Information for Parents and Caregivers about Early Childhood Nutrition

Enjoying food is one of childhood’s many pleasures. Early associations with food can make for fond memories later on, such ashaving a dinner party with family and friends to celebrate a special occasion, or eating corn on the cob at a summer picnic.

Making ‘food times’ special opportunities for family and friends to share food and spend time together can help sustain children’s enjoyment of eating. 

Since early childhood is also a time of rapid growth and development, healthy eating is particularly important for preschool children to:

• provide the energy and essential nutrients they need to grow, develop and be active;
• develop their sense of taste, acceptance and enjoyment of different foods;
• contribute to their sense of well-being and feeling good about themselves; and
• instill attitudes and practices which form the basis for lifelong health promoting eating and activity patterns.

How Preschoolers Approach Eating Differently 

Early childhood is an exciting time of change. Bodies are growing. Skills are being mastered. Attitudes are forming. Although every child is different, the following traits are common among preschool children and influence howthey approach eating: 

• A natural curiosity: Youngsters explore their world, including food, by touching, seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting.
• Striving for independence: Two- and three-year olds may insist on a familiar food one day and reject it the next. Meanwhile, four- and five-year olds like helping adults by selecting food at the supermarket, then preparing and serving it.
• A need for security: Two- and three-year olds prefer meals and snacks on a regulars chedule and in familiar surroundings, while new foods may be refused. As preschoolers get older, they tend to be more willing to try unfamiliar foods.
• Limited attention span but growing sense of purpose: The ability to focus on one thing, including meals, increases considerably between the ages of two and five years. Although parents may become concerned when the child dawdles over uneaten food, it is quite normal to see children lose interest in any activity in a short time.
• Imitate people around them: Preschoolers can learn to like a wide assortment of foods by eating with friends and family members who enjoy these foods. Children easily pick up subtle messages about how others view foods.

The value of variety 

The preschool years are important years for learning to taste and enjoy an expanding number of foods prepared in different ways.

Choosing a variety of foods from the four food groups is the surest way to supply essential nutrients and energy needed for childhood growth and development. Variety also reinforces the positive and pleasurable aspects of eating by exploring a wide range of foods varying in colour, flavour and texture. 

Preschoolers are eager to learn about the nature of food. From an early age most delight in exploring the textures and savouring the tastes of various foods. Even simple activities such as helping to cut open a pumpkin or make muffins are ways children learn about food. Preparing food gives young children a feeling of accomplishment. It also encourages them to eat these foods.

Children eat according to the eating traditions of their family. These traditions are a valued aspect of their culture. Learning to appreciate food as prepared and enjoyed by other ethnic and cultural groups can add to the interest children already have in food and eating.

For example, by exploring a staple food such as bread in its many forms — pita, bannock, focaccia, bagels, chapattis — children can begin to appreciate the cultural diversity that food choices reflect.

Introducing new foods

Parents and caregivers can help preschoolers accept a wider selection of foods:

• Be a role model. Children are more eager to eat foods that they see family and friends enjoying;
• Present food in appealing ways bycombining different colours, textures and shapes of food. Offer small quantities of a new food alongside a familiar one, without pressure to eat the new food.
• Serve a new food when children are with their peers.
• Encourage them to become familiar with different foods by helping to grow, buy, prepare or serve them.
• Be patient. If an unfamiliar food is not accepted the first time, it can be offered again later. The more often children are exposed to new foods, the more likely they will taste them and learn to accept them.
• Don’t use foods as rewards. For example, withholding a sweet dessert until all the vegetables are eaten may establish a preference for the dessert and a dislikefor the vegetables.
• Respect individual food preferences.

‘Is my child eating enough?’

Many parents and caregivers are concerned about how much their child eats. For some, their concern is that the child is eating too little; for others, it is that the child is eating too much. Children know best how much they need.

Parents and caregivers can help children meet their nutrient and energy needs by providing a variety of foods as recommendedin Canada’s Food Guide and by:

• serving small nutritious meals and snacks;
• respecting the child’s ability to determine how much food to eat;
• not restricting nutritious foods because of their fat content;
• offering portions suitable for the child, with options for seconds, and allowing children to serve themselves when possible;
• setting regular meal and snack times — ones that work best for the preschooler and the family;
• making time for healthy eating so that meals and snacks are not rushed;
• providing a comfortable setting for eating — one that is without distractions such as television, which can interfere with hunger and satiety cues; and
• not pressuring the child to eat.

Understanding fluctuating preschool appetites

Appetites tend to increase during growth spurts and periods of intense activity, and fall when the preschooler is overly tired or excited. Food intakes of preschoolers can vary from day to day. Over time, the child’s intake of nutrients and energy typically average out, thus achieving a healthy balance.

For more information about healthy eating for Canadians of all ages and stage of life, please visit Health Canada’s Food Guide online at www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide.