Toddler food is referred as the nutritious food given to a child between the age of 1-3 years. Through the entire first year, the toddler must only be served milk- breast milk or formula milk. It is during the second year of the child’s life, solid or semi solid toddler foodsshould be introduced.
Importance Of Toddler Food
Toddlers aged 1-2 years consume only around ¼ quantity of an adult’s portion. Therefore, it is extremely important prepare a healthy and balanced toddler food so as to offer all the requisite nutrients to the child. Toddlers have a small appetite and may require feeding at least 3-4 times a day. Therefore choice of toddler recipes for serving through the entire day should be different yet healthy so as to make feeding fun than monotonous. It is ideal to plan the toddler food chart much before the hit of a new day. The food chart must aim to feed at least 2 cups of calcium, in form of milk, cheese, 4 portions of fresh fruits and vegetables, 4 portions of grain, and 2 moderate servings of proteins. For serving grains, iron fortified cereal for babies is a dependable option. To offer proteins in the toddler food, one may offer peanut butter, dishes of egg, tofu, beans and meat.
History of Toddler Food Recipes
Variations in toddler food have been observed ever since the dawn of the civilization. In most of the cultures governing the world, a dash of grain served in milk or other liquid drink, is served as the first toddler food. However, in the mid 1900s, with the augmentation of industrial revolution, the market witnessed a surge of baby foods and packed toddler recipes. In the United States, the first baby food was produced by the Fremont Canning Company in the year 1928. The second to enter into the market of baby food products was The Beech-Nut company in 1931. The first ever pre-cooked and dried form of toddler food was coined Pablum in the year 1930. Ever since then, the concept of ready-made baby food has been revolutionizing globally with the entrance of many new companies into the baby food market.
Toddler Food Recipes From Different Cuisines
Although variations in toddler recipes are governed by culinary customs of different cuisines, the predominant motive is universal- to offer a healthy and nutritional meal.
- Indian toddler food involves a lot of rice preparations in the form of khichri, pulav, rice kheer and more. Cereal based recipes like suji upma, dalia (preparation from broken wheat) and suji kheer are also served to toddlers between the age of 1 and above.
- American- carrot rice puree, cheese puff potatoes, creamed chicken and potato, pureed peas, scrambled eggs, pureed vegetables, mashed banana.
- European- chicken and turkey puree, apples and chicken puree, brown rice chicken, turkey and peach stew, chicken and sweet potato mashed with carrots.
- Italian- boiled Italian spiral pasta, lamb ragout, basic brood, potatoes and cichory, pasta sparaci al forno , pasta piselli et al
