Feeding Your Child PDF

Feeding Your Child H E A LT H Y G R O W I N G FA M I L I E S Food is important for everyone’s good health. Eating healthy food gives your child the energy and nutrition they n...

Feeding Your Child H E A LT H Y G R O W I N G FA M I L I E S Food is important for everyone’s good health. Eating healthy food gives your child the energy and nutrition they need to grow, learn and play. Their needs will change as they get older. For the first 6 months, your baby will need breastmilk or infant formula (see page 145). At about 6 months, your baby will be ready to start eating solid foods (see page 291) and, before long, you’ll find your family will all be eating the same healthy foods. The feeding relationship The way you and your child relate to each other around feeding and eating is called the feeding relationship. Developing a healthy feeding relationship with your child during the early years is foundational, as it affects their eating behaviours for their whole life. Babies are born with the ability to regulate their appetite, which means they’ll eat when they’re hungry and eat the amount of food they need. The feeding relationship starts with your baby’s first feeding. Your baby connects with you when you respond to their feeding cues (see page 149) and take time to relax, snuggle and talk quietly with them while they feed. Responding to your baby’s cues helps build a secure attachment and a trusting relationship. You’re also teaching your baby to listen to their body and stop feeding and eating when they’re full. Your baby: You need to: lets you know when they’re hungry help your baby stay calm while feeding needs to feed and eat when they’re watch your baby for feeding cues and hungry respond when they tell you they’re lets you know when they’re full hungry or full infant formula: in this resource, infant formula refers to commercial, store-bought infant formula that is bought in Canada Healthy Parents, Healthy Children | The Early Years 49  As your child gets older, the feeding relationship will change. Your child is still responsible for how much they eat. