Toddler menu planning!

I've been working on menu planning this morning but not for me- for my toddler! I'm always worried if my son is getting enough, or too much of any particular nutrient, so the dietitian in me set on a quest to determine the nutrient needs and properly balanced menu for a toddler age 12-36 months- and decided to share my info, all from the Academy of Nutrition pediatric Nutriton assessment handbook, to help other mommas menu plan for their toddlers as well! 

Here's a summary of how much of each food our little munchkins need each day for healthy growth and development: 

Dairy -4-5 servings

          (milk-4oz, cheese- 1/2 oz, yogurt 4oz , cottage cheese 1/4 cup)

Carbs- 6 servings 

          (Cereal -1/3-1/2 cup, pasta- 1/4-1/3 cup, rice- 1/4-1/3 cup, bread- 1/4-1/2 slice,  crackers-2)

Fruits (including juice but no more than 4-6 oz/day)- 2-3 servings

          (1/3 cup canned or fresh- chopped)

Veggies- 2-3 servings 

          (1/4 cup= 1 serving)

Protein- 2 servings

          (Meat/fish-2-3 tbs, egg-1, beans- 1/4 cup)

So what does that actually look like in a day:

Here's just a sample day from our menu: 

Breakfast- 1 egg, 4oz whole milk yogurt, 1/2 slice whole wheat bread

Snack- organic granola bar 

Lunch- 1/3 cup organic whole wheat macaroni mixed with 1/4 cup steamed mixed veggies, and a fruit cup

Snack- 2 crackers, 1/3 cup strawberry slices 

Dinner- 1/4 cup black beans, 1/4 cup quinoa, 1/4 cup diced steamed zucchini 

Snack (Jacob likes to have cereal after dinner!) 1/3 cup plain Cheerios 

We also offer whole milk in his straw cup all through out the day along with water and he still nurses 2-3 times a day. 

Hope this helps you moms of toddlers plan out the menus and meals! 

Happy planning :-)