Chapter Six: Providing Good Nutrition in Child Care

Specific Nutrition Policies Needed because l Children in day care for more than 8 hours should receive at least one meal and 2 snacks and should have between 50 and 67% of their nutritional daily intake provided l Caregivers are being asked to take on the role of nutritional gatekeeper for the hours children in care

What is important? l Cost l Convenience l Culture l Purpose of Care

Nutrition Policies Needed for l Early Feeding and the Infant l Establishing Feeding Behavior of the Toddler l Food and the Preschool Child l School-Age Nutrition l Nutrition and the Child with Special Needs l Exercise as a Part of Diet

Early Feeding and the Infant in Care Breast-Feeding l Benefits l Providing support to nursing mother l Safe and sanitary practices l Optimizes cognitive development Bottle feeding l Formulas l Safe and sanitary practices

Feeding pattern l Cues  Drawing head away from nipple, releasing it or biting it  Sucking stops, mouth shuts tightly  Changing posture  Being attentive to surroundings and not feeding l Infant controlled feeding requires caregiver to be attentive to behavior  Also to allow amount to vary depending on infant’s needs

Introducing Solid Foods l Feeding pattern to developmental level  Start slowly, one new food at a time for 5-7 days l This allows for food allergy to appear  Utensils should be small and age appropriate  Only small amounts on tip of spoon  Food placed in small bowl—only enough for 1 serving

Order of Introduction l Cereals l Vegetables l Fruits l Other Foods

Caregiver guidelines l Never use food as bribery, diversion, or reward l Try new foods at baby’s best time l Make mealtime pleasant, not distracting l Avoid serving foods that may cause choking l See page 210 for more guidelines

Feeding the Toddler Food is the first place toddler shows autonomy/independence Caregiver should l Maintain good nutrition while establishing good eating habits l Understand growth patterns and developmental changes that affect toddler’s actions l See page 212 for common patterns

Food as an Issue of Control l Adult is responsible for food that comes in and how it is presented l Adult is responsible for making sure child is at meal, on task, behaves well, and regulates time for meals and snacks l Child is responsible for how much he or she eats, whether he or she eats, and how his or her body turns out

l The way an adult treats a child at mealtime reflects how adult treats child elsewhere l Make mealtime significant to child  Know child’s temperament, tempo, capabilities l Manage eating environment  Set limits as to time and place for eating  Prepare child for transition

l Child should come to table ready to eat  Sit at the table for a few minutes if not hungry  Child’s choice not to participate—adult reinforces child’s choice l Keep food out of sight l See page 215

Nutritional Considerations l Variation in food consumption  Food jags l Milk should have proper place l Not too much juice Guidelines for Good Food Habits l Table 6-9 (page 216)

Food and the Preschooler Outside influences l Peers, teachers, parents, TV Positive reinforcement l Cereal aisles and negative behavior Encouraging child participation

School-Age Nutrition l More likely to be involved with snacks and maybe breakfast l Snacks should be substantial and ready when they get to care l If sack lunches are prepared, the child should be included in mealtime activities l Child should be encouraged to understand nutrition, select and prepare healthy foods, and have good dietary habits

Nutrition and the Child with Special Needs Developmental disabilities or chronic illness may affect l Feeding skills l Equipment needs l Feeding procedures l Foods Can child care accommodate these needs?

Exercise as Part of Diet Should be included as part of normal activities l New guideline in Dietary Guidelines for Americans l Healthy People 2010 added physical exercise to its list of priorities

Large motor activities versus sedentary activities l Caregiver should encourage physical activity l Playground play helps to ensure children are getting exercise Weather a factor l Try to provide for indoor physical activity l Remove temptations to inactivity

Implications for Caregivers Education and Role Modeling l For parents l With children Cultural Competence l Cultural influences and food selection l Caregiver’s cultural perspective

Supervision l Requires skills  Selection of healthy food choices, focus on healthy choices and preparation methods  Food sanitation and safety practices l Meals from home  Monitor for acceptable food choices  Proper food storage l Directing mealtime behaviors l Good role modeling

 Reality Check: Television and Its Effects on Children’s Nutrition Children watch as many as 200,000 food ads between 2 and 12 years of age Food advertised is not healthy l High sugar, high fat, empty calorie foods  Cereals, cookies, drinks l Ads for fast foods l Less than 5% of ads were for healthy foods

l TV viewing discourages exercise—“couch potatoes” l Some children eat in front of television l Consumption of soft drinks have increased 500% due to TV ads

Caregivers l Promote good nutrition by helping children make healthier choices l Can talk about misleading food ads l Help children by helping them read labels and their own internal cues See Saturday Morning Food Pyramid (page 220)