NUTRITION RESOURCES

Preschoolers can wait to eat with the family.

Don’t let your child graze on snacks all day.

Grazing leads to picky eating and poor nutrition.

Sit down and eat with your child at breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

Have 1-2 sit down snacks at set times in between. 

Try and keep meal times consistent.

• It’s normal for a preschool to eat a lot one day and nothing the next. 

• Let your child decide how much to eat at meals.

• Let your child get down when he’s done. 

• Then say no to snacking after the meal. 

• You’ve done your job by providing food and setting boundaries.

• Don't pressure your child to eat, it's best to let him decide how much and what to eat. 

 Having planned sit down snacks at the same time every day is okay.  Grazing all day is not okay.  If you hand out snacks all day, every time your child asks, he will not be hungry for healthy foods at mealtime.  If you have trouble with your child eating well, make sure he is not grazing.  For reference, a child this age should be offered a meal or snack about every 3-4 hours.  Water should be offered all day, but no juice or milk between meals.

• Do not let your child carry a sippy cup of milk or juice around the house.  This limits her appetite for nutritious foods at mealtime and can cause tooth decay.

• Only keep water and milk on hand.  Juice and soda have too much sugar for your preschooler, save them for special occasions.  Juice and soda can cause cavities.  Never let your child sip on juice or soda all day.

• At 2 years, your baby is ready for lower fat milk.  Choose 1% or 2% fat instead of whole milk.

• Feed your child the same foods you eat.  Don’t buy kid yogurt or chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs.  These foods have too much added sugar and salt.  Kids can eat everything adults eat, even spicy foods.  If you buy separate foods for your child, you can expect to have a picky eater who refuses to eat what you eat.  Prevent that problem by offering your child the same foods you enjoy eating.

• Always make your child sit down while eating.  Avoid giving your child hard round foods. Cut hot dogs or grapes into quarters lengthwise. Cook veggies and meats until soft and cut into ¼-½ inch pieces. Spread peanut butter thin on bread.  Chop nuts into small pieces.