Simply Having A Toddler-Sized Christmas Time

If you follow my blog, you may have read a post I published a few months ago about the Think Toddler Size Challenge where I took part in the Infant & Toddler Forum Toddler-Sized challenge. The aim was to encourage parents everywhere to turn the evidence-based guidance on feeding toddlers, developed by the Infant & Toddler Forum, into something easy and practical, to take the guesswork out of feeding toddlers well every day.

Thank you for all your support back then, it was really nice! Now the winners have been announced and you can see who won on the Infant Toddler Forum Website. The winning ideas were:

1. Toddler Food Wheel
2. Mat with sections that match 5532
3. Fridge Planner with Food Group Magnets

If you would like to know more about how to make a healthy toddler diet, whether it is for a normal day or for a festive day, you should try out the Infant & Toddler Forum’s festive menu which will help you to give little ones a healthy balanced meal, while still, they can enjoy some treats.

Christmas is a time for families to be together, to relax and to celebrate the season. It can also be a time of extra pressure as families get swept up in the holiday madness of parties, shopping and cooking! In such a busy period, everyday routines may go out of the window, and it can be hard to keep track and make sure your toddler is eating the right foods in the right amounts and in the right balance.

Some toddlers may become extra sensitive as routine changes influence moods. Nap-times are essential for toddlers but at Christmas these may be later or cut short, not to mention meals and snacks may be rushed and regular activity may get forgotten.

To help make the most of this busy period, the Infant & Toddler Forum has developed resources to help maintain a happy, active and healthy holiday season for all. Their festive tips for active toddlers have plenty of ideas to keep the little ones busy. See below some of their tips:

• Plan events around your family and toddler’s schedule
• Ensure regular meal times and 2-3 planned nutritious snacks evenly spread throughout the day
• Give any sweets or chocolate at the end of a meal to protect their teeth and limit them to 2 or 3 at a time
• Make sure that toddlers are getting enough activity
• Encourage 12 hours sleep a day
• Limit TV and other screen time like computers or tablets to just one hour a day.
• Save the screen time for a family Christmas TV programme or DVD together
• Involve toddlers in making some festive decorations and goodies
• Add a festive twist such as:
  – The Activity Advent Calendar Challenge
  – A Christmas nature hunt
  – A walk to see all the lights in your local community
  – Give some indoor games a Christmas spin
  – Finding Santa’s secret Christmas present
  – A visit to meet Santa at your local shopping or garden centre
  – If you have snow, get children to make a snowman

For more ideas, visit the Infant & Toddler Forum website which will help you to keep your toddlers happy during this period. Also, remember have a slow down time. Make the night time story a Christmas story and after an active day, some toddlers may sleep better.

And lastly, I would like to say that you should try to have some time to relax and enjoy this magical time of the year with your kids, family and friends! I wish you all a Wonderful Christmas! 🙂

Do you have any toddlers at home? Have you organised the holiday period already? What do you think of these tips? Do you have more ideas or tips to add to this list? 

*Disclosure: This is a collaborative post with the Infant & Toddler Forum. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Love you all ❤️

Franca  💋

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