days. Zucchini is a powerhouse of vitamins and antioxidants with a distinctive taste, but in this recipe, it is smartly masked with flavorful ingredients to taste great!
Ingredients:
- 1¼ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- A pinch of salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Mix and sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl.
- Whisk the eggs, oil and vanilla into a bowl.
- Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips into this.
- Now mix together the dry and wet ingredients gently in small amounts.
- Stir until well combined.
- Transfer the batter to muffin trays.
- Bake in a preheated oven for around 10 minutes at 180°C.
Teddy Bear Toast
Making snacks couldn’t get any easier than this now! This teddy bear toast is not only a delight to the eyes but is also an instant hit in taste among toddlers. Made with very simple ingredients, it is a handy recipe that can be put together in just 10 minutes time!
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of bread
- 4 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 banana (sliced)
- 6 blueberries
Instructions:
- Toast the bread slices well until golden brown.
- Spread 2 tbsp of peanut butter on each of the bread slices.
- Shape the butter into one large circle for the teddy bear’s face and two little circles for the ears.
- Place a banana slice in the centre of each small circle, to make the ears and one slice in the centre to make the mouth.
- Place two blueberries above the centre to make the eyes and one on top of the centre banana slice.
Chicken Pita Pocket
Here is a savoury recipe for toddler lunch snack ideas. This healthy snack made with chicken and veggies is high in protein and very nutritious. An excellent alternative to ordinary bread, the healthy wholemeal pita bread is also a perfect fit for the little toddler hands.
Ingredients:
- ½ slice wholemeal pita bread
- Cooked chicken breast (cooked with pepper and salt)
- Cucumber - cut into small pieces
- 4 cherry tomatoes
Instructions:
- Shred the chicken breast into small pieces.
- Fill the pita bread with the chicken, cucumber and tomato pieces.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bars
An interesting recipe to incorporate healthy ingredients in your toddler’s diet! The peanut butter energy bars with the chocolate topping are an excellent snack idea for toddlers who love chocolate; and a healthy dessert option for the adult with the sweet tooth too!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup oats
- ½ cup roasted peanuts
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Soak the dates in hot water for 15 minutes.
- Drain the dates and reserve the water.
- Place the soaked dates, oats and peanut butter in the blender. Blend until mixed well.
- Add the reserved water if the mixture turns dry.
- Now, transfer the mix into a greased tray.
- Take the chocolate chips in a bowl and microwave till melted.
- Spread this over the mix in the tray.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Cut into small square pieces and serve!
Spinach and Cheese Mini Pizza Roll
Pack your toddler’s snack box with this flavorful spinach and cheese pizza roll; it is so yummy and nutritious! Besides, being in small rolls, almost shaped like a muffin, it is easy to handle for the tiny toddler fingers.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups pizza dough
- 1 cup baby spinach
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
- Shape the pizza dough into a big rectangular sheet.
- Spread the pizza sauce evenly throughout.
- Then spread the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and the chopped baby spinach.
- Roll the dough carefully keeping the toppings intact.
- Cut into even slices using a sharp knife.
- Place each of these slices in the greased muffin tray and bake for around 25 minutes at 180°C.
Egg and Cheese Mini Muffins
These little muffins are a go-to healthy snack for little toddlers who are also fussy eaters. These little muffins are packed with protein and taste delicious too!
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp onion chopped
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- ½ cup cottage cheese (paneer)
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions:
- Stir together all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Spoon the batter into greased muffin cups.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes.
Colourful Beetroot Parathas
A healthy, tasty and colourful snack for toddlers that is made using beetroot and whole wheat flour.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup chopped beetroot
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- ¼ tsp pepper powder
- Garam masala (optional)
- Ghee (as needed)
Instructions:
- Cook the beetroot with 1 tbsp water till it turns soft.
- Cool and make a puree.
- Combine the beetroot puree and all other ingredients in a bowl.
- Knead to make a soft dough. Add water as needed.
- Make balls and then flatten to shape like parathas.
- Cook on a hot tawa. Add ghee as desired.
Yummy Star Sandwich
Kids are often said to eat with their eyes. Make their snacks a delightful treat with these star shaped parathas that are also super nutritious!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup wheat flour
- ½ cup soya flour
- ½ cup boiled potato
- ½ cup onion
- 3 tbsp cabbage (finely chopped)
- 3 tbsp carrot (finely chopped)
- 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- Ghee/oil (as needed)
Instructions:
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
- Knead well to form a soft dough. Add water as needed.
- Make balls of the dough and flatten.
- Cut star shapes of the dough using a star shaped cookie cutter.
- Cook the star parathas on a hot tawa using ghee as desired.
Blueberry Dates Snack Cake
Made from a handful of wholesome ingredients, this snack cake is jam packed with nutrients. It is super moist and is perfect for the little toddlers to chew on!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dates (pitted)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp ground flax-seed
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup blueberries-
- Salt
Instructions:
- Soak the dates in hot water for 1 hour. Drain and place aside.
- Grind the rolled oats in a blender. To this add all of the other ingredients and blend till a smooth batter is formed.
- Pour this batter into a greased baking pan.
- Sprinkle the blueberries over the poured batter and press gently.
- Bake the cake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes at 180°C.
How to Pack a Toddler's Lunch Box
Packing your toddler’s lunch box is as important as preparing the snack itself. Toddlers may be fussy eaters, but when food is presented in interesting ways, they are probably the easiest to fall for! Apart from packing food creatively, there are other aspects of packing that you must pay close attention to:
- Choose the Right Container: Always choose the right sized containers. Also, make sure to select containers that are most durable and made from high quality material. Avoid low grade plastic.
- Try Familiar Food: When packing your toddler’s snack box, try to include food that he is familiar with. If you wish to try a new recipe, please try it out whilst he is at home.
- Balanced Food: A good snack is one that contains all nutrients in equal amounts. Make sure to make it as balanced in nutrition as possible.
- The Right Size of the Food: Make sure that food is cut into small servings for the tiny little hands to handle!
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A Balanced Diet is Important for Your Baby
Providing a balanced diet to your toddler is important for his/her proper growth and development. Some babies are finicky in eating food, this should however not discourage you from finding innovative and appealing ways of ensuring that their basic dietary requirements are met through simple yet nutritious recipes. We hope this BP Guide would have helped you in discovering many such recipes. Stay connected with us for more such engaging content.