Toddlers have high daily requirements for energy (calories) and other nutrients, but they cannot eat large amounts of food at a sitting, and their eating habits may be poor. They need three small meals a day, with snacks in between.

Toddlers need to obtain their calories and nutrients from a balanced diet, but it should differ from a diet for adults. They need fat because it is a concentrated source of energy and vitamins, and it provides essential fatty acids.

Types of Food For Your Toddler
The best sources are full-fat milk, cheese and other dairy foods, meat and eggs, these foods contain fats in an easily digested, concentrated form, and they provide other nutrients such as calcium and iron.

Don’t give your toddler too many high fibre foods. These may fill him up, so that he does not want other more nutritious foods. A high-fibre diet may also lead to diarrhoea and can interfere with absorption of minerals such as iron.

You can give A, C and D drops to children under five, unless they are eating a good diet. Try to give some iron containing foods every day and increase iron absorption by giving food or fruit juice containing vitamin C at every meal.

Getting Your Toddler To Eat
Children are faddy eaters but no one food is essential to health. If you offer a variety of foods from the four food groups, even over the course of several days, he is likely to be getting a balanced diet.

If your child won’t eat fruit, try adding cream, full-fat yoghurt, custard or dairy ice cream to it. Add butter to vegetables and mashed or jacket potatoes. Calcium is vital for healthy bones and teeth. If he won’t drink milk, add it to cereals or give him other dairy products instead.

Healthy Snacks
Most children need snacks between meals. Healthy snacks include:

1)Fresh fruit (peeled and cut into slices for babies or toddlers); raw vegetables such as carrots, peppers, cucumber or celery; small chunks of cheese and pineapple; celery filled with cream cheese
2)Fruitcake; carrot cake; rice cakes with or without a spread; buttered scone or bun; breadsticks; malt or fruit bread
3)Unsweetened yoghurt; unsweetened breakfast cereals, with or without milk
4)Drink of whole milk or well-diluted unsweetened pure fruit juice.

Family Eating
Toddlers can be fussy when it comes to eating, and they may refuse to eat many foods. Rather than pressuring your child to eat, sit her with the rest of the family at the dinner table, where she may join in when she sees others enjoying their meal.

Tags: vitamins, toddlers, eating habits, children, healthy snacks, balanced diet

Parenting is such a joy most of the time. MOST of the time.  Other times, you probably feel like pulling your hair out. Don’t worry, you’re not alone!

To help you out we asked some experts on childrearing to give their opinions on the questions parents need answered. We asked the experts…

- How can I help my child make new friends? Some parents become overly concerned when their school aged child is more interested in spending time alone than he is in spending time with his peers.  Know that this is not uncommon, and that many children simply prefer alone time to social groups until they get close to the teen years. However, if you suspect that the reason your child is having problems making friends is because of a personality issue then you should start addressing it as soon as possible. Figure out what the problem is, whether it is because your child is bossy, hyper, cannot follow the rules or if the problem is poor self control.  One you determine if there is a problem, you will be close to a solution.

- How can I raise a child who follows the rules? Rules come in all shapes and sizes throughout the course of our lives.  Therefore, it is very important to teach your children from a young age that it is important to follow rules.  A good way to dissuade your child from following rules is to constantly break and complain about rules in front of them.  If you want to raise your child to follow the rules you need to be their number one role model.  This may mean stopping for more stop signs – but remember that when your child starts driving they will still be paying more attention to what you DO than what you SAY.

- How can I stay on top of trends? When it comes to fads and trends, the one consistency is change.  What your child is begging for one day, he will be scoffing at the next. As a parent, you will need to make sure that your child does not ‘fall behind the time’, while showing them that not every fad is worth following. It is important to be clear with your reasons when you tell your child that they cannot have a specific item. And, you need to make sure that you do allow your child to follow some fads that don’t pose a significant problem.  Some parents will give in and allow their children to wear some of the more questionable teen fashions, while other parents will give in on video game trends.  Still other parents will give their children the latest electronic devices.  Today’s big question is whether or not children should have their own cell phones, a trend that is increasing among pre-teens and teens alike.  It’s a matter of personal choice – but you will need to instill limits with your children right from the beginning.

- How would I know if my home contained lead paint? Any home that was built before 1978 could potentially contain lead based paint.  Intact paint that is not peeling in any location is most likely not a hazard, however if your home is older and has peeling walls you will need to be aware of the dangers of lead poisoning.  If you suspect that your home contains lead-based paint, you can request that a certified lead inspector perform tests to determine whether there is lead present and give you advice on what you need to do in order to keep your child safe.

Questions come with the territory when you’re a parent. So if you find yourself asking more questions then you know the answers to, you’re not alone. In fact, we were amazed by the number of questions parents came forward with when we asked them what was on their minds. Hopefully reading the answers to these common parenting questions has given you something to think about.

Tags: parenting, lead paint, childrearing, parenting questions

Do you have children, or are you considering having children?  If so you are probably overwhelmed with questions. We all go through that at some point and there is no doubt that it can be very stressful. 

There are some excellent resources out there for parents with children of all ages. We consulted a few to put together this list of questions that you might have about being a parent.

