Parenting Tips for Your 43-44 Month Old Child
The key to good nutrition is eating a variety of foods from all of the food groups. Your child will prefer some foods to others. Allow him to eat the food he likes, but also encourage him to include new foods.
Foods that are appropriate for your young child are listed in the food guide pyramid
- Grains – brown rice, graham crackers, whole grain crackers, oatmeal, whole grain cereals, bread, pasta, English muffin, bagel
- Vegetables – collard greens, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, carrots, corn, potatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, green beans, celery, tomatoes
- Fruits – blueberries, raspberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, kiwi, orange, pears, strawberries, watermelon, apples, bananas, applesauce. Fruit juice does not contain the fiber that is in whole and cut-up fruits. Serve your preschooler no more than ½ to ¾ cup (4 to 6 ounces) of juice a day. Choose 100% fruit juice; check the label to be sure. Add some water to the fruit juice. This helps your child drink more water and stretches the fruit juice. http://www.mypyramid.gov/preschoolers/Plan/fruit.html
- Milk – milk, soy milk, yogurt, cheese, string cheese, cottage cheese, frozen yogurt, pudding
- Meats- lean beef or pork, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, peanut butter
The milk and meats food groups provide much needed protein. The body uses protein for growth. Calcium provided by milk products and some leafy vegetables builds strong bones and teeth. Citrus fruits provide the body with Vitamin C, but they also provide Vitamin A along with dark green or yellow vegetables. The breads and cereals from the grains group provide minerals and vitamins. This food group and iron-fortified cereals also provide your child with iron. Children are easily dehydrated, so be sure to give them plenty of water to drink.
It helps to plan out meals for a week to make sure that you include a variety of foods. Try to stick to the plan. Substitute foods within the same food group if you need to make changes. On top of the three meals a day, children need a healthy snack between meals. The more you can structure your child’s feeding schedule the better, since children at this age thrive on a set routine.
