This document provides guidance for parents on making mealtimes pleasant for toddlers aged 24-30 months. It recommends including toddler favorites and bright colors on a child-sized plate. Parents should allow the toddler to participate in meal preparation and choose foods to develop autonomy. The document also outlines Canada's Food Guide recommendations for toddler nutrition of 4 servings of vegetables and fruits, 3 servings of grains, 2 servings of milk and 1 serving of meat daily. Safety tips include considering allergies, choking hazards and proper food handling.

1. References
"Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide - Main
Page - Health Canada." Welcome to the Health
Canada Web site | Bienvenue au site Web de
Santé Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 July 2013.
<http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guidealiment/index-eng.php>.
Mario’s Face Bento Box. [Online image]
Available http://www.just-eat.co.uk/blog/bentounique-boxes/, Apr. 24, 2013.
Picky. [Online image] Available
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/614472
9060/in/photolist-amZkSu-bRufxH-bn6Frj/,
Sept. 8, 2011.
Making Meal
Time A Fun
TimePHOTO HERE,
PLACE For your
OTHERWISE DELETE BOX
Toddler and
You.
Pimento, Barbara, and Deborah
Kernested.Healthy foundations in early
childhood settings. 4th ed. Toronto: Thomson,
2010. Print.
“It is recommended that you
include 2 food groups when
serving snacks and 3-4
when making meals.”
Mandisa G-M, Elveena D, Piyanganee
W, Ayesha S. &Winpeng
A PARENT’S GUIDE TO A
PLEASANT MEAL
(Toddlers 24-30 Months)

2. I HAVE THE
TODDLER SO WHERE
DO I START??
“Allow your toddler to
participate in the meal
preparation.”
In The Kitchen.
The first step to making meal times pleasurable
is to start with an aesthetically pleasing,
nutritious meal incorporating your toddlers
current likes.
What is an aesthetically pleasing meal you
ask?
Well since beauty is in the eye of the beholder,
there is no right or wrong answer to that.
However for a toddler an aesthetically pleasing
meal includes foods known to them and bright
colours served in a child size plate or bowl with
appropriate child size utensils.
TIPS FOR MAKING MEALS
FUN
• Allow your toddler to participate in the
meal preparation
• Letting them choose which and what
foods to eat
• Allow your toddler to feed themselves
• Do not force new foods on your child, but
present them several times
• Keep a positive attitude and model
positive meal time behaviour
• Try cutting food in cute and fun shapes
• Keep a regular meal time schedule
Other Considerations
Developmental
NUTRITION FOR
TODDLERS
Health Canada provides a guideline for families
PLACE PHOTO HERE,
to learn about the daily nutrition requirements
OTHERWISE DELETE BOX the
for toddlers and other ages. According to
guide children 2-3 years are recommended to
receive 4 servings of vegetables and fruits, 3
servings of grains, 2 servings of milk and
alternatives and 1 serving of meat and
alternatives.It is recommended that you include
2 food groups when serving snacks and 3-4
when making meals.
What is 1 serving size?
Vegetables and Fruit
125 mL (½ cup) fresh, frozen or canned
vegetable or fruit or 100% juice
Exp. 1 apple sliced in thin pieces
Grain Products
1 slice (35 g) bread or ½ bagel (45 g)
Milk and Alternatives
250 mL (1 cup) milk or fortified soy beverage
Meat and Alternatives
75 g (2 ½ oz.)/125 mL (½ cup) cooked fish,
shellfish, poultry or lean meat
At this age your child is developing a sense of
autonomy. Wanting to choose their foods and
deciding when to eat are common. Also they
will develop “food jags (refuses to eat anything
but a certain food)” (Pimento 2010, pg. 247),
this is all a part of their development. Setting
limits to keep them safe but not hindering this
new sense of self will build trust and security.
Safety
When providing foods too your child there are
some safety considerations you must make.
Such as allergies, choking hazards, foodborne
illnesses and burning hazards.
Always check all ingredients in new
foods and not providing to many new
foods at a time.
Cut foods in bite size pieces if they
are too large for your child’s mouth.
Avoid things like popcorn, whole hot
dogs, whole peanuts or other nuts and
foods with bones or on toothpicks.
Make sure foods are prepared
following proper food safety practices,
in pest free environments.
Allow foods to cool before providing
them to the child.