Increasing energy in your infant, toddler and young child’s diet

Introduction

Infants and young children often have small appetites. If this is combined with an increase in energy requirements (e.g. due to illness), it may be difficult to achieve expected weight gain. In hospital, a well-nourished child is better able to recover when unwell and fight infections. This is a guide on how to add more energy to nutritious foods and tips on increasing the calories in your infant, toddler and young child’s diet.

What can I do to help?

• Try to encourage 3 small meals and 2-3 nutritious snacks throughout the day
• Always offer 2 courses at each mealtime, one savoury course followed by a sweet course
• The ‘little and often’ approach works well and your child can always ask for more.
• Always keep snacks readily available (see snack section for ideas on snack foods)

Fluids

• Avoid giving a lot of sweet tasting drinks which may decrease appetite for foods
• Having drinks close to mealtimes can also affect appetite. Encourage frequent drinks between and/ or after meals to avoid filling your child up
• For those over 1 year, aim to give your child full cream or Jersey milk. Too much milk can also affect food intake. About two beakers (350-500ml) of full cream or Jersey milk per day is sufficient
• You can fortify 200mL of milk with 1 tablespoons of skimmed milk powder. This will add an additional 50kcal per 200mL of milk. Your dietitian can calculate how much fluid your infant or child requires to give you a guide.

How to add extra energy to savoury foods

Foods to encourage in your infant, toddler and young child’s diet:

• Choose full-fat foods where possible, avoid foods labelled ‘low fat’, ‘diet’ or ‘light’
• Some foods such as oily fish (remove the bones) e.g. salmon, mackerel & sardines and avocado are naturally higher in calories so try to encourage these within the diet
• Fruits and vegetables are excellent for vitamins and minerals, but are low in
  calories and can be very filling. Make sure you combine them with a higher
  calorie option. For example, vegetables with cheese sauce or stir fried with oil
• Choose baby packets or jars that have a source of protein in them e.g. meat/chicken/cheese
• Make up dried baby foods or baby rice with formula rather than water

For example, the following ingredients can be added to baby food or child’s portion:

• grated cheese, full cream or Jersey cow’s milk, formula, cream, crème fraiche, butter, margarine
• oils to baby jars, rice, pasta, vegetables, meat and fish
• instead of grilling, baking and steaming foods - choose frying in oil, butter or margarine when cooking
• grated cheese with extra milk and butter/margarine to mashed potato
• grated cheese/cream cheese/double cream in scrambled eggs
• butter, cheese, gravy, tahini or white sauce on vegetables
• grated cheese/cream/full cream milk to soups
• spread butter or margarine thickly on toast, bread, crumpets or crackers
• cream, sour cream or crème fraiche to casseroles
• mayonnaise or salad cream to sandwiches, two fillings are also useful, e.g. egg mayonnaise and bacon, cheese and ham
• skimmed milk powder to white sauces, soups
• pesto to vegetables, pasta and rice dishes
• beans and pulses to casseroles, stews and soups
• Avocado to sandwiches or toast

Coconut cream or tinned coconut milk, ground almonds, tahini to soups or curries

How to add extra energy to sweet foods

For example, the following ingredients can be added to sweet foods:

• full-cream milk, formula, cream, custard, ice-cream, evaporated milk, coconut milk or coconut cream with pies, sponge, porridge, fruit and other puddings
• add extra sugar, syrup or honey (if older than 1 year) to desserts, porridge, cereals, fruit and custard
• add cream, full fat yoghurt, sugar, evaporated milk to breakfast cereals
• fruit with full fat yoghurt, ice-cream, or custard
• choose fruit in syrup
• spread peanut butter or chocolate spread to biscuits or on fruit
• make milk jellies with full cream, evaporated or fortified milk / formula as opposed to water
• choose milky baby jars/packets for desserts. If you choose fruit desserts try to add yoghurt or cream.

For dental health, ensure sweet foods are given at meals rather than between. Avoid prolonged contact of sweet foods with the teeth and clean teeth well before bed.

Ideas for high energy snacks

Snacks can be an excellent way of increasing the energy intake in your infant or child’s diet.

Some ideas for snacks could include:

• toast fingers, crackers or plain biscuits with nut butters, jam, tahini, cream cheese, cheese triangles, cheese, chocolate spread, butter/ margarine or houmous
• a small biscuit
• a handful of crisps or dissolvable snack foods such as quavers or skips
• a small chocolate bar
• full-fat yoghurts, fromage frais
• a handful of dried fruit eg raisins or apricots
• cheese cubes, cheese strings
• cocktail sausages, mini sausage rolls
• slice of cake or cake bar
• buns or muffins
• dips (i.e. houmous, taramasalata, cheese dip, nut butters) with slices of fruits and vegetables, pittas, crisps or breadsticks
• Roasted vegetable sticks
• tinned fruit in syrup
• small bowl of breakfast cereal with fortified milk or greek yoghurt
• handful of nuts (if over 5 years old)
• sliced avocado
• Chopped hard boiled eggs

Extra ideas

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Contacts/Further information

If you require any further information or wish to comment on this leaflet please contact: Your dietitian:………………………………………………………………. (01223 216655)

Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
Box 119, Cambridge University NHS Foundation Trust
Hills Road
Cambridge
CB2 0QQ