Think Healthy Think Nutrition

Early Childhood

Nutrition

Nutrition for the Young Child

During early childhood physical, cognitive, and social emotional development are taking place. Adequate nu-trition throughout the early years of childhood is one of the key ways to ensure opti-mal growth and develop-ment. Sensitivity to cues given by the child can make mealtime enjoyable and en-

courage positive lifelong eating habits (1,2). Below are some hints for feeding the young child (ages 1 to 5 years):

Environment (3,4,5)

Caregivers are responsible for providing a quiet,

pleasant, distraction-free, and safe environment for meals and snacks.

Allow for spills and messes of food; e.g., cover

the floor if it is a concern. Serve meals and

snacks at consis-tent times of the day, with enough time for the child to become hungry between feedings.

Set aside quiet time before the meal, maybe

reading a story or having them listen to some music; a tired or excited child may not be interested in eating.

Seat the child at

a table for both meals and snacks, and discourage eating while walking or playing. Make sure the seat is at proper height and is comfortable for the child. The table should be at the child’s stomach level and his or her feet should be supported.

To minimize distractions, turn the television

and radio off.

Use child-sized plates and cups. Provide eating utensils with short, broad, solid handles and forks with blunt tires. Always supervise the child during meals and snacks. Also, be aware if the

child is eating in the car. A child who is choking may not be able to make noise or attract atten-tion.

Types of Foods (2, 5, 6)

Recommendations to create healthy meals and

snacks for young children are:

Serve juice no more than once daily, for breakfast or snack.

Serve at least one fresh or frozen fruit or vegetable daily.

Serve at least one good source of Vitamin C daily.

Serve at least one good source of Vitamin A, three days per week.

Serve age-appropriate dairy products. Serve whole grains daily, and If you serve ready-to-eat cereals, choose

those with few or no added sugars.

Provide foods with a variety of colors, textures, and interesting shapes, and arrange food attrac-tively on the plate.

Serve foods warm rather than hot, and moisten

dry foods.

Offer foods separately

rather than in a casse-role or mixed with gra-vies and sauces.

Encourage finger feed-

ing by serving easy-to-handle foods such as meat, vegetables, bread, and cheese, in strips or finger sandwiches.

Provide a mix of favorite foods, along with new

or previously disliked foods. If a child refuses a food, reintroduce it after several days or weeks, because a child’s preference often changes.

Provide small portions and allow the child to ask

for second helpings as desired. A quick rule of thumb for serving sizes is 1 tablespoon per year of age or ¼ of an adult serving.

Provide a variety of snacks at regularly sched-

uled times so they do not interfere with meals. Set a limit on fluids, such as juices and milk, be-

tween feedings. These can interfere with intake at regular meal and snack times. Water is a good choice to help quench thirst between feedings.

Avoid hard-to-chew foods that increase the risk

of choking, such as corn, grapes, hot dogs, meat chunks, nuts, peanut butter, popcorn, raisins, raw apples, raw vegetables, and sausage links.

Education (5)

The caregiver is responsible for: Serving a variety of nutritious foods, Deciding when to offer food as part of daily

care, and Setting an example of healthy eating habits

by eating a variety of foods along with the children.

The child is responsible for only two things:

Choosing what foods will be eaten from those that have been offered, and

Deciding how much of the food to eat.

Involve the child in menu planning, food shopping, coupon cutting, and food prepa-ration. The younger child may wash vegeta-bles, wipe the table, or tear lettuce; the older child may break eggs, set the table, or load the dishwasher.

Eat with the child and introduce age-appropriate

table manners. Model healthy eating

habits; remember, most children follow their caregivers’ ex-amples.

Teach hand washing before meals and snacks.

Allow the child sufficient time to finish the meals and snacks. Allow the child who is finished eating to leave the table rather than disturb others.

Do not force the child to clean their plate. This may lead to overeating or development of a dislike to foods.

Encourage the child to try at least one bite of a new food, but remember, it may take several in-troductions to the food before the child will pick it up and try it. It is best not to trick, bribe, or force a child into trying a new food.

REFERENCES

1. Toomey, Kay, Feeding Strategies for Older Infants and Toddlers. Pediatric Basics, Number 100, Fall 2002.

2. Satter E: Child of Mine. Feeding with love and good sense. Boul-der, Colorado: Bull Publishing Co; 2000.

3. The American Heart Association, Dietary Recommendations for Healthy Children, 2010. Available at http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/Dietary-Recommendations-for-Healthy-Children_UCM_303886_Article.jsp

4. International Food Information Council Foundation; Food In-sights. Washington, DC: International Food Council Foundation; September/October 2000:7-9.

5. The Pediatric Nutrition Practice Group, American Dietetic Asso-ciation. Pediatric Manual of Clinical Dietetics, Second Edition. Updated, 2008.

Created by:

Texas Association of Local Health Officials

2600 McHale Court, Suite 100 Austin, Texas, 78758

Tel. 512-814-2546 Fax. 512-814-2551

www.TALHO.org

Special thanks to:

Texas Pediatric Society &

Texas Association of Local Health Officials

Data compiled by:

Rhonda M. Lane, MS, CNS