Ready to go - A balanced diet for 1 to 2 year old children

(Video uploaded 03/2018)

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Title:Ready to go - A balanced diet for 1 to 2 year old children

A balanced diet for 1 to 2 year old children

Heading: Healthy eating for 6 to 24 month old children: Session 1 of Ready to go

Hostess (Ms Anna Wu): Welcome to our programme “Healthy eating for 6 to 24 month old children ‘Ready to go”. In this programme, we'll talk about how to help 1 to 2 year old children eat healthily and learn about eating rules.

Hostess2 (Dr Amy Fung):From the time they are one year old, children become more independent. They can express what they want and always want to act on their own. They might become picky eaters and might refuse to eat occasionally. Parents should deal with their children's eating behaviours according to the changes. Now let's try to better understand the changes in their dietary needs.

Heading:A balanced diet for 1 to 2 year old children

Sub-heading:Appropiate milk intake

Scene:After 1 year of age, children can eat different nutritous foods and drink about 360 to 480ml of milk each day. If they drink too much milk, they won't be interested in eating meals.

Narrator:After their first birthday, children can eat a more varied diet. Milk is no longer the major food source.

In general, when children are eating two to three meals of thick congee or soft rice with vegetables and meat in a day, they need about 360 to 480 ml of milk each day. They can have one milk feeding of 120 ml or 4 ounces each for breakfast, morning and afternoon snacks. If they have too much milk, they won't be interested in eating meals. This will make it hard for them to develop the habit of eating a variety of foods.

Sub-heading: Do 1 year olds still need formula milk? (PIP)

Parent A: My child is now one year old. Does he still need formula milk?

Dr Luk Wai Yin: After babies are 1 year old, formula milk is not a “must”. Normally, babies can take full-fat milk, and dairy products like cheese and yogurt. Children can continue to be breast-fed. They can also drink some full-fat milk as well.

Caption: Continous breastfeeding until two years old or above

Heading: Weaning from the bottle

Caption: Wean from the bottle by 18 months old

Hostess2 (Dr Amy Fung): Once your child can drink from a cup, you should help wean him from the bottle. Children should stop using the bottle by the time they reach eighteen months old.

Scene: Mother helps her baby drinking milk from a cup or with a straw

Narrator:To begin, offer your child a cup for milk during the daytime. Let him drink sitting in a chair. You should stay with him to make him feel secure. When he drinks milk from the cup, you should praise him. You can also let him drink with a straw. When he gets used to drinking milk with cups during daytime, wean him from the bottle before bedtime. Offer him half a cup of milk and some food such as bread.

Scene: Father offers a toothbrush to his baby to brush his teeth

Sub-heading: Brush baby's teeth at bedtime

Narrator:After he finishes eating, you should brush his teeth, then take him to bed for a bedtime story. As he quiets down, he will fall asleep.

Caption: Weaning from the bottle: family acts together

Hostess2 (Dr Amy Fung): Weaning from the bottle is part of growing up. It prevents children from developing dental cavities. The combined actions of family members help children get through weaning smoothly. Delaying these actions makes weaning more difficult when babies are older.

Heading: Arranging a balance diet

Caption: Eat a variety of foods

Hostess (Ms Anna Wu):Toddlers should eat a well-balanced diet. In addition to milk, their diet should include grains, vegetables, fruit, fish, egg and beans daily. Offer these foods in three main meals, and 2 or 3 snacks at mealtimes.

Children can have soft rice or smaller pieces of pasta, chopped vegetables and meat for the main meals. When they are older, they can share family foods on the table, but in smaller pieces.

Scene: A child eats a variety of foods with her family

Caption: Eat together as family

Caption: Include foods your child is used to

Narrator:Let your child dine with the family so that he can have more foods to choose from. This will give him more chances to try the foods that he is not familiar with. At each meal, there should be some food that your child has got used to, to ensure that he gets enough to eat.

Scene: Father lets his child trying new food

Caption: Try new foods with your child

Narrator: When he sees others eating food, he feels reassured and willing to try it himself. This makes children less likely to become picky eaters.

Caption: 3 main meals and 2 to 3 snacks

Hostess2 (Dr Amy Fung): Children do not eat a lot at one time. Therefore, they need to have a snack in between main meals. Some children may also need a snack before bedtime.

Scene: Fruits, yogurt, cheese, sweet potatoes or beans can be the good choices for snack

Sub-heading: Snack time

Narrator:Milk is a snack of choice. Half a cup is usually adequate. Parents can also offer foods that are not frequently eaten at main meals, such as fruits, yogurt, cheese, sweet potatoes or beans.

Sub-heading: Scheduling meals

Scene: Parents serve milk and bread or oatmeal as breakfast to their child when he is wide awake

Caption: Sleepy children are not ready to eat

Narrator: When serving breakfast, parents should note that children are usually reluctant to eat when they have just woken up. Let your child play for a while. Wait till he is wide awake, then sit him on the chair for breakfast. For example, he can have half a cup of milk, and bread or oatmeal.

Scene: A girl is drinking water with straw

Caption: Offer water frequently

Caption: Avoid replacing water with other drinks

Narrator: Parents should encourage children to drink water so that they will be less likely to get constipated. Do not replace water with other drinks.

Caption: Avoid giving food between meals

Narrator:Avoid giving milk, juice or other foods soon after or just before meals. You should set an eating schedule with a menu consisting of a variety of foods, so that your child can eat in a balanced way.

Sub-heading: How can I tell if my child's diet is balanced? (PIP)

Parent B:My child sometimes eats little and sometimes eats a lot. How do I know if she has a balanced diet?

Caption: Record his food intake for 1 to 2 weeks

Dr Luk Wai Yin: You can't simply tell whether her intake is balanced from one or two meals. Rather, you should observe the kinds and amount of food she has eaten every one to two weeks.

Your child's appetite varies from meal to meal. As long as you regularly offer her main meals and snacks with various foods each day, she can have balanced nutrition .

Sub-heading: Why don't older children like eating congee? (PIP)

Parent C: My baby is one year old now. He doesn't like eating congee as much as before. Instead, when we dine, he wants to take our food to eat. Why?

Caption: Children like different foods as they learn to chew

Dr Luk Wai Yin: When your child gets better at chewing, he won't be interested in congee or porridge . You should let him try soft rice.

Caption: Present food in a way your child likes

Dr Luk Wai Yin: Some children are reluctant to have rice mixed with other food. They prefer to eat rice, vegetables and meat separately. Parents should prepare food according to their preferences.

Sub-heading: Why has my child become a picky eater? (PIP)

Parent D:Why is my baby becoming a more picky eater as he gets older?

Caption: Some children are hesitate to try new food

Caption: Let your child try new food repeatedly

Caption: Eating together reassures him to try new foods

Dr Luk Wai Yin: Children over one year old learn about foods based on colours and shapes. They tend to be more reluctant to try unfamiliar foods. Some children may need to see a food 10 or more times before tasting it. You should give your child more chances to try the new food and eat the food with him, so that he will be more willing to taste it.