Toddlers are finicky eaters. Even on a good day, it can be a challenge to ensure your toddler is receiving all the nutrition she needs to grow properly. "Failure to thrive" is the medical term for a child who does not meet expected growth standards. This condition has many causes, but at its root is a failure to gain weight or meet height growth expectations. Increasing nutritional intake is the primary means of helping these toddlers gain weight.
Understanding Eating Patterns
To help your child gain weight, it is important to understand how toddlers' appetites and tastes change over time. According to AskDrSears.com, inconsistency in toddlers' eating patterns is normal. A toddler may eat nothing but fruit one day and then only cheese the next. Individual growth patterns and changing energy needs are usually to blame. Short attention spans are just as problematic. Toddlers do not like to sit still for anything, including meals. Offer food items that can be eaten quickly, such as diced fruits or vegetables which can be eaten with small hands.
Drinks
Avoid high-sugar juices that contain only small amounts of fruit. Instead opt for 100 percent juices. For an even better drink, you can juice your own fruits at home. This allows you to experiment with different fruits, vegetables and flavor combinations. The downside to juices is that the dietary fiber is removed in the juicing process. Smoothies are another way to drink in the healthy calories. Blending the fruit with milk ensures the fruits retain their fiber, and combining fruit with milk or yogurt in the blender adds calcium for bone growth and development.
Double Duty Foods
For the ultra-picky toddler who only likes eating one food at a time, the experts at WhatToExpect.com recommend offering foods that provide multiple nutritional benefits. For example, cheeses contain both protein and calcium. Whole grain breads offer complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber and iron.
Snack Smarts
Snacking is an essential component of a toddler's diet. The goal for any healthy diet is to keep snacking healthy and fun. This is even more important when the child needs to snack to help with weight gain, because once a healthy weight has been achieved, healthy snacking habits will continue. Whole grain crackers with cheese or peanut butter, applesauce and bananas are toddler favorites which contain high quality calories.
Meal Timing
"Breakfast, lunch and dinner" are labels adults place on meals and have little meaning to a toddler. Dr. Sears advises parents of toddlers to ditch the distinctions if it allows for the child to eat more. Chicken bites and vegetables are fine at breakfast time, and eating fruit yogurt with granola is just as healthy at dinnertime as it is in the morning. Though this method will not work for all families all the time, allow for this type of flexibility while your child need to gain extra weight.
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