Children develop a natural preference for the foods they enjoy the most, and ensuring they eat healthily isn’t always easy. It is very common for toddlers to be fussy eaters, so encouraging children to eat nutritious food will help.

This month’s blog at Little Steps Day Care looks at how you can encourage your child to eat healthily. For more information, call us in Bedford on 01234 889518.

Be a Role Model

Research shows that children pick up on their parents’ eating habits early in life. Children learn by watching the adults around them and getting involved with your child’s snack and mealtimes can help encourage them.

Rewards Charts

Rewards charts promote positive reinforcement and enables you to track your child’s eating habits. Giving your child a gold star for each time they finish their meal or try a new food can turn trying new things into a positive experience.

Meal Plans

Planning meals and sticking to what you will give your child during the day/week makes things much easier. It helps knowing exactly what you are cooking for dinner each day and helps resist takeaways and junk food.

When making your meal plan, ensure that each meal is nutritionally balanced and includes everything your child needs to develop. Furthermore, meal plans are a great opportunity to involve your child and teach them about healthy foods.

Offer Healthier Snacks

Children love snacks and they are a great way to keep their energy levels balanced throughout the day. A great way to ensure that your child eats healthily between meals is to limit their access to junk foods.

A healthy snack is also a great way to introduce your child to new foods as the portion sizes are smaller.

Introduce New Foods Slowly

Children can be very picky eaters and need to get used to new flavours before they like them. Try only offering new food when you know they are hungry and do it one new food at a time.

By doing this, you can ease them into a healthier diet rather than force them into eating something they dislike. Bear in mind that it will take some time before your child accepts new food, so try and offer it in different forms.

A Healthy Lifestyle at Little Steps Day Care

At Little Steps Day Care, we believe that teaching children how to lead a healthy and happy lifestyle is an important aspect of their education. For children to thrive and have the correct energy and concentration levels to learn, they need a healthy diet, fresh air and exercise.

All food we provide contain all the important food groups, including:

• Fruit & Vegetables
• Carbohydrates
• Dairy Proteins
• Non-dairy Proteins
• Fats

Have a look at our sample menus.

Contact Little Steps Day Care

For more information about how you can encourage your child to eat healthily, contact Little Steps Day Care. Call us in Bedford on 01234 889518 or 07340 956133. Alternatively, you can make an enquiry through our contact form.

Visit our Facebook for the latest updates.