6-1 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Chapter Six Feeding Toddlers, Preschoolers, and School-Age Children

6-2 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Transitional Ages Toddlers are transitioning from liquids to solid foods, and from being fed to self-feeding. Preschoolers advance in textures and complexity of foods. School age children learn to make independent food choices and put into practice the eating habits they acquired when younger.

6-3 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Encouraging Nutrition for Toddlers In addition to providing healthy balanced diets, caregivers can encourage supportive environments. According to the American Dietetic Association caregivers should: – Allow toddlers to explore foods as they become increasingly independent. – Promote pleasure and success while eating. – Avoid succumbing to unreasonable demands

6-4 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Toddler Feeding Tips Children’s appetites should dictate portion size. – Children need about 1 tablespoon of food from each food group per year of age. Chop foods into small bite-size pieces. Mix textured foods with foods that have smoother consistencies (casseroles, spaghetti sauce with pasta). Choose soft foods that don’t fall off spoons to encourage self-eating (refried beans, yogurt).

6-5 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador What if… A 2-year-old from another country won’t eat using utensils? How would you respond?

6-6 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Toddler Development Decreased growth rate – Food intake decreases The need for ‘Sameness’ – Routine foods provide security Changing taste perceptions – There are variations in the ability to taste bitter and taste buds are maturing

6-7 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Toddler Eating Issues Selective Eaters – eat limited variety or portion. – Measure growth to see if progressing Food neophobia – fear new foods. – Introduce foods early on and give ample exposure Food jags – select limited favorite foods to eat and reject other foods. – Offer varieties of foods – Too much attention can make it worse

6-8 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Breast Milk and Whole Milk Infants need breast milk the first year. Toddlers need whole milk until age two to support brain development, adequate weight gain, and growth.

6-9 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Understanding Preschoolers Decreased rate of growth results in unpredictable eating behaviors. Preschoolers’ body fat naturally decreases so appetites are sporadic. Distinct food preferences begin to develop.

6-10 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Feeding Preschoolers Start each day with breakfast. Ensure that one-half of the daily grains offered are whole grains. Include a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, and limit juice. Offer low-fat or fat-free milk or cheese. Offer lean or low-fat meats that are baked, broiled, or grilled.

6-11 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Planning Preschool Meals Cut or chop foods to reduce choking hazards. Schedule meals and snacks every 2-3 hours to provide a constant predictable energy source. Avoid portion distortion (serving larger portions than necessary) by letting children serve themselves and using child sized bowls and plates. Create a child-friendly and healthful diet.

6-12 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Encourage Healthy Eating Expose children to new foods from different food groups. Incorporate nutrition into class activities. Arrange a safe, comfortable, and clean eating environment. Establish routines about meal and snack times. Consider cultural traditions when planning meals and snacks. Encourage conversation during meal and snack times. Be a good role model and choose foods that are healthy yourself.

6-13 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Teaching Preschoolers about Food Integrate nutrition concepts into children’s daily schedules and routines. Learn about the origins of foods. Plan field trips to enhance concepts such as the origin of food. Plant and grow healthy foods. Plan cooking activities. Reinforce nutrition education across the curriculum (dramatic play, math props, literacy props creative materials, books).

6-14 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Feeding School-Age Children Children are in a larger environment and experience less supervision at mealtimes. Children practice all of the nutrition-related decision-making skills they learned earlier. Teachers continue to influence children’s ideas and decisions. Children’s food choices are increasingly influenced by peer groups and media advertising.

6-15 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Understanding the Nutritional Needs of School-Age Children Rate of growth is slow and steady. Nutrient requirements and portion sizes increase. Three meals and three snacks is still advised. Decreased physical activity can become problematic.

6-16 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador The Importance of Breakfast Breakfast helps children maintain a balanced idea, but also impacts learning. Studies show that children who eat breakfast experience benefits such as: Increased math and reading scores Improved speed and memory in cognitive tests Improved school behavior and attentiveness

6-17 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador What if… You notice a child is consistently coming to school hungry in the morning and you suspect there are financial concerns at home? How would you respond?

6-18 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Providing School Lunch National Lunch Program provides nutritious lunches for children attending school. – To receive federal subsidies, school lunches must provide at least one- third of the RDAs for protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C, and keep fat at 30% of total calories or less. Children who eat lunch after recess eat better and waste less food. The school wellness policy must address the importance of physical activity in addition to promoting healthy food choices.

6-19 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Respecting Wellness for All Cultures Communicate school wellness goals, policies, and educational materials in the home languages of children attending the school. Incorporate healthful ethnic dishes on the school menu. Provide translation services at parent education seminars.

6-20 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador The Teacher’s Role in Promoting Healthful Eating Habits Communicating with families Advocating for healthy nutrition in school Helping families access nutrition services Teaching basic nutrition concepts