Parents often worry that their children aren't eating properly. While some parents are concerned that their child may not be getting enough nutrition, others worry that their child is eating too much, has a diet that is too fatty, or has a diet that is heavy in artificial additives or ingredients. Parents who have a child with food allergies may need to show even more attention to providing "safe" foods with the same vitamins or minerals as a substitute for the food that may cause the allergic reaction. In the United States, poor nutrition may be the result of one or more of several factors, including poverty, poor eating habits, or a lack of knowledge about a child's nutritional needs at various stages of development.

Teaching your children to eat a moderate amount from the five major food groups is important. Examples from those food groups include (Schor, 1995, p. 74):

Vegetables: 3-5 servings per day ( e.g., 1/2 cup of raw or cooked = 1 serving)

Fruits: 2-4 servings per day (e.g., 1/2 cup of sliced fruit or 1 medium fruit = 1 serving)

Bread, cereal, or pastas: 6-11 servings per day (e.g., 1 slice of bread or 1/2 cup of rice )

Protein: 2-3 servings (e.g., 2-3 ounces of meat, 1/2 cup of beans, or 1 egg)

Dairy: 2-3 servings (e.g., 1 cup of milk, yogurt, or 1-1/2 ounces of cheese)

Several difficult stages for parents to address their child's eating habits include the baby-into-toddler years and the teen years. These developmental stages are similar in several respects, including rapid growth in height, weight, and brain development. During their first year, babies may gain between 1-1/2 to 2 pounds per month, and their head size will increase in diameter by 1/2 inch per month, on average. Between the ages of 2 and 3, a toddler's rate of growth declines when compared to the first year, but nevertheless, height and weight steadily increase (Shelov, 1994, pp. 106 and 250). Children between the ages of 10 and 18 years may double in body weight largely due to their rapid growth in height. ( Fenwick & Smith, 1996, p. 17). Boys tend to "bulk up" with muscle, and girls with both muscle and fat as they develop their more rounded female shape.

Another reason that parents may find babies, toddlers, and teenagers more difficult to encourage to eat well is that communication may be difficult during these developmental stages. A baby must gain the majority of his or her nutrients from breast-milk or formula, and it takes time for parents to understand what their baby needs when he or she cries. Newborns may nod off after a few gulps of mother's milk or a bottle, only to awaken again in 15 minutes hungrier than ever. Toddlers and teens present a different complication with communication. They are typically finding new ways to challenge parents or authority figures in their lives. Mealtime can easily become a battleground, and healthy eating may suffer in a power struggle between children and their parents during these years.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other specialists urge parents to try to develop healthy eating habits and mealtime routines early in their child's life, including being consistent with breakfast, lunch, supper, and two healthy snacks. According to several studies, children who eat a good breakfast show higher performance on school tests and related performance (Pollitt, Liebel, & Greenfield, 1991). Also, research shows a positive correlation between families that eat supper together and family and adolescent stability. Clearly, mealtime routines have a broader impact than simply providing the nutrition for healthy physical growth.

As your child matures and moves into these challenging years, it is important to try and not make an issue out of eating during family meals or to engage in a power struggle. For example, if children are bypassing the traditional cereal or pancakes, you might want to try out some creative ways to incorporate breakfast such as serving "breakfast cookies," which are healthy, homemade bars disguised as cookies in order to entice picky toddlers or teens ( Jewell & Jewell, 1989). Including children in meal planning, grocery shopping, and meal preparation may encourage children with finicky appetites to take a greater interest in healthy meals. Meal planning and preparation can help children learn important skills in reading and following directions and can pique children's interest if occasionally they choose their favorite foods. They will also learn that other people in the family may have different tastes and that they need to be flexible and try new foods. Other ideas for encouraging family meals are:

serving a menu from another country as part of a weekly or monthly theme night,

creating an atmosphere during the evening meal with flowers or candles,

turning the television off during family meals as it detracts from family conversation,

making a picnic supper, even if it is served on a blanket on the floor of the living room instead of at a park,

developing a traditional meal for your family such as clam chowder on Fridays,

limiting the amount of criticism or correction that happens during mealtime while working to model interesting discussions and ways to support family members,

letting the teenager in the family be completely responsible for the meal preparation for the entire family at least one night per week.

Providing your children with many healthy snack alternatives will encourage them to make healthy snack choices as they mature. One approach is to assist your child with thinking about and verbalizing how they really feel. Sometimes just saying that you are hungry isn't enough. For example, are you hungry for something crunchy or smooth? Or perhaps you are really thirsty! Some good snack options might be (Schor, 1995, p. 85):

Thirsty: cold milk or juice, or ice-water with lemon
Smooth: yogurt, cottage cheese, banana, custard
Crunchy: raw vegetables, apples, popcorn, rice cakes
Juicy: oranges, grapes, frozen juice pops, juice
Really hungry: hard-boiled eggs, granola, peanut butter on crackers, cheese
Fun: frozen grapes, banana slices, fruit, or frozen peas.

Of course, there are those times when your child may tell you that he or she is hungry when in fact the problem is really fatigue, unhappiness, boredom, or the need for attention. Helping children identify how they really feel and finding appropriate nonfood solutions may help them better understand healthy eating habits. The long-term health benefits are many, as your child grows out of these stages and into a healthy young adult.

For more information on food and nutrition for families see:

Adventures in learning with the food guide pyramid. (ND). Association for Child Development, P.O. Box 1491, East Lansing, MI 48826; telephone: 800-234-3287.

40 Developmental Assets. (1996, Autumn). Assets, 1(1), 11.

National Health Education Consortium. (1994, June). Children's nutrition and learning. ERIC Digest. Urbana, IL: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education (ED 369 579).

Nutrition a la Carte. Association for Child Development, P.O. Box 1491, East Lansing, MI 48826; telephone: 800-234-3287

In What's new on NPIN for March,

Why do we need vitamin A?
Why do we need vitamin C?
Why do we need the B vitamins?
Why do we need Iron?

Web sites:

Food and Nutrition Information Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
URL: http://www.nalusda.gov/fnic/

Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Healthy Nutrition Information.
URL: http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/

This site provides an example of a federally funded program that provides free food and nutrition information to qualified pregnant women and children. For information on programs and qualifying information in your area, contact your state or county department of health and human services.

Sources:

Fenwick, E., & Smith, T. (1996). Adolescence: The survival guide for parents and teenagers. New York: DK Publishing, Inc.

Jewell, D., & Jewell, C. T. (1989). The oat and wheat bran health plan. New York: Bantam Books.

Pollitt, E., Liebel, R., & Greenfield, D. (1991). Brief fasting, stress, and cognition in children. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 34(August), 1526-1533.

Schor, Edward. (1995). Caring for your school-age child: Ages 5-12. New York: Bantam Books.

Shelov, S. P. (Ed.). (1994). The American Academy of Pediatrics: Caring for your baby and young child, birth to age 5. The complete and authoritative guide. New York: Bantam Books.