We all know how hard it is to say “no” to our kids. However much we convince ourselves that we won’t give in to letting them have that extra ice cream, lollipop or chocolate bar, sometimes all they have to do is throw us one adorable glance, and we’re sold!

Although it’s very natural to let your toddler have some of the fatty foods they crave, we know you also want to ensure you’re making the right decisions for their health - first and foremost!

If you find yourself pondering questions such as, “when should I say yes, and when should I say no?” Or, “how do I make the right choices in terms of what fat-based foods to give them?” don’t worry; we’re here to help.

To start off, let’s look at what fat-based foods you should include and avoid within your child’s diet:

What fat-based foods should I include and avoid in my child’s diet?

Fats are a vital nutrient needed for your little ones to grow and develop. In fact, toddlers need up to 35% of their diet to come from fats. But the type of fat is really important. As is aiming to keep within the 35% per day.

Controlling your child’s fat intake might seem a little challenging at first, but it becomes simple once you understand the different fat-based foods to include and avoid.

First of all, when choosing what foods to go for when it comes to your children, you don’t have to try to count the amount of fat in their food down to the last calorie. Instead, when you shop for groceries, focus on the portion sizes of foods that contain them, the types of fat in their food, and the other important nutrients that these foods deliver. The overall goal is to choose foods with more unsaturated fats and less saturated fats.

Next, let’s look at some tips as to how you should ensure your child actually eats the right fats within their diet.

But how should I ensure my child eats the right fats within their diet?

Here are some practical tips:

Try switching from butter to soft tub margarine. Or perhaps use oil in recipes calling for melted butter.

Meat contains cholesterol in both the fat and the lean muscle tissue. So if you trim the fat and buy lean cuts, this will help to reduce the cholesterol.

When feeding your child snacks, watch out for ‘snack fats’. Some popular snack foods are higher in fat - especially solid fat - than you may at first think. Read the ingredient list and the Nutrient Facts on the label!

Encourage your child to eat fish at least twice a week, especially oily fish such as salmon, to get omega-3 benefits.

Choose lean meat like pork, beef or veal, and skinless poultry. Loin and round cuts of meat have less saturated fat. Trim visible fat from meat and poultry. Lean meat isn’t fat-free, but it has less fat.

Choose mostly low-fat or fat-free dairy foods, as the amount of bone-building nutrients in whole, low-fat, and fat-free milk products are very similar.

If you use butter as a spread or to sauté, use just a small amount. Or use oil, or perhaps only part oil, instead.

Try to limit foods like high-fat muffins, croissants, doughnuts, cakes and cookies, as they are often made with solid fats. Choose lower-fat products like breakfast cereals, bagels, pasta, pita, tortillas, rice and other low-fat breads.

Some healthier high fat foods which are great to be included in your little ones diet include nuts, seeds, avocados and fish.

Fun Fact: Did you know that a label stating “98% fat-free” means that the percentage is referring to weight and not calories? So, it means that 2% of the weight of the total serving comes from fat!

How can I balance my toddler’s diet?

From Unii’s Toddler Nutrition Journey, here’s how to ensure your child has a healthy fat intake.