Let’s be honest, no child wants to eat fruits and vegetables when there are so many tastier (and less healthy) options available. Yet, as a parent, you know the importance of encouraging your child to eat healthy foods so that they can get all the nutrients needed for proper growth and development. Finding ways to help your child eat healthy foods can be a difficult task, but in this blog series, we will give you a few tips on how to help your child get the nutrients they need!
At Valley Child Care and Learning Centers, we not only offer a variety of early childhood education programs to meet you and your child’s needs, but we also make nutrition and safety our top priorities. When you enroll your little one in our preschool or daycare, you can rest assured knowing that they are receiving the proper care and nutrition. To learn more about our early learning programs, contact one of Valley Child Care and Learning Centers’ 10 convenient locations in the Phoenix area today! In the meantime, continue reading below for a few more tips to help your child eat healthier.
Experiment With Condiments
If you’re living with a picky eater, the idea of introducing healthy food into their diet may seem like an impossible feat. Children are reluctant to try new foods by nature, however, it may be easier to get them to try something new if you give them the option of dipping it in their favorite sauce. For example, if you have a child that doesn’t like to eat carrots or absolutely hates broccoli, give them a side of ranch to try with their veggies. You can experiment with different condiments like hummus, yogurt-based dressings, and more. Providing your child with a little side of dipping sauce may make the healthier foods easier to eat.
Be Creative
When you make meals, try to have fun with your food. We’re not saying you should make some extravagant gourmet meal that your child will refuse to eat. Instead, take a simple meal and make it a little more exciting. For example, instead of saying “broccoli,” try naming it something that makes it a little more appealing like “baby trees,” or “dinosaur food.” The simple act of calling veggies by a different name may encourage your little ones to gobble it up. You can also put your cookie cutters to good use by cutting toast and sandwiches into fun shapes!
Plan Dinners
It can be difficult to try and plan a balanced meal on the fly, especially if you don’t have all the food you need on hand. As an effort to save yourself from yet another night of leftovers or frozen foods, try to plan dinners in advance. Not only will planning ahead allow you to come up with well-balanced meals with all the necessary nutrients, but it will also save you from having to quickly create a meal that everyone will love.
Visit Valley Child Care and Learning Centers Today!
Hopefully these tips will help you encourage healthy eating habits with your child, and if you decide to enroll your little one with Valley Child Care and Learning Centers, the good nutrition doesn’t have to stop at home! At our learning center, all of our early childhood education programs include proper nutrition and safety practices. To learn more about what our preschool and daycare programs entail, contact one of our 10 locations in the Phoenix area today!
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