| Nutrition for Toddlers and Preschoolers FAQs |
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| Return to Child Nutrition FAQ Table of Contents |
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| I’m caring for a toddler who has always been a good eater. Lately she seems to have lost interest in eating, turning up her nose at even her favorite foods. What’s that all about? |
| Your toddler is beginning to test her wings with regard to eating. She’s learning that she has control over some things and whether she eats or not is one of them. The timing of this developmental change also corresponds with a fall off in appetite that occurs because the toddler’s growth rate has slowed. As the caregiver of a toddler your job is to select and prepare the food for meals and leave the eating up to her. Trust her to eat what she needs. That means some days she may eat very little and on other days she will eat more. |
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| One of my daycare children seems to eat very small amounts of food and I’m concerned that she isn’t eating enough to grow properly. How much should a child eat at each meal? |
| Young children’s appetites vary tremendously from meal to meal and day to day. That’s normal eating for a young child. Because these children aren’t growing as much as before their energy needs won’t be as high. A general guide to the amount of food to offer is one tablespoon for each year of age of each of the foods served at that meal. (A two year old serving would be two tablespoons). The key word here is "offer", it’s the child’s job to decide how much and even if they will eat what’s offered. |
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| How do I get my kids to eat vegetables? |
| How you approach the serving of vegetables has a lot to do with how the children will eat. Offer a variety of vegetables and let the kids see you eating and enjoying them. Keep offering them even if they are initially rejected. Many vegetables contain stronger tasting compounds that are initially rejected. Children may be encouraged to taste, but shouldn’t be forced or bribed into eating. Eventually vegetables will become familiar and accepted. |
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| How do I get my daycare kids to try new foods? |
| It’s natural for children to be wary of new foods. Sometimes it takes as many as 10 – 15 exposures to a food before a child is willing to taste it. Try offering the new food in different ways, making sure to offer the new food with familiar foods so the entire meal isn’t foreign to the children. Lastly, make sure the children see you enjoying the new food. Children are great imitators and will eventually want to try some of this new food they see you enjoying. |
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| What if a child refuses to eat? |
| As a caregiver your job is to determine “what, when and where” with regard to meals. It’s the child’s job to decide how much to eat at each meal. When planning meals take into consideration the children’s likes and dislikes. Try to offer one familiar food that is liked at each meal. Then let each child decide what and how much to eat. If they leave the table without eating anything do not offer a substitute, have them wait until the next meal or snack to eat. The consequence of not eating (hunger) will help them to know that they need to eat something at meals to curb their hunger. |
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| What about the “clean plate club”? |
| Children are born with an internal ability to regulate how much they eat based on their hunger level. They will eat a balanced diet if they are offered healthful, balanced choices over time. Forcing a child to eat leads to a power struggle and teaches the child to ignore their internal cues for hunger and fullness. |
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| Is it okay to “bribe” kids with candy or dessert? |
| Using a bribe is really just another form of pressuring a child to eat. It adds to mealtime tension and won’t help them to like spinach. In fact children learn to value the foods that are offered as a reward more than the food they are being bribed to eat. |
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| What if my kids are just plain “picky eaters”? How do I handle that? |
| Do not become a short order cook. Have structured meals and snacks where you offer a variety of food – a main dish, milk, fruit, vegetable, bread and let the children pick and choose from what’s available. Include one food that you know your children usually like. Involving children in the preparation and selection of meal components is one strategy that helps them feel more comfortable trying new foods. |
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| One of my day care children is a little heavy so the parents have asked me to limit her portions? I’m not comfortable treating her differently than the rest of the children in my home. I’m not sure what to do? |
| Listen to your gut. The impact of diets and their affect on children’s growth has not been well studied so pediatric nutrition and feeding experts such as Joanne Ikeda, MA, RD., University of California at Berkeley advise against it. Children and adolescents are not “little adults”. Their bodies are growing and developing. Dieting generally deprives the body of the nutrients needed to support growth and development, even when children are overweight. Discuss your concerns with the child’s family and encourage them to talk with their pediatrician about their concerns. Continue to offer a variety of nutritious foods at meals and snacks, letting the children decide how much to eat at any given meal. Further information is available in a book by Ellyn Satter, RD, ACSW titled "How to Get Your Kid to Eat…..But Not Too Much". |
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| I always thought fruit juice was a nutritious beverage, however I’ve recently heard reports to the contrary. What’s the scoop on juice? |
| Fruit juice can be a part of a nutritious diet as long as you choose products that are 100% juice and limit the amount you serve. The reason for the controversy on juice has to do with the quantities that some children consume. Children who consume larger amounts of juice tend to fill up on the juice, leaving little room for more nutritious foods and beverages such as milk. Children between the ages of 1 and 6 should consume no more than 4 – 6 ounces per day. Two servings for a total of 8 – 12 ounces should be the limit for children age 6 – 12 years. |
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| One of the little boys in my daycare is allergic to milk so I’m looking for ideas on how to boost his calcium intake. Is calcium-fortified juice as good as milk? |
| The calcium in calcium-fortified juices appears to be readily absorbed by the body so it is an acceptable alternative to milk. However there are other key nutrients found in milk such as magnesium and vitamin D that are also needed for proper bone development. Ask the child’s parents about whether their physician has recommended additional foods and or supplements to meet this child’s nutrient needs. |
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