Home > Your toddler 12 months + > Feeding your toddler
Learn how to encourage a healthy, balanced diet, even when your toddler is asserting their newfound 'no' power!
12 - 18 months: how your toddler's growing
Learn how your toddler's growing, and how girls start catching up with the boys.
12 - 18 months: what your toddler’s doing
From wobbly steps to adventurous jumps - find out how your toddler will be keeping you on your toes.
12 - 18 months: what your toddler’s saying
Toddlers love to talk! Learn what to expect as they discover new ways to express themselves.
12 - 18 months: what your toddler’s seeing
Learn how the development of your toddler's eyesight opens a whole new world of games, play and skills.
12 - 18 months: your toddler’s bones
Learn how your toddler's bone structure is changing and which nutrients encourage healthy bone growth.
12 - 18 months: your toddler’s brain
Learn how your toddler's memory skills are developing and why the right fats are important for a healthy brain.
12 - 18 months: your toddler’s digestion
Learn about your toddler’s growing stomach, how much they should now be eating and why added salt and sugar are still a no-no.
Your toddler might seem like a little adult, but when it comes to their diet they still have very different needs to you. While it's important to include your toddler in family meal times, make sure that you don't add salt or sugar to foods that they eat and always check the labels of pre-prepared foods you feed your toddler.
Although it's tempting to think of toddlers as mini-adults, they still have a lot of growing up to do and their nutritional needs are quite different from ours. At 12 - 18 months old, toddlers should have a diet that is lower in salt, sugar and fibre but higher in fat than that recommended for adults. Your toddler needs a variety of foods from all the main food groups to make sure they're getting the goodness they need in every mouthful.
To get the right balance of energy and nutrients in their diet, your toddler should get used to a routine of 3 small balanced meals a day with regular nutritious snacks in-between. Why not learn more about a nutritionally balanced toddler diet.
