Prepackaged or canned meals for toddlers may be convenient, but some brands are very high in sodium, according to the Canadian Stroke Network and Advanced Foods & Materials Network in a February 2010 Marketwire article. Consuming large quantities of salt at a young age may make children crave salt in adulthood. To set your two-year-old on the right track, make homemade meals for your child, featuring a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables every day.
Breakfast
Don’t worry if the foods you are giving your two-year-old for breakfast are not traditional breakfast foods. Giving your child the most nutritious foods possible throughout the day, no matter what time it is, will help your child develop a taste for healthy foods he enjoys. AskDrSears.com recommends creating a variety plate featuring a variety of healthy, bite-sized foods for your child to try. The website suggests dry cereal, banana slices, hard-boiled egg slices, very thinly sliced apple pieces and pieces of cooked broccoli. Place these bite-sized pieces in a small dish with compartments or in an ice cube tray so your child can pick and choose which foods he wants to eat.
Lunch
Dipping foods into yogurt or dressing may be particularly fun for your toddler, AskDrSears.com suggests. Traditional dips, such as blue cheese dressing and onion dip, are high in salt and saturated fat. Instead, provide healthy dips, such as cottage cheese, peanut butter, guacamole, applesauce, yogurt and jelly, for your child to dip fruit, vegetables, bread and other snacks into. Cut up a plate of colorful fruits and vegetables, such as cooked carrots, strawberries, pieces of cooked broccoli and bell pepper strips. Encourage your child to dip her own fruits and veggies, and don’t worry if your child has fun eating and making a mess.
Dinner
For dinner, your two-year-old may enjoy cooked pasta with a little bit of butter. For color, slice cooked carrots or bell peppers over the pasta. Allow your child to use his fingers or a fork to eat. Add small slices of low-fat cheese, chicken or turkey for lean protein, but do not cut meat or cheese into chunks, says The American Academy of Pediatrics, according to She Knows Chef Mom. Chunks of meat or cheese present a choking hazard for children under the age of three. If your child is wary of particular foods, such as vegetables, AskDrSears.com recommends cutting the veggies into interesting shapes with cookie cutters or a serrated knife. Fill foods with other foods. For instance, cut an avocado into halves, then place cottage cheese inside the hollowed-out area of each side of the avocado.
About this Author
Madison Whitfield has been a freelance writer and editor since 2006. She has written hundreds of health, fitness, travel, beauty and grooming articles for numerous print and Internet publications. Whitfield earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York University, where she studied writing.
