Healthy Tips for Feeding Young Children:

•  Make food look good: Children, as well as adults, eat with their eyes first. If the food looks good, your kids will want to try it. Be creative – like topping off a bowl of cereal with a smiley face using bananas for eyes and raisins for a mouth.
• Get your children involved: Involve children in shopping for and preparing a healthy meal. If they help make it, they are more likely to eat it.
• Make fruits and vegetables a part of every meal: Children should consume five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day, with a single serving equaling the size of a child’s fist. Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your child’s diet can be as simple as adding lettuce and tomatoes to a sandwich or offering grapes or other fresh fruit with every meal.
• Watch what your kids drink: Sugary beverages, like soda and juice drinks, can increase the risk of tooth decay for children. Instead, try serving water or milk.
• Make healthy snacks:  Toddlers and young children eat frequent, small meals throughout the day. Serve children nourishing snacks – like raisins, fresh fruits or vegetables – to give them a burst of energy.
•  Build more physical activity into your child’s daily routine: Eating nutritious foods is essential to your child’s health, but so is exercise. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends that children engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week. Make exercise fun by playing tag in the backyard or walking with your child around the neighborhood.