Tips for Feeding Preschoolers
Provided by Kraft Foods
Sometimes, teaching young ones to eat right is a challenge. These tips can help:
- Sit down with your child at meal and snack times and be a positive role
model for healthy eating.
- At mealtime, serve at least one MyPyramid food that you know your little
one loves. That way, if your child is having a "no" kind of day and refuses
to eat what you prepared, you can be reasonably sure that he or she will eat at
least one nutritious food.
- Let your child decide how much to eat. Toddlers and preschoolers
may not eat as much as they did when they were younger. Their growth rate has slowed
down, so they may need fewer calories. And their day is filled with so many other
fun things, eating may not be a priority. Some parents forget that young children
eat smaller portions than their older brothers and sisters.
- Try, try again when you're introducing new foods. Some children
have to see a new food up to 10 times before they feel brave enough to try it. Be
sure they see you enjoying the food, since many kids want to be like their parents.
- Pack a picnic if you're going to be on the go at mealtime. Include foods from at least four of the MyPyramid food groups. For example, pick your favorite bread (Grain Group), sandwiches filled with meat (Meat & Beans Group) or cheese (Milk Group), carrot sticks, cooked until soft, cut into strips and chilled (Vegetable Group), and orange sections or banana slices (Fruit Group).
- Don't coax or beg your child to eat. Eating (or not eating) is
one of the few things that young kids can control. The more you push, the more your
child may push back by refusing to eat. Simply offer foods at meals and snack times.
- Decide what to serve, and stick with your decision, even if your
child begs for something else. If you start making other foods on demand, your child
might expect you to be a short order cook at every meal.
- Create a safe eating environment to minimize chances of choking.
Make sure your child sits while eating and eats only when an adult is present. Cut
foods into small, bite-size pieces before serving.
