Healthy Eating for Kids

Healthy eating is an important factor for parents when choosing a good provider for their child. Parents have comfort in knowing their child is being fed food high in nutritional value and not just junk. If you’re not already enforcing healthy eating in your center, it’s time to start!

Children develop their eating habits at a young age, so it’s important to start them on the right track as soon as possible. Feeding your children healthy meals at your center will help them stay more focused throughout the day and will promote strong growth and development. It’s our job as child care providers to show our children what a healthy lifestyle looks like. Enforcing these healthy eating habits, along with physical activity, will help the children in your center maintain a healthy weight and prevent health problems down the road.

Young children should be having two servings of fruits and vegetables per day, four daily servings of whole grains, three servings of dairy and two servings of protein. Take these requirements and make a menu for your center. Children love variety, so be sure to mix it up and get creative. The kids will have fun eating healthy if you make every meal a little different. Making healthy eating choices can be hard for children when they don’t fully understand the benefits. This is where you come in! Encourage your kids to stop eating when they feel full and eat only when hungry. Try to avoid using food as a type of reward or punishment; this will cause them to have a skewed view on food. Also, don’t hesitate to let your kids enjoy a favorite snack or candy every now and then.

Don’t forget to keep the child’s parents updated on the healthy eating habits you guys are working on. This will allow the parents to continue the healthy eating for kids at home too.

If you loved this video, check out some more informational videos on Potty Training and Child Neglect.