How much energy do toddlers burn?
You think you’re doing an amazing job at burning calories, right? Your leisure swim burned 85 calories per 15 minutes or 240 per hour. The 30 minute jog burned 400 calories and that 30-minute aerobics class melted away 210 to 444 calories. Compare that to what your toddler burns and you won’t feel quite as successful at calorie burning. Your toddler’s constant motion burns the equivalent of 83 rounds in the boxing ring, running an entire marathon every day or cycling 82 miles at 12-14mph.
So if you’re a mom and you feel like keeping up with a toddler can seem like the most exhausting activity in the world, you are not wrong!
It’s no doubt that toddlers SHOULD be exhausted. A survey called First Steps Research highlights how a toddler’s daily antics including running around, playing in a sandpit, climbing stairs and playing in a play park – are the same as adults climbing almost 4000 feet. This can also equate to 300 hours of competitive football in a row or a rowing session of six hours.
Dietitian Dr Carrie Ruxton said: ’If a little one saw their mom or dad run a marathon every day they would be pretty impressed. Parents experience similar positive emotions when they witness the many milestones that their toddlers achieves each week. The toddlers have no idea who much extra nutrition is needed to fuel this amazing development between the ages of one and three years.
Exactly how much additional nutrition?
The survey also found that toddlers need three times as much energy as adults and four times the amount of iron and vitamin C.
To illustrate the difference between a toddlers’ and an adult’s diet, the First Steps Research worked out the average calories required to support a toddler on a daily basis by taking into consideration their weight, resting metabolic rate and energy necessary for growth, development and activity.
Each of these factors, when compared with an average 155lb. adult, equated to a 3,600 calorie daily diet for an adult (enough to run marathons, climb that 4000 foot mountain twice and box more than seven fights consecutively.)
The survey found that 78 per cent of parents think that if a child eats the same meals as them in smaller portions their dietary meets are met, but in fact, toddlers require far more.
According to the study, they need three times as much energy as adults, four times the amount of iron and vitamin C, three times the amount of calcium, zinc and vitamin A, far more fats and less salt.
So the next time your toddler seems to constantly be hungry, think about all that is required to fuel the grow and activity that the little body experiences across the course of the day! And give him a fuel-filled snack like cheese, strawberries, yogurt, eggs or one of the other snacks that are one of the Top 20 Snacks for Kids!
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From Little Otter, Charlotte families receive an alternative to “typical” swim lessons in year-round, small group instruction in a warm indoor swimming pool where parents can watch their children’s progress from the comfortable viewing gallery. Little Otter Swim School’s team members are passionate about teaching kids to swim and be safe as they enjoy the water. We’d love to share more of the benefits of learning to swim with you. Learn more about what makes Little Otter different.
Sources:
https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/feeding/healthy-eating/the-20-best-snacks-for-kids/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2163173/Toddlers-daily-antics-equivalent-doing-83-rounds-boxing-ring.html
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