Real Mums
Toddler Feeding Time
We asked 1000 Mums of children aged between 9 months and 3 years all about their toddlers' mealtimes. From what they choose to feed and how much they understand about their toddlers' nutritional needs to how they feel at mealtimes and who they turn to for advice - here's what we found:
Poor choices
15% of under 3s are fed adult convenience foods/ ready meals for most meals
29% of the under 3s are tucking into takeaway meals at least once a week
29% of under 3s have chocolate and sweets almost every day
23% of under 3s have crisps almost every day
16% of under 3s have fizzy drinks almost every day
Feeding patterns/attitudes
Mealtimes are a regular battleground for almost a third of Mums: 31% described routinely feeling 'angry, tense, anxious, frustrated or upset'
4% have cried when their toddler refused their meals
Tots in charge: A quarter (26%) of mums will rustle up alternative food when their child refuses their meal and 18% follow their toddlers around with food whilst they play in an attempt to get them to eat up
Less than 1/3 (30%) of Mums only offer toddlers food at planned meal and snack time; 28% offer food to reward good behaviour and more than 1 in 10 (11%) offer food to 'keep them quiet'
Almost half - 48% - of Mums use food to control their toddlers
Only 35% claim to cook most meals for their toddler from scratch with fresh ingredients especially for their toddler - proving this is an unrealistic expectation for the majority of Mums
Yet just 19% are offering foods pre-prepared especially for toddler
1 in 10 Mums give their toddlers 4 or more snacks a day
23% of toddlers eat with their family just once a month or never
Nutritional know-how
Only 27% of Mums think a toddler should have a low salt diet; even less - 21% - think they should have a low sugar diet
About a quarter (26%) of parents have no idea how much salt their toddler can have each day - 42% think they can have more than they should
20% think the under 3s need a high fibre diet - in fact a very high fibre diet may lead to digestion problems for some very young children
Only 19% of Mums know toddlers need carbohydrates from starchy food at every meal
1 in 8(12%) thought a low fat diet was right for a toddler
YET..83% of Mums thought their child had a healthy balanced diet
Information sources
43% of Mums say they have not received clear and consistent advice on feeding the under threes and 27% would want more of this from healthcare professionals
Almost three times as many Mums find their nutritional advice for children in the media, books and internet (40%) than via their healthcare professional or health education messages (15%)
Only 6% have found the NHS Birth to 5 book the most useful source of information about feeding their child a balanced diet right for their age.
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