Nursery World - Nursery Food: Two-year-olds

What should practitioners think about when considering nutrition in
the context of the two-year-old programme and the families involved?
Diana Hawdon offers some guidance.

The funded-places programme for disadvantaged two-year-olds provides early years settings with valuable opportunities to engage these children and their families in learning about a healthy diet and good eating habits. So, what are the nutritional needs of this age group and what messages can settings pass on to parents and carers?

STARTING POINTS

Starting points for understanding nutritional needs of twos are:

There are important points to remember when using the Eatwell Plate. These include the following:

twos2
MAIN MEALS

Meals for twos should include the four essential food groups:

Fruit and vegetables, which contain lots of vitamins, minerals and fibre, should be included in every meal. Different varieties of fruit and vegetables contain different vitamins and minerals, so the more types that families and children eat, the better.

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