As children transition from infancy to being toddlers, their nutritional needs change significantly. Toddlers are children aged between 12 to 36 months and are just beginning to walk. At this stage, children are less dependent on breast milk and have been introduced to solid foods with different nutritional values. Studies show that children at this stage experience reduced rates of growth in terms of height and weight, but their nutritional needs increase significantly because of the increase in their level of activity and larger body sizes ( Thompson & Manore, 2013) .
On average, 30 to 40 percent of an average toddler should contain fats because they contain a concentrated source of energy that can be helpful for toddlers, especially those who are picky or fuzzy eaters. Fats are also essential for the toddler's developing nervous system. At this stage, toddlers require a modest amount of proteins of about 1.10g/kg. This means that toddlers at this stage will have no trouble reaching their protein targets ( Thompson & Manore, 2013) . The amount of fiber should also be modest because toddlers have small digestive systems, and too much fiber can cause them to feel full faster before consuming adequate nutrients. In general, toddlers do not have a fully developed nutrient store in their bodies, which means that they are at a higher risk of getting infections ( Dwyer, 2017) . They also have larger surface areas compared to the size of their bodies. All these factors lead to an increase in their Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which results in increased nutrient and food demands.
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When educating clients about the nutritional needs of toddlers, several factors should be given significant priority. These factors include body weight, health status (if the child has any condition or illness); gender (boys tend to have increased nutritional needs than girls); activity (More active children may need higher nutritional intake than their passive counterparts); and genetic makeup ( Dwyer, 2017) . All these factors are essential in determining the type and amount of food to be given to toddlers.
References
Dwyer, J. T. (2017). Good Nutrition in Toddlers. Nutrition Today , 52 (2), S1-S2.
Thompson, J., & Manore, M. (2013). Nutrition: An Applied Approach. Pearson.
