Have you ever noticed that when you get hungry you get cranky? In my house, we call that “hangry” and believe me when I say it’s as real of an angry feeling as any other angry feeling. Well, toddlers feel the same thing (well, duh! you’re probably saying).
The thing is, it’s hard to get protein into toddlers on a regular basis, what with their ever changing eating habits. Toddlers need between 16 and 24 grams of protein a day, or roughly 0.55 grams per pound that they weigh.
Meat is an obvious source, as is milk. But what if your little one isn’t a milk drinker and likes to throw meat rather than eat it? Here are some other sources of protein that may go down easier:
- fish has about 21 grams
- 1 egg has 6 grams
- an ounce of cheddar cheese has about 7 grams
Also, think outside the box:
- 1 potato has roughly 3 grams
- a cup of spinach has 5 grams
- a cup of whole wheat pasta has about 7 grams
It’s good, too, to space out the protein intake throughout the day so your toddler doesn’t have too many peaks and valleys, so to speak. I found that iVillage has a good set of guidelines on feeding protein to toddlers.
One word of advice: take it slow…forming good eating habits is difficult and takes time, especially if you, yourself, are used to eating whatever you can shove in your mouth while standing up and doing 10 other things. But hang in there, it can be done!
photo credit: Qole Pejorian
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