Toddler Nutrition

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Food provides the energy and nutrients that young children need to be healthy. Toddlers are learning to feed themselves and to eat new foods. They should eat a variety of foods from all of the food groups.

Each day, toddlers need enough nutrients, including

• 7 milligrams of iron
• 700 milligrams of calcium
• 600 IU of vitamin D

Start Here

• Feeding Your 1- to 2-Year-Old (Nemours Foundation)
• Healthy Eating for Preschoolers (Department of Agriculture) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Nutrition Guide for Toddlers (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Be a Healthy Role Model for Children: 10 Tips for Setting Good Examples (Department of Agriculture) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Children's Nutrition: Tips for Picky Eaters (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Extended Breast-Feeding: What You Need to Know (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Snacks for Toddlers (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Stopping the Bottle (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Toddlers at the Table: Avoiding Power Struggles (Nemours Foundation)
• When Your Toddler Doesn't Want to Eat (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Dietary Supplements for Toddlers (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Feeding Vegetarian and Vegan Infants and Toddlers (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Healthy Drinks for Kids (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Vegetarianism (Nemours Foundation)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Toddler Nutrition (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Impact of Prolonged Breastfeeding on Dental Caries: A Population-Based Birth...
• Article: Assessing and Improving Childhood Nutrition and Growth Globally.
• Article: Infant feeding and growth trajectory patterns in childhood and body...
• Toddler Nutrition -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Toddler Nutrition and Health Resource List (Department of Agriculture) - PDF

Find an Expert

• KidsHealth (Nemours Foundation)
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
• School Meals Contacts by State (Food and Nutrition Service)

Patient Handouts

• Feeding patterns and diet -- children 6 months to 2 years (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish