How to Increase the Weight of a Toddler

Toddlers are notoriously picky eaters. In addition, toddlers aren't growing as rapidly as they were as infants, and their appetites wane a bit as a result.

Diet

• Make sure your child is eating a balanced diet, which will aid his growth. This means getting at least six servings of grains, five of fruits and vegetables, three from the dairy group, two from the meat group and two to three servings of fats.

Identification

• Track what your child eats every day by keeping a journal to tailor a proper diet. Note trends, such as if your child is filling up on too many sweet beverages or snacks during the day, interfering with meals. Determine if your child has aversions to certain textures of foods, which is typical for toddlers. Try to keep mealtime distractions to a minimum.

Considerations

• Children must be given time to warm up to new foods; they often do not try a food until they've been offered it a dozen times or more, according to keepkidshealthy.com. Be aware that children sometimes go through food "binges" during which they become fixated on one food for a period of time. Eventually, they will return to eating other foods. The important thing is that overall their health and development is normal.