Nutrition is especially important for young children. Helping children develop nutritious eating habits will provide for a healthy lifestyle in years to come. The time to start teaching children healthy eating habits is when they are young. Good nutrition can prevent many diseases and help to promote healthy lives in the coming adult years.

Children learn by watching adults. When adults eat healthy meals, children learn to have healthy eating habits.

1. Eat with children to demonstrate good nutrition
2. Eat healthy foods
3. Balance nutritional needs based on the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid:
   • At least six servings of foods from the grain section a day
   • Three servings of vegetables a day
   • Two servings of fruits a day
   • Three servings of meats a day
   • Three servings of dairy products a day

A good way to get children more interested in their meals is to invite them to help with preparation. Children are so proud when they help in the kitchen. As children get older and help more in meal planning and preparation, they learn good nutrition and skills that will last a lifetime. Remember never to nag, push, or punish children to get them to eat. Use your imagination in coming up with creative ways to get healthy foods into children.

Feeding Guidelines for the First Year
Breastfeeding:

• Breast milk is exactly suited to your baby's nutritional needs. Breastfeeding is convenient and free. There is no need to buy formula, sterilize equipment, mix powder, carry clean water or warm up bottles.
• Breastfeeding is a unique chance for you to snuggle with your baby. This skin-to-skin contact can even help your newborn's brain development.
• Some mothers worry about whether they can breastfeed. Most women can without much difficulty and many (although not all) enjoy it or are grateful that it is so easy for them. For mothers who are not breastfeeding, bottle-feeding with formula is the other option.

• If you cannot breastfeed, it is comforting to know that today's milk formulas provide the basic building blocks of growth. Infant formulas are the only safe alternative to breast milk.
• When bottle-feeding your newborn, holding, cuddling and talking to him while he's feeding will help him develop and grow. Even though he might not seem responsive at first, his brain is developing at lightning speed and he depends on your early contact to develop to his full potential.
• It's also important to stay with your newborn during feeding. Propping up a bottle can cause choking, so it's best to hold the bottle while feeding your infant.

• Always prepare formula according to the instructions, using the correct number of scoops of powder to avoid dehydration or constipation
• Don't add anything to the formula. Adding baby cereal or starch to thicken formula does not help with gas or sleeping and can interfere with feeding.
• Some experts believe that formula containing LCP (long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids) can help provide some of the brain-building nutrients found in breastmilk. If formula has LCP, it will say so on the packaging.

Bottle Weaning
Weaning your child from a bottle may be a challenge. Once the decision to wean is made, consistency is important and all caregivers should be aware that the child is transitioning from the bottle to the cup. Remember that weaning is usually a long, gradual process.

Children can try a cup at 6 months and be weaned off the bottle around 12 to 18 months. Children are ready to be weaned when they:

• Can sit up by themselves
• Can eat from a spoon
• Show more interest in solid foods
• Have an established routine for mealtime

It is important to wean your child from the bottle for a variety of reasons:

• Children using bottles are more likely to develop tooth decay
• Children who drink from a bottle may have improper dental development
• Children who depend on bottle feedings may not consume enough solid foods to meet their nutrient needs
• Children who are not weaned from the bottle may not develop appropriate feeding skills

How do I wean my child from the bottle?
Most doctors today are especially strict on parents taking the bottle away from their little ones by age 1. Some parents, however, have a harder time with this. You've probably heard all kinds of advice but it's really up to you to decide what will work best for your child. When you and your child are both ready, you can start to wean from the bottle.

For some parents, the task is as simple as taking the bottle away. Throw it out, hide it in the cupboard, whatever. This only works on the calm, easy-going children. Those babies that go with the flow of the world around them.

• Wean your child during a relatively stress-free time. It is not a good idea to start when a new sibling has just arrived or when the family is moving to a new house.
• Introduce the cup early at age 3 to 6 months. Let the child hold and become used to the cup without liquid.
• At age 8 to 10 months, substitute a sippy cup for a bottle at one feeding during the day. Choose a feeding when the child usually drinks just a little, rather than a major mealtime. Use this same feeding time to use the cup every day for a week.
• Every week, introduce the cup at another feeding, slowly decreasing the number of bottles the child receives.
• Feed very slowly. Help the child hold the cup and tip a small amount of liquid into the child's mouth.

Some children may need to suck as a way for them to control their behavior. This sets their mood to accomplish certain tasks such as sleeping, concentrating and running. Some children may continue to suck on a pacifier or bottles of plain water for the first few years.

