Toddlers today enjoy 1,000 activities a year
The first-ever UK toddler census has been conducted with some shocking figures revealed.
Our toddlers are more likely to eat burgers than broccoli, spend longer watching TV or playing on a computer than they spend on their meals and six in 10 have alread visited a fast-food restaurant.
Welcome to the insight of a child aged one to three in Britain today.
It reveals that they're sociable and cultured, with 85 per cent owning designer clothes, averaging ten friends and enjoy nearly 1,000 activities a year, including 'soft play', swimming and even yoga classes.
However, the wide ranging survey also reveals the impact busier lifestyles and a lack of consistent information for parents are having on the nation’s toddlers when it comes to the ‘state of their plates’.
Junk, fast and convenience food play a worryingly big role – 86 per cent of toddlers surveyed had tried chips, 80 per cent had tried pizza and chips, 68 per cent had tried chicken nuggets and 40 per cent had tried Chinese takeaway.
One in 100 parents say they’ve never cooked a meal for their child and those who do only rotate an average of ten recipes across lunch and dinner.
Meanwhile, the inconsistent information available on toddler diets means it’s perhaps unsurprising eight out of ten parents don’t realise that toddlers’ nutritional needs are not met if they eat the same meals as adults.
Historically, vitamins A, C and D, omega 3 and iron are lacking in many UK toddlers’ diets. In fact, the UK Departments of Health even recommend all children be given vitamin A, C and D supplements from the age of one to five – but three quarters of toddlers are not given these.
And toddlers’ typical fussy or faddy eating proves a serious stress to parents trying to encourage good eating habits, with 44per cent even feeling they have to stretch the truth to other parents about their toddler’s diet.
The ‘Census’ highlights that the crucial and unique toddler years have often been overlooked when it comes to nutrition, development and advice; suggesting we think of our one to three year olds as not just toddlers but ‘Little One-ders’, in a bid to address this.
Listen to the podcast below with Amanda Ursell and Dr Richard Woolfson who discuss the report and give advice on what parents can do to ensure their toddlers are getting everything they need from a nutritiional perspective.
Femalefirst Taryn Davies