Keeping a Preschooler in food can be daunting, to say the least. From the first bite of solids to the ever-present need for snacks, feeding the small humans can wind up feeling like a full-time job.
Nutrition is huge for children, too, as it is fueling their growth—and they’re growing a lot! Nemours Kids Health notes that preschoolers, especially, are so active their need for snacks makes complete sense! Combine that with the fact that children in this age group have smaller stomachs, every snack and meal really can make a nutritional difference. This is not to say that cupcakes and fast food at a birthday party or donuts with Dad before school are going to destroy all health and nutrition–Far from it! Knowledge makes way for allowances, helping to remove food-fear but also set up good food relationships and habits. Have a donut at breakfast! Maybe balance it out with a glass of milk or some eggs, too. Go out for greasy pizza as a family and perhaps plan to have a nutrient-dense smoothie for snack beforehand. Attempting to find the balance between quality nutrition and food freedom, is key. Beginning with a healthy understanding of nutrition within early childhood education can set a child up to have good habits for life. The Center for Disease Control has found that early eating experiences can affect how we eat as we get older.
Nutrition is important to us here at Clover Hill Children’s Center. Call today and let’s chat about how we keep up the balance here and what you can expect from our kitchen.
Kid Approved Snacks and Lunches
Let’s look at some kid-friendly, dynamic lunch and snack ideas to keep things balanced, fun, and also keep these little people fed.
Snacks
Keep it simple but try to bring some balance. Including some protein and a carb will help keep your preschooler full, longer. Here are some easy examples:
- Pretzels and nut butter
- Crackers and cheese
- Meat and cheese rolls with fruit
- Veggies and hummus
- Bananas and peanut butter
- Yogurt and graham crackers
- Fruit and a glass of milk
- Homemade gummies
- Fruit with fruit dip (here’s a great recipe if looking for inspiration!)
Schedule a tour here at Clover Hill and see how our day flows with meals and snacks! We’re happy to share our nutritional guidelines and meal plans, too.
Lunches
Whether packing for school or daycare or trying to come up with ideas for at home, here is a list of some fun main course ideas that hit good nutritional markers while still being kid-friendly! Keep in mind, fruit and veggies can be added to any of these and a dip to accompany them always makes things a bit more fun!
- Meatballs, cheese, and pretzels
- Turkey or All beef hot dogs and fruit
- Lunch meat, cheese, crackers
- Nut butter and jelly sandwich and milk
- Avocado toast with an egg or lunch meat
- Smoothies (yogurt, fruit, milk) and granola **use Greek yogurt to pack in some extra protein!
- Bagel pizzas—cold or warmed, these are super fun!
- Hummus, crackers/pretzels and cheese
- Spaghetti and meatballs
- Mini quesadillas—add in leftover meat from dinner or even pepperonis to add some extra protein!
- Chicken nuggets **while chicken nuggets often get a bad rap, they can contain good protein and can be an excellent option to pull quickly from the freezer. Look for nuggets that contain limited ingredients or preservatives. OR, make your own!
Come check us out here at Clover Hill Children’s Center to see what we have cooking!
Particular Eaters and Concerns
If you’re struggling with a picky eater, Nutrition4Kids suggests letting your little one be a part of the meal or snack preparation process! In letting children participate, it not only builds on their later life skills, but it’s been shown that they are more likely to eat what they have helped prepare. There are many avenues to take in letting a preschooler help with meals other than watching painfully as they attempt to spread peanut butter on bread without destroying it. While there is a lovely time and place for such learning, another more time and patience friendly suggestion might be to have the meal mostly prepared, but allow them to put things on plates, stick sandwiches together, or even be the one responsible for dolloping jelly onto bread.
If you do worry about your child’s eating habits, you can always reach out to your pediatrician to see if what you’re experiencing is normal and to check up on their growth and development.
Early childhood educators are also an excellent resource! They can tell you if your child seems to be finishing their snacks and meals while under their care, if they seem more tired or hungry than usual and in general what their eating habits are while away from home. Ask away! Your child’s teacher would love to help! Have questions about our teachers here at Clover Hill Children’s Center? We are happy to gush about our lovely educators and would love to show you around. Schedule a tour to check us out, today!
Keeping it Simple
Feeding children can be difficult as the snack-needs for these growing individuals seems to never end. It is also foundational in giving their growing bodies the nutrients to continue to do the growth-work and develop. Having a list of simple but nutrient dense snacks and meals takes the thought work out of lunch packing and prep and will hopefully, through application, give your little one the satiety they need to only require 70 snacks a day instead of 300. Kidding, of course, but all parents and caregivers know that children would absolutely survive on snacks alone if allowed to, so let’s make sure those snacks are nutritious and offer some balance!