We love to provide resources that encourage families to create opportunities for a healthy lifestyle at home. This includes childhood nutrition and activity.
We know that getting your child to eat healthy foods can be a daunting task – especially if you have a toddler at home! Here are some of the top things we want parents to know when it comes to nutrition.
Present a Healthy Plate
We know kids turn up their noses at lots of foods, but providing healthy options is half the battle. We recommend the “My Plate” guidelines for nutrition, which give an idea of the amount of vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, and dairy you should shoot for at each meal. Your child may not eat everything on their plate, but you are modeling healthy options for them.
Exercise
Get Active
We usually recommend that children get about an hour of physical activity per day. That could include lots of different types of activities including sports, riding bikes, family walks and much more!
Try New Foods Early
New research shows that introducing all types of foods early on in a child’s life is helpful for preventing severe allergic reactions to specific foods. This includes foods that can commonly cause allergic reactions, like peanuts and shellfish. So, as long as the food is easy to chew, we recommend that babies ready for solid foods have access to a wide variety of foods, including potential allergens. For tips on how to recognize your baby is ready for solid food, check out this resource from our website.
More Ideas for Childhood Nutrition
If you are looking for ideas and guidelines to help your child stay healthy, check out some of our favorite resources. We love the Healthy Living website, which is powered by pediatricians. We also offer some great tips for kids at every age at this link on our website. And of course, we are always happy to answer questions at your child’s next well-visit!