Recipes for Healthy, Growing Toddlers

Getting your growing toddler to eat the right kind and the right amount of nutritious food can be truly challenging. It is during these early years when children are learning to eat solids and table food, and consequently, they are getting to know new tastes and textures. It is also the time when they start becoming picky eaters. The nutrients they get from milk are important especially during these developmental years, so we parents try to make sure our toddlers still have milk as part of their daily diet.

We want to make sure that they get enough nutrients to support their development in this active stage. Many parents choose to continue with formula milk to complement their child’s diet as formula milk is loaded with all the essential nutrients a child needs based on their growth stage. Experts say parents should consider when choosing formula milk based on important factors like understanding of milk consumption and their child’s nourishment at their age and stage.

This transition period to solids often comes with challenges. Keep in mind that there are significant developmental changes happening at this time. Toddlers are striving for independence and control. These changes can make mealtime difficult.

But according to studies, healthy feeding practices early in life help promote lifelong healthy eating patterns—and parents play a significant role during this transition phase. Forcing children to eat is a big no-no and letting them pick what they like doesn’t work either.

The good news is using familiar taste to fuse in with your child’s meal may do the trick as they tend to eat food that they have tasted before. So you may want to start including formula milk powder in your meal prep to make more wholesome and nutritious meals for your toddlers!

Nature One Dairy® Organic Toddler Milk Drink: The formula choice for your child.

You’d want to give your child the best and choosing formula milk that is organic and made from natural ingredients is the way to go.  According to experts, going organic and natural reduces health risks, with a higher level of antioxidants and nutrients.

Nature One Dairy® Organic Milk Formula is made from grass-fed cow’s milk that is free of the nasties and harmful chemical substances. Organic Toddler Nutritious Milk Drink Step 3 is designed to complement your toddler’s diet of solid food, to make sure the required daily intake of energy and nutrients are sufficient. Every serving is nutritionally complete and specially formulated with a high concentration of Omega-3 fatty acids, Omega-6, essential Vitamins and Antioxidants. All ingredients are subject to the highest level of microbiological and chemical testing and analysis.

Nature One Dairy® Organic Milk Formula is a high-quality Australian-made milk product that is friendly on your budget.

Nature One Dairy® is giving out free sample sachets for their toddler milk. Click to redeem!

Here are quick and fuss-free toddler meals you can prepare using formula milk as one of the ingredients.

Note: Be sure your toddler is ready for finger foods and that his motor skills are developed well enough to grasp objects between his thumb and forefinger. For most babies, this happens early and gets better by age 2.

French Toast Rolls

(Each roll packs in approx. 500 calories)

What You Need (For 4 servings):

• bread slices (White or Brown) – 4
• any bread spread (Nutella, peanut butter, cheese)
• egg -1
• brown or white sugar - 1 tablespoon (optional)
• Nature One Dairy® milk formula drink– 3 tablespoons / 30 ml
• Cinnamon powder
• butter (for pan-frying)

How to make:

1. Mix the egg, sugar and milk in a bowl, using a whisk or spoon.
   
2. Cut off the edges of the bread slices.
3. Slather the bread slices with a generous coating of the spread of your child’s choice.
4. Roll the coated bread slice from one end to another. Prick the ends with a toothpick to hold in place.
5. Heat a pan and drizzle some butter on it.
6. Dip the bread slice in the egg + milk batter, coating it properly.
7. Shake off the excess batter and place it in the pan.
8. Pan fry till brown on both sides.
9. Sprinkle cinnamon powder on the top and serve with maple syrup.

Breakfast Banana Muffins

What You Need (For 24 muffins):

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1-1.5 cups honey (or white sugar).
• 3-4 very ripe bananas
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 5-2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons Nature One Dairy milk formula
• Crushed nuts and/or chocolate chips (optional)

How to make:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream softened butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mash bananas in a separate bowl and add to butter and sugar mix.
4. Beat eggs and vanilla and add to the batter.
5. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl, then add to the wet ingredients.
6. Add milk and blend in.
7. Add nuts/chocolate chips (optional).
8. Fill muffin pans (greased).
9. Bake for 30-40 min in a large pan, or 20-25 min for muffins (or until the centre of your loaf/muffins is no longer jiggly. Check periodically.)

   Recipe Source: https://food52.com/recipes/76511-mom-s-best-banana-bread.

Ingredient Mac & Cheese

What You Need:

• 4 cups Nature One Dairy milk formula drink
• 2 cups elbow pasta
• 2 cups cheddar cheese (grated)

How to make:

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. For younger babies, you may want to overcook the pasta a little bit so it will be softer.
2. Add your grated cheese to the macaroni and stir until the cheese is melted.
3. Add 1 tablespoon at a time of formula milk, to the noodles and cheese until the mixture has the consistency you want.
4. Turn down heat to low. Stir and leave to sit for 2 minutes.
5. Serve the warm macaroni and cheese to your baby.

   Optional: Drizzle a little bit of cheese on top before serving, or Cut tips of broccoli leaves and mix it in for more nutrition, or Substitute canned pumpkin or pumpkin baby food.

Finally, never forget that every child is different and the amount of food a baby should eat isn’t set in stone. Follow your child’s cues to decide how much of what he/she should eat, and leave some room for flexibility.

Find your nearest store for Nature One Dairy® Products in stores https://natureonedairy.com/store-locator-singapore/ or online on Redmart, Lazada or Shopee.

References:

Annelise Norlyk,Jette Schilling Larsen, & Hanne Kronborg. Infants’ transition from milk to solid foods - the lived experiences of first-time parents. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17482631.2019.1693483. Published online: 20 Nov 2019

parentsworld.com.sg/2020/05/29/5-quick-fix-recipe-ideas-to-dish-up-with-your-child/

natureonedairy.com/our-products/baby-formula/