Once the first year of a child's life has passed, parents' schedules are no longer so strictly determined by feeding times. We also give ourselves more freedom when composing meals for the little ones. The older the child gets, the more his or her taste preferences develop and the more difficult it is to satisfy them. How can you avoid stomach problems with your youngster by trying to diversify his or her menu, while at the same time finding the right taste and providing him or her with all the necessary ingredients?

Five times the natural fibre

A preschooler's daily menu should be no less important to us than the meticulous feeding of a baby. Let's prepare something for our little one to eat five times a day, let's have meals regularly every 3-4 hours at fixed times of the day. This will help the baby's body get used to a particular rhythm. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are the main and more calorific meals, while for the second breakfast and afternoon snack it is advisable to choose light, nutritious snacks. - In order to prevent problems with a sore tummy, the diet must include an appropriate amount of fibre, advises Małgorzata Zdrojewska, specialist, dietician.
- It can be found in whole grain products, vegetables and fruit, which should appear in the child's daily diet, adds the expert. However, if a toddler is reluctant to eat peas or beans, make sure that he or she munches high-fibre snacks such as cereal bars or crisp bread in between games. In addition, prepare meals from natural products and avoid those that are highly processed and contain monosodium glutamate. Control the amount of sweets eaten by our little ones and do not use them as rewards for "good behaviour". It is important to get your preschooler into the habit of drinking mineral water or fruit teas instead of coloured fizzy drinks and over-sweetened juices, which contribute to indigestion.

What goes around comes around.

In the morning rush, we often do not have time to eat breakfast. However, we want the toddler not to leave home without a wholesome meal, but we forget that he or she will also be affected by this "fever". - Parents often complain about digestive problems in their children," says Ewa Jankowska, a kindergarten teacher from Poznań. - We then pay special attention to the speed of eating meals," she adds. Several-year-olds who have to eat at a certain time are stressed, and this is a simple way to indigestion. Therefore, by your example, teach them to eat in small bites and not to swallow too much food at once. Remember that under no circumstances should you raise your voice and punish your child for eating too slowly.