Importance of Healthy Nutrition for Children
Acknowledging the nutritional needs of children is crucial as it provides the foundation for their development in the future. Therefore, families and childcare providers are responsible for learning about infants’ and toddlers’ nutritional needs and researching measures that can promote the development of healthy eating habits in the child. This handout will summarize current nutritional requirements for infants and toddlers outlined by the Florida Department of Health (2017) under the Child Care Food Program (CCFP) to assist families and childcare providers.
The current nutritional practices for infants and toddlers define two prominent meal patterns and component systems. Thus, the active CCFP in Florida defines three categories of meal patterns for children:
- Breakfast
- Lunch/Supper
- Snack.
Furthermore, considering the system of components of child meals, they can include:
- Milk
- Meat or meat alternatives
- Vegetables and Fruits
- Grains.
The CCFP associates the main meal differences with the number of components included. Thus, snack meals can include fewer components, while important ones such as dinner and lunch must include several.
Child Care Food Program Meal Pattern for Children
- Breakfast (3 components): Milk, Vegetables/Fruits, Grains
- Lunch/Supper (5 components): Milk, Meat or meat alternatives, Vegetables, Fruits, Grains
- Snack (select two): Milk/Meat/Vegetables/Fruits/Grains.
Learning about the differences in components between meal patterns can help families and childcare providers acknowledge the importance of different meal types. According to Marantika and Sarwinanti (2021), low adherence to regular meal patterns can result in stunting for toddlers. Moreover, other negative consequences of inconsistent meals can include brain development disruption and metabolic disorders.
The research conducted by Moding and Fries (2020) on parents’ behavior in feeding toddlers explains that while parents often accompany their children during dinner and lunch, family members infrequently eat together during snacks, which can affect their eating behavior. A common example of negative food behavior is television or other screens during meals, which can support overeating in children (Fries et al., 2019). Therefore, parents and childcare providers should prioritize the consistency of meal pattern components and their time regularity.
Serving Requirements
- Milk: ½ cup per breakfast/lunch/supper/snack
- Vegetables: ½ cup for snack, ¼ cup for breakfast/lunch
- Fruits: ½ cup for snack, ¼ cup for breakfast/lunch
- Grains: ½ slice for snack/breakfast/lunch
- Meat and meat alternatives: ½ oz for breakfast/snack, 1 oz for lunch.
Furthermore, considering the meat and meat alternatives in the child’s diet, the portions must come in an edible size and form. Depending on the meat alternatives, families and childcare providers may need to alter the volume of the meat alternate components in the meal.
- ½ cup of yogurt equals 1 oz of meat
- 2.2 oz of tofu equals 1 oz of meat alternative
- Beans can be an alternative to vegetables and meat, but not in the same meal.
Activities to Promote Healthy Eating
Get creative: Parents can creatively integrate vegetables into their children’s diet and develop healthy eating habits. Some examples of creative recipes include rainbow-roasted pumpkin popsicles and sweet potato pancakes (Albert, 2023).
Make healthy snacks: Parents tend to pay less attention to their child’s snacks. Preparing healthy home snacks in advance can ensure that they receive equal attention.
Accommodations
The CCFP requires reasonable modifications for infants and toddlers with special needs, delays, and dietary needs. Examples of dietary needs include food allergies and intolerance to specific ingredients, while examples of disability can include diabetes or developmental delay. Substitution of meal components that meet all the meal pattern requirements is encouraged for childcare providers, and a medical statement is not needed for such cases. However, in cases where substitution cannot meet the meal pattern requirements, a detailed description of disability accommodation requirements and omitted food from a licensed physician can assist families and childcare providers.
References
Albert, J. (2023). 10 amazingly delicious vegetable recipes for toddlers. Mom Junction. Web.
Florida Department of Health. (2017). New meal pattern for children. Web.
Fries, L., van der Horst, L., Moding, K. J., Hughes, S. O., & Johnson, S. L. (2019). Consistency between parent-reported feeding practices and behavioral observation during toddler meals. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 51(10), 1159-1167. Web.
Marantika, M., & Sarwinanti. (2021). The feeding pattern related to stunting in toddlers age 24-59 months. Advances in Health Sciences Research, 39, 1-4. Web.
Moding, K. J., & Fries, L. R. (2020). Feeding practices demonstrated by parents of toddlers: An observational analysis of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Appetite, 155, 1-32. Web.