Get Up & Grow Healthy Eating and Physical Activity For Early Childhood
Get Up & Grow Healthy Eating and Physical Activity For Early Childhood
Get Up & Grow Healthy Eating and Physical Activity For Early Childhood
Family mealtimes
Make time to sit together and eat meals as a family. Mealtimes should be
positive – where children and adults can interact and enjoy eating together.
Encourage conversation between adults and children, and limit any
distractions at mealtimes by turning off the television. Encourage children to
help with setting and clearing the table.
Very young children may need some help with their meals. If you are feeding
your child, let them guide you and do not force them to continue eating once
they are full.
Avoid constant grazing throughout the day. This interferes with children
learning to recognise when they are hungry, and eating in response to
hunger.
• Allow your child to choose what and how much they eat from what is
available.
Fussy eating
Toddlers grow at a slower rate than babies and have irregular appetites.
As a result, they can be fussy about food preferences. Some older,
preschool-aged children may also be ‘picky’ eaters. It is important that
adults do not make a fuss over eating, as this places extra focus on
food and can make the situation worse.
• Ensure that you and other adults are modelling appropriate eating
behaviours.
• Set a time limit of 20 to 30 minutes for a meal. After this time, remove any
uneaten foodand let the child leave the table. Do not offer alternative food
or drinks until the next planned meal or snack.