Toddlers (children younger than 4 years of age)

Toddlers (children younger than 4 years of age) Toddlers, whom we will de—ne here as children 12 to 48 months of age, are the great black hole of nutritional research. Almost no one does research on this age group! Why? Well, anyone who has had a toddler, has sat next to a toddler on an airplane, or who remembers being a toddler will know the answer to this one. Nutritional research involves getting good diet histories, drawing blood, and collecting urine and stool samples. This is not exactly the easiest thing to do with the average 2-year-old. Actually, this is pretty hard to do with teens and adults too, but it is easier to distract them.