Mothers of Preschoolers

Food Needs

“My name is Holly and I’m 3! My mommy says I’m a monkey because I climb all over and won’t stay still.”

Holly is a normal and active preschool child. She is never in one place for long and she keeps her parents active, too.

Do preschool children have special food needs?

If you are giving your preschooler a variety of foods from all food groups and your child is growing at a rate that matches the growth charts, then you are providing all the nutrition your child needs. Your job as a parent is to:

provide healthy choices for your child, and
help your child choose the right foods.

It is your child’s responsibility to eat!

Most children will eat enough during the course of the day to meet their energy needs. This may mean that they eat more at some meals than others, so do not worry if they do not eat all the food you prepare at lunch or any other meal. Young children are very good at making sure they get enough to eat, so long as you provide the food. Think small. They have small hands and small tummies. Cut up fruit, bread, and other foods so they can handle them easily without feeling there is too much on the plate!

You can keep your preschooler well fed for the day by giving them:

peanut butter on sliced apples, crackers, toasted bread, or any other flat food surface
cheese cubes with apple slices and/or crackers
hummus in mini pita-bread
a sandwich made with peanut butter and mashed or sliced banana
macaroni and cheese served with cherry tomatoes or baby carrots
fresh fruit cut into bite-sized pieces
soft-boiled eggs with “soldiers” (whole wheat toast cut into strips), and
tortilla wraps filled with veggies and ham or peanut butter (be sure to cut the wraps into small rounds that your child can pick up and bite into).

Preschool children will watch for your reaction to foods. If you show them that you like to eat the healthy foods that you want them to eat, they are more likely to eat them, too.

Is juice better than milk for a preschool child?

Encourage your child to drink milk. Preschool children are in a time of rapid growth. By having dense bones in early childhood, their bodies will support them better during the teen years, and even later in life, as they lose bone density.

Juice is just water and fruit sugars. It can be a good source of vitamin C but so is an orange itself, cut into small sections! The danger with juice is that your child will feel full from drinking juice and will not want to eat other foods that supply more nutrients. The high sugar content of juice can also be a cause of dental cavities in young children. The sugar left behind in the mouth from drinking juice can cause serious problems with young teeth. Mix fruit juice with water (½ water and ½ juice) so the sugar content is lower and make sure your child brushes all those little teeth regularly.

Does my preschooler need to drink water if they are also drinking milk and juice?

Yes! Everyone needs water. Even though milk, juice, and some foods are sources of water, it is important that your child drinks plain water as well. The body needs water to work properly. You may find that your child becomes tired and grumpy, especially in hot weather. This is often a sign of dehydration. Don’t wait until your preschooler says “I’m thirsty!” By the time children say this, they are already in a state of dehydration.

Offer your child liquids throughout the day; offer them more often during hot weather and during intense activity.
If your child goes to a daycare or nursery school, pack a bottle of plain water or diluted juice in their backpack and encourage your child to drink it often.
Keep your fridge stocked with fruit juice, water, and milk.
During the summer months you can add to your child’s water intake by making frozen treats (popsicles) from a mix of fruit juice and water (½ and ½). You can also freeze kid’s yogurt that comes in tubes. Your child will enjoy a cold treat and you will know you are keeping him/her away from drinks with a high sugar content.

Can I feed my preschool child the same food as the rest of the family?

Mostly, yes. One thing you should be aware of is that young taste buds are not as developed as an adult’s. An adult might find brussels sprouts with an extra-old cheddar cheese sauce tasty, while a youngster will reject them.

Don’t force a preschool child to eat foods they do not like. Find good foods that your child likes and then slowly introduce different foods into snacks and meals.
Try a variety of vegetables to see what your preschooler likes; you may be surprised!
Encourage your child to eat fruits and vegetables by doing so yourself.

Remember that a preschool child’s energy needs are still less than older members of the family. You need to set out serving sizes based on this fact. It is better to offer your child more food later (a second helping) than to put too much on their plate to begin with. You may want to cut meat into bite-size pieces to make it easier to eat. If you provide a variety of textures, flavours, and colours on the plate, your child will have fun trying the new foods you offer.

Here is an example of a one day meal plan for a preschool child.

Breakfast

1 slice of whole grain bread toasted, with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (think of a ping pong ball cut in half—that’s about 1 tablespoon)
½ small banana
½ cup milk (1% or 2% milk)

Morning Snack

125 ml yogurt (one of those individual containers)
a glass of water

Lunch

1 soft-cooked egg

1 slice of whole grain bread cut into “soldiers” for dipping
3 raw baby carrots
½ cup milk

Afternoon Snack

1 piece of fresh fruit (such as a small banana, orange sections, or a small sliced apple)
1 cube of cheddar cheese cut into slices (the cube is a bit larger than dice would be)
a glass of water

Dinner (or supper)

baked chicken breast with the skin off (about the size of a deck of playing cards)
¼ cup cooked rice (add orange juice or chicken broth to the cooking water for more flavour)
½ sweet potato cooked and mashed (add a little margarine to the sweet potato or for a new taste, sprinkle a bit of ground cinnamon)
1 banana cut into slices and topped with ½ cup of vanilla yogourt
water to drink with the meal