1. Picky, Picky
Most children go through a period where they refuse to try new foods and demand the same one or two favorites for each meal. These food jags are most apparent in children aged 1-5. Preschool children may reject foods they previously relished, which can make parents feel crazy. You don't have to become a short-order cook to meet your child's nutritional needs. Dietitians say that it may take a child up to 10 tries before he agrees to sample a new dish. Offer the new food alongside his favorite, and keep the mealtime atmosphere neutral and low-key. In time, you might have a liver-lover in the house.
2. Healthy Snacks
Young children have small appetites, and they fare better with several small servings of food throughout the day than with three hearty meals. Multiply the child's age by tablespoons and you have an estimate of appropriate portion size. For example, give your 3-year-old 3 tablespoons each of mashed sweet potatoes, peas and chopped meat at dinnertime. Treat snacks like small meals, and think outside the juice and cracker box. Instead of allowing a child to fill up on sweetened beverages and snacks, offer 100-percent juice and cheese with a slice of whole wheat bread.
3. Advertising Influence
Given that the typical child has watched 5,000 hours of television by the time she enters kindergarten, it's no wonder that commercial messages influence what our children want at the dinner table. Most foods featured in advertising are high in fat, sodium and sugar. If your child is old enough to watch commercial TV, she's old enough to hear your values on child nutrition. Involve preschool children in shopping by giving them advertising fliers with pictures of produce that they can cut out. Reinforce the lessons older children learn at school by talking about the food pyramid and other healthy initiatives.
4. Vital Vitamins and Minerals
If your child is a picky eater, you may wonder if you should give him a daily vitamin supplement. Nutritional deficiencies in American children are rare, but when children lack essential vitamins and minerals, they usually include iron, calcium and vitamin C. Doctors recommend that in the absence of a clinical deficiency that children receive their nourishment from food. If you give your children vitamins, keep them locked up to prevent a toxic iron overdose.
5. Eat the Rainbow
According to the USDA, kids need ample amounts of fruits and vegetables each day for growth and development. In fact, children aged 9-13 should aim for 3-4 cups of produce each day. The more colorful the produce palette, the better the vitamin content is. Think of the vibrant orange in citrus or cantaloupe, the bright yellow in pineapple and the dark green in spinach. Add pureed vegetables to sauces and make fresh fruit smoothies to up your child's produce intake.
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