What are some ways to have fun with my young child? 
Infants and toddlers love to spend time with their parents. And they’re happy doing just about anything! However, parents often find themselves wondering what activities they can do with their young child. One fun idea is to make some popcorn, pull out some fuzzy blankets and enjoy a movie or book together cuddled on the sofa. Do a craft together such as a simple coloring or painting project or buy stickers and create some interesting gifts. Dancing is always a hit with kids and a great way to burn off some energy while you get lots of laughs. You can also play simple games like eye spy. The beauty of these games is that they can be adapted for younger children and they can be played anywhere.

What should I do when another child bully’s mine? 
So many parents tell their children to ignore bullies, and to look the other way rather than react.  However, it is never advisable to let bullying go, because it will never just “go away”. In some cases, it may not even be apparent to you that your child is being bullied because bullied children are often afraid to tell an adult what is happening.  When you suspect that bullying is an issue, talk to your child and school officials.  Getting the teachers and school administrators involved will make them aware of the problem and you can work together to find a solution.

What are some ways I can play with an uninterested child? 
Some young children, from the time of infancy, prefer little to no interaction and stimulation from their parents and siblings.  It is important to never give up and start ignoring the child, because children crave and need attention regardless of how they react.  Find out what it is that your child likes, and share those things with the child.  If your quiet child prefers to read alone – then read right along with them in your own book. Finding experiences for bonding on the child’s terms will help to open the child up to being able to participate in other forms of interaction.

What are some ways I can make my child’s room enjoyable for me? 
Many new parents forget that they will be spending a lot of time in their infant’s room.  Therefore, decorate the room for your tastes and with a décor that is welcoming to you.  If you place a comfortable rocker with soft pillows and a warm blanket in the room, you will find it a lot more enjoyable than if it contains only a crib and dresser.  Realize that you will spend time in this room when changing your baby, putting him or her to sleep and even when he or she is sick.

These parenting questions have been asked by parents for many years, so know that you are not alone if they were at the forefront of your mind.  Now that you have some new parenting techniques in your arsenal, hopefully your job will be a little easier.

When it comes to newborn babies, how you hold them is very important. What is important for you to realize is that a baby can pick up on the way you are feeling and how you relating to them. If you are a first time parent and are nervous around your baby, or if you aren’t comfortable holding your baby, your baby is going to sense that, and is probably going to arch their back and not want to be held by you. In order to avoid this, try to relax and feel comfortable holding your newborn. If you can feel comfortable, they are going to sense this, and they are going to be comfortable with you. Remember that it is important for you to hold your baby safely and securely, but also make them feel comfortable in your arms.

There are several ways that you can hold your baby that might not have crossed your mind, but that will be safe and comfortable as well. Also, holding them in different ways might make them less bored and more entertained, and if they are fussy, it might be because they are bored. If you hold them against your body and face them away from you, it is going to give them more to look at and it is going to help them to be less bored.

Remember that one of the most important things about holding your baby is to make sure they feel safe in your arms. This is something that you are going to find is very important to the health and happiness of your baby. Be sure that when you are holding them you are supporting the entire body and you are helping them to know that they are safe in your arms. If they are able to relax in your arms, that means that they feel safe. You should be sure that you are always keeping your mind on your baby when you are holding him or her, to make sure that you are concentrating on how you are holding her, until you are sure of yourself and it becomes very natural to you. Remember that a baby likes to feel close to you, and if they are held close to you they are going to feel much more secure than if you hold them away from your body. Hold them close to your body, keep them safe and secure, and you are going to find that you have a happy baby who is content at being held.

Here’s a great looking Little Giraffe Swaddle Baby Wrap

A unique swaddling blanket made of stretchable, lightweight microfiber that enables parents to wrap their child securely, allowing their skin to breathe without sacrificing warmth. The satin-covered foam backing assists in neck support, while the silky satin trim gives baby a cool edge to snuggle up to. 
Machine-washable and dryer-safe. *For infants up to 6 weeks

Parenting Tips and Advice - Parenting can be the toughest job in the world, indeed it is. Even the smartest ones give up on finding the perfect equation for the perfect relationship with your kids. You know why? Because there is no such thing as perfect, there are only ideals and appropriates.

If you are a newbie in the world of parenting, it will be as twice as hard for you. Let’s be honest, all of us wants to be the best parents for our child and who wouldn’t. However, most of us are still uncertain if our so-called way of parenting is correct. If you want to learn a lot of helpful strategies to cope up with the staple challenges of parenting, then help is on the way. 

Parenting classes are all the rage of today. Some even take classes even if the baby is still on its way. Parenting classes are facilitated by expert instructors that give out lessons to aid moms on the need. They give out helpful information on different aspects of parenting. If necessary, they will even require some parents to undergo structured parenting program that will teach them a step by step approach on parenting. 

The only misconception about parenting classes is that some parents think that it can change their ways of raising a child. What you need to remember is that, these lessons only serve as your guide and the implementation of such all depends upon you. But when the time comes that a real change is required in your usual parenting technique, your instincts will tell you so and you will know it.

If you think that only problematic parents take parenting lessons, you are absolutely wrong. What you don’t know is that even healthy families tend to scout for help if they need it. If you’re one amongst the big majority who want to attend but just don’t have the time to attend parenting classes, you are just in luck because parenting classes are well established on the web. You can just easily take online courses in the comforts of your own home. How’s that for a class?

Parenting is truly the hardest job one could ever have and to note all of these are a lifetime commitment. Parenting classes are mere supplementation for those who wants to seek help from experts. There is no right or wrong way in parenting, however there will always be what we call as the acceptable way.