Judy More, Paediatric Dietitian and Registered Nutritionist
Lucy Upton, Specialist Paediatric Dietitian and Nutritionist
Have a healthy Easter with The Infant & Toddler Forum’s suggested menu for toddlers!
Easter is a fun time of year, when families may come together and celebrate – although it may be a quieter Easter this year! Easter Egg Hunts are also a great way to get toddlers moving, but they can also make it all too easy for little ones to eat a lot of sugary food during the celebrations! To help, why not use our Easter menu, full of seasonal foods and their portion sizes? Give your toddler a healthy balance, while still enjoying the treats which Easter has to offer!
Healthy Easter Menu for Toddlers
Easter breakfast
Your toddler may be happiest with their usual breakfast or if they want to try something special you could offer:
¼ – ½ Hot Cross Bun – serve with cup of hot or cold milk or a well-fortified milk alternative for breakfast
or
½ – 1 small slice of fruit loaf dipped in one whisked egg and cooked in a hot pan with a little oil to make fruity eggy bread. You could serve with extra fruit pieces or yoghurt
or
Add some extra Easter flavours to their normal cereal or porridge – why not try dried fruit and orange zest for a take on hot cross buns or grate in some carrot left by the Easter bunny
Easter lunch
A special Easter meal may be an opportunity to expose your Toddler to foods they haven’t tried before, so don’t worry if they are not keen to try it all – let them explore and learn, with plenty of modelling from you whilst you tuck into the Easter feast.
Most toddlers will enjoy the meat but some may prefer it dry rather than smothered in gravy. You could ask what they prefer, or have extras like gravy, stuffing or any sauces on the side for them to add or dip into if they’d like. If your Toddler follows a vegetarian or vegan diet, why not try a meat free alternative like chickpea mash, nut roast or a quick pastry and vegetable pie.
Roast potatoes or wedges are likely to be popular. Keep vegetables to small servings and start by putting those that your toddler is familiar with and happy to eat on their plate first. Serving food from the middle of the table in separate dishes and passing around to share will help allow your toddler the opportunity to interact with any new foods, and choose if they want to have a go!
An example menu with portion sizes for Easter Lunch:
½ – 1 small slice roast lamb
or
½ – 1 small slice of nut roast
or
⅓ – ½ tin of mashed chickpeas (add pesto, spices, or roast onions and garlic for extra flavour)
½ – 1 egg sized roast potato
½ – 2 Tbs green vegetables
2-6 carrot sticks
1-2 Tbs gravy
Easter pudding
2 mini eggs with some fruit
or
½ creme egg with fruit
or
½ -1 small slice of Simnel cake
Drinks
To maintain a healthy balance stick to water or milk throughout the day as there is plenty of sugary food around without offering sweet drinks such as squashes, fizzy drinks or fruit juices as well. If you do want something extra special, try melting a little of their chocolate hoard into hot milk.
Want to include something else on your menu? Have a healthy Easter for toddlers with more of our portion sizes in our Portion Sizes Table.
Share with your friends and family, for a Toddler-Sized Easter for everyone!