Preschoolers - develop healthy eating habits

Many things influence what and how much your child eats.

• Eat together. Eat meals with your child whenever possible. Let your child see you enjoying fruits, vegetables, and whole grains at meals and snacks.
• Share the adventure. Be willing to try new foods, and try to buy new foods together.
• Cook together. Encourage your preschooler to help you prepare meals and snacks. Cooking together can mean more "mommy (or daddy) and me" time on busy days.
• Keep things positive. Discourage older children and other family members from making negative comments about unfamiliar foods. 

Offer your preschooler small, easy-to-eat amounts to make eating easy and more enjoyable.

• Use smaller bowls, plates, and utensils for your child to eat with.
• Don't insist that children finish all the food on their plate. Let your child know it's okay to only eat as much as he or she wants at that time.
• As children are able, allow them to serve themselves.

Help your children keep listening to their bodies as they grow. Children who "listen" to their own fullness cues stop eating when they feel full and are less likely to become overweight. Give your kids a chance to stop eating when they feel full, even if you think they aren't. They'll feel more independent and you'll help them keep a healthy weight.

• Let them learn by serving themselves. Let your children serve themselves at dinner. Teach them to take small amounts at first. Preschoolers can practice serving from small bowls that you hold for them.
• Avoid praising a clean plate. Your child should stop eating when he or she is full, rather than when the plate is clean.  Reward your child with attention and kind words, not food. Show your love with hugs and kisses.  Giving your child sweets when they feel sad or as a special treat can teach your child to eat when he or she is not hungry. This may cause your child to ignore body signals of fullness and overeat. Rewarding with sweets also lets your child think sweets or dessert foods are better than other foods. For example, telling your child "no dessert until you finish your vegetables" may make them like the vegetable less and the dessert more. 

• Involve your child in conversation:
  • What made you feel really happy today?
  • What did you have to eat at lunch today?
  • Tell me one thing you learned today.
  • What made you laugh today? 

Remember: picky eating is often temporary. If you don’t make it a big deal, it will usually end before school age. You can do many positive things to deal with picky eating and help your child learn to try new foods.

• Let your children pick out fruits and veggies at the store.
• Children like to try foods they help make. It's a great idea for helping your picky eater try fruits and vegetables. Children also learn about fruits and vegetables when they help make them. And all of that mixing, mashing and measuring makes them want to taste what they are making.
• Try to make meals a stress-free time. If arguments often happen at mealtimes, your preschooler may learn unhealthy attitudes toward food.

• Offer choices. Rather than asking "Do you want broccoli for dinner?" ask “Which would you like for dinner: broccoli or cauliflower?”
• Offer the same foods for the whole family. Do not make a different meal for your preschooler. Your child will be okay even if they don't eat a meal now and then.
• Make food fun! Get creative in the kitchen .
  

Picky eating is temporary and there are many things you can do to deal with picky eating in a positive way. One way is to make food fun! Get creative in the kitchen:

• Name a food your child helps create. Make a big deal of serving "Peter's Sweet Potatoes" for dinner.
• Cut a food into fun and easy shapes with cookie cutters.
• Encourage your child to invent and help prepare new snacks or sandwiches.
• Have your child make towers out of whole-grain crackers or make funny faces on a plate using different types of fruit.

Choose smart, fun snacks and meals:

• Bagel snake: Split mini bagels in half. Cut each half into half circles. Spread the halves with toppings like tuna salad, egg salad, or peanut butter. Decorate with sliced cherry tomatoes or banana slices. Arrange the half circles to form the body of a snake. Use olives or raisins for the eyes. .
• Smiley sandwiches: Top a slice of bread with peanut butter and use an apple slice for a smile and raisins for eyes.
  
• Potato face: Top half a small baked potato with eyes, ears, and a smile. Try peas for eyes, a halved cherry tomato for a nose, and a low-fat cheese wedge as a smile. Be creative, you'll be surprised at how many foods can turn into eyes, noses, and smiles!

In case you have a nanny, do not forget to insist on healthy eating habits!

____________________________________________________

 English Governess | UK Governess | British Governess | Child Care