Child Feeding Dos and Don'ts
How to Get Your Kids to Eat
Helping your kids gradually become responsible for their own eating habits is just as important as making sure they get enough nutrition when they're young. When kids practice good nutrition throughout childhood, they are much more likely to adopt the habit for life.
Use these dos and don’ts to lead your kids to healthier eating habits:
- Do set a good example for your kids to follow. Share mealtimes and eat the same healthy foods.
- Don’t add unnecessary sugar to drinks and foods.
- Do discourage snacking on sweets and fatty foods. Keep plenty of healthy snacks around — like cut-up pieces of fruits and veggies, low-fat cheese, and yogurt.
- Don’t accustom your kids to extra salt by adding it to food or keeping the shaker on the table.
- Do allow your kids to follow their natural appetites when deciding how much to eat at mealtimes.
- Don’t use food as a bribe.
- Do encourage your kids to enjoy fruits and veggies by exposing them to a wide variety from an early age.
- Don’t give skim or 1% milk to children younger than 2 unless your doctor prescribes it. At age 2, switch your kids from whole milk to 2% milk.
- Do ask your kids to help prepare meals.