Having been poorly and off his food recently, Ben has now started eating for England. He's obsessed with baked beans (low salt of course) and banana. Makes me wonder if his fondness for banana is sentimental, as it was his first ever food... no that's just silly, isn't it?
I know a toddler of 20 months who can apparently eat three whole bananas a day. Hopefully not every day! But it does make me wonder what constitutes a sensible menu for a little guy of Ben's age.
Luckily, the UK's Infant & Toddler Forum keeps coming out with exactly this sort of advice, and it's free online. The organisation is a group of nutrition experts financially supported by, but "independent of", the food giant Danone.
Any way, their advice seems sensible enough and I've been inspired to alter Ben's diet after reading their Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers.
Recently the chair of the group, Professor Atul Singhal of University College London, highlighted the lack of practical support for parents.
"Early intervention strategies make up a large part of government plans to tackle health and social inequalities, but practical guidance on how to attain good nutrition and feeding is largely missing," he said. Professor Singhal believes that toddlers' eating habits are hugely influenced at home, when "lifelong dietary preferences and eating habits are formed".
Pretty scary stuff, but I suppose it's just a matter of getting into the swing of it. I've noticed how easy it is to give Ben the same things quite often, because I know he likes them. But I've frequently been surprised that he's enjoyed something from my plate that I thought he'd turn his nose up at, so I'll keep introducing new things.
There's still no chance of getting fish into him (even smoked salmon!), but I'll keep persevering for the sake of his omega 3s!
More info: http://www.infantandtoddlerforum.org/
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