Some children hold onto their bottles because they love the secure feeling of mom or dad holding them and feeding them. Sometimes all you need to do is spend more time holding and touching your child. At bedtime, read a book together. At lunch time, hold your child in your lap while feeding them spoon foods. When your child wakes up, play a game together. Sometimes all it takes is a little extra attention on your part to make the child realize he doesn't need the bottle anymore.

Some children simply will not give it up. They may cry for it constantly and refuse to take anything but the bottle. This can work away at a parent's nerves but it's important you keep trying. Some tips that might help:

• Take away all but one bottle. Choose your child's favorite or your favorite and use only that one.
• Don't just give them the bottle. Try a cup first and if they refuse, go ahead and give the bottle.
• Limit bottle feedings. Most children have a certain time of day when they feel they must have a bottle to continue functioning. For some, it may be first thing in the morning. For others, night time or nap time. Only give your child a bottle at this one special time.

Consistency is key to successful weaning. Reward your child when he/she uses the cup. Clap when he holds the cup, even if he doesn't take a sip. Show the child that you are proud he's considering it.

Be patient. Some children become more attached to bottles than others. This doesn't mean you're a bad parent. Just don't stop trying. If it takes your child a little longer, that's okay.

Feeding Your Toddler
Some time after the first birthday, your toddler's growth slows down so he/she needs less food. Appetite and amounts of food eaten will vary from meal to meal and from day to day. Toddlers become more interested in the things around them and less interested in eating.

You'll be surprised at how little food a toddler needs to eat. Generally, toddlers aged 1 to 2 years can eat only about 1/4 to 1/2 of an adult portion.

It's better to offer small servings and let your child ask for more. Remember that appetite can vary a lot. Your child may appear to eat well at one meal and eat "like a bird" at the next. Don't make an issue of it. Children are good judges of the amounts of food they need.

Keep these points in mind:

• You are responsible for what your child is offered to eat, where and when it is served.
• Your child is responsible for how much of it is eaten and whether or not it is eaten at all.

What can you do if your toddler refuses to eat certain foods?
Respect your child's wishes, even if nothing is eaten. Children will eventually eat; they won't let themselves go hungry.

Remove the food after a reasonable length of time. Be careful not to show your disappointment. Attention paid to not eating reinforces the behavior of not eating. Food likes and dislikes change over time. A food refused today may be eaten next week. It may take up to 10 tries for your child to actually accept a food

How can you get your toddler to try new foods
Introduce only one new food at a time. Serve it with other foods that your child likes and at a time when your child is hungry and in good spirits.

Let your child examine the food by smelling and touching it. Encourage one bite to taste but don't force the issue if your child won't try it. Don't be discouraged if your child refuses it; try again another time.

Sometimes toddlers will only eat one food or one kind of food. These "jags" are a normal part of toddler development and won't last long - as long as you don't make an issue of them

Toddler Feeding Tips

• Serve toddler-size portions. Let you child ask for seconds.
• Offer finger foods often.
• Introduce a new food along with familiar foods.
• Go easy on seasonings and keep foods separate. Young children prefer simply prepared foods.
• Present a variety of foods from the four food groups. Let your child pick from what is available.
• Present food in a way your child can handle, in bite-size pieces for example.
• Encourage one bite to taste but don't overdo the coaxing. You can't force your child to eat anything.
• Don't bribe or reward with food. Present food in a neutral fashion.
• Keep the television off during mealtime.
• Have your child sit with the rest of the family, at least for part of the meal.
• Don't hurry your child. Remove the plate without comment after a reasonable length of time.
• Set a routine for eating. For example, foods are to be eaten at the table.
• Seat your child at a comfortable height to the table with feet supported.
• Eat with your child. Children learn how to eat by watching others.

Fussy Eaters
A fussy eater can cause all sorts of worry for parents. Fighting over food with babies can lead to eating problems later. As a parent, you are responsible for offering a variety of healthy food; your baby decides how much of it to eat.

• Salt, sugar or caffeine. Babies' systems can't handle foods high in salt or sugar, or foods with caffeine (found in cola drinks and chocolate).
• Juice is expensive and high in sugar. It's better for babies to get their nutrition straight from fruit. If baby is thirsty, plain tap water is best - it's fortified with fluoride which helps build enamel on her developing teeth.
• Honey and unpasteurized dairy products may contain dangerous bacteria and are unsuitable for babies under one year.
• Cow's milk, goat's milk and soy milk are not suitable for children under 12 months - babies need the nutrients from breast milk or formula.
• Cookies and sweets. If you can avoid the temptation to give your child cookies and candy (at least until she is two) and you may be rewarded with fewer mealtime battles and healthy teeth for your child.