Every child has different stages of development and in each of those stages, nutrition plays an important part in determining a child’s development.
As your baby begins to walk, he will become hyperactive and love to explore all things around.
Therefore, parents need to prepare a menu full of nutrients with food groups, especially fruits to supplement a good amount of natural fiber.
In this article, we will mention bananas, one of the fruits with high nutritional content, easy to buy, and cheap.
So can a toddler eat too many bananas? What are the important notes for children to best absorb nutrition?
1. Benefits Of Bananas For The Growth Of Toddlers
We all know that bananas have high nutritional value and most children love to eat them.
Bananas contain many vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and B6 which are essential for the growth of toddlers.
One banana contains an average of 105 calories, 4 grams of total fat, 27 grams of total carbohydrates, 1.3 grams of protein, 1.2 mg of sodium, 0 mg of cholesterol, 422 mg of potassium, 1.5% of the daily value of vitamin A, 17% of daily value vitamin C, 20% of daily value vitamin B6, 1.7% of daily value iron, 6% of daily value magnesium.
In particular, bananas contain high fiber content, each banana contains up to 3 grams of fiber, which is very good for the digestive system of toddlers.
The reasons why bananas have become a favorite food source for many parents are convenience, ease of purchase, and low cost.
Bananas can be processed into many types such as puree combined with cereals, cakes, ice cream…
2. Some Important Rules When Feeding Bananas To Toddlers
Bananas provide a relatively high content of sugar and potassium for toddlers. They are at risk of potassium poisoning when eating more than 5-6 bananas per day.
Especially, if toddlers eat unripe bananas, it can cause constipation because their digestive systems are still weak.
Bananas can make toddlers feel full for a long time and lose interest in other foods.
Therefore, parents need to ensure that their children eat the recommended amount to absorb a variety of foods throughout the day.
Bananas contain only a very small amount of fat, about 4 grams per fruit. Therefore, it cannot become a substitute for every meal of toddlers because they need a fixed amount of fat to stay active all day.
Moreover, bananas are high in sugar which can cause weight gain problems for young children. In addition, they also affect the oral health of children if not taken care of carefully.
3. A Safe Serving Of Bananas In A Day
As recommended by Florida’s Department of Health, parents can apply the general rule below for each age of their child.
- 4 months: 1/4 to 1/3 of a large banana
- 9 months: 1/4 to 1/2 of a large banana
- 12 months: 3/4 to 1.5 large bananas
- 16 months: 3/4 to 1.5 large bananas
- 24 months: 1 to 1.5 large bananas
You should note that this is the recommended amount of bananas in general.
You still need to monitor your baby’s digestion and feed less or a little more as long as it matches the nutritional needs of the young child.
Do you have an answer to the fact that toddlers can eat too many bananas?
Make sure that your toddler eats enough bananas as recommended by the health department and monitor your child’s digestibility and actual needs.
4. The Issue Of Potassium For Toddlers
Many parents are feeling concerned about the increasing problem of potassium poisoning in young children.
They are wondering if toddlers can eat too many bananas and how many bananas are they at risk of potassium poisoning?
One medium banana contains an average of 422 milligrams of potassium, while the minimum amount of potassium required for one to three-year-olds is 3000 milligrams.
This means that a toddler would eat up to seven medium-sized bananas in a day to reach the allowable limit of potassium.
However, you need to know that many other foods are higher in potassium such as avocados, natural yogurt, spinach, and sweet potatoes.
So, if you want to control the nutritional content suitable for a toddler, make a detailed menu about combining different food groups to achieve the standard indicators as proven by scientists.
You also do not need to worry too much about potassium poisoning as many people say because it is very rare with natural foods.
Children will be at high risk of potassium poisoning from preparations such as drugs, solutions, toxic substances, biological products.
5. How To Choose Nutritious Bananas?
Agricultural products often contain stimulants, pesticides, or insecticides.
Therefore, parents should choose reputable suppliers to buy bananas and ensure they are grown and harvested by food safety and hygiene regulations.
You can buy a green banana and wait for it to ripen naturally. Do not give children green bananas because it is not good for the digestive system.
You should choose bananas that are ripe, soft, and have a natural aroma.
After the banana is fully ripe, you should store it in the refrigerator to prevent the banana from fermenting and adversely affecting the digestive system of young children.
Overall, bananas are a great food for toddlers. You can encourage your child to eat bananas every day, but eat them in moderation and don’t eat them too much at once.
It would be great if your toddler got into a good habit of eating a banana or fruit a day instead of fast food or products that contain too much butter, milk, and sugar.
If you liked this article, please share it with other parents to help all children stay healthy and happy.
Hi, This is Emma Baster; As a mom, I spend my free time caring for my kids. I’ve read a lot on the Internet to improve my childcare skill and bring the best to my kids. Eruditemommy shares my knowledge and experience through helpful posts. I hope you enjoy them!
