Providing a healthy, balanced diet involves combining
foods from five different food groups and serving them
in appropriate proportions. The Balance of Good
Health plate model used for adults and children aged
over 5 years is inappropriate for toddlers, although
those over 2 years old can begin to eat a diet that
resembles these proportions. Recommendations for
toddlers are based on the same five food groups (see
Table 1). The combination of these food groups includes
a mixture of some ‘high energy’ and some ‘low energy’
foods. Convenience foods can be part of this balance.
Toddlers should be allowed to eat according to their
appetite rather than to specific serving sizes – the
amounts they eat will vary from toddler to toddler, day
to day and meal to meal; some eat more or less than
average, and yet grow and develop normally. Generally
portion sizes will get larger as they grow. Children can
regulate their appetite to meet their nutritional needs
from soon after birth. This means that toddlers will be
hungry only for the amount of food that they need to
eat, and are often better judges of how much that is than
are their parents. Toddlers should be given both a
savoury and sweet course at meals. This gives two
opportunities for sufficient nutrients to be consumed
and increases the variety of foods the toddler is eating.
Nutritious puddings are a valuable part of the meal and
should not be used only as a reward for eating the
savoury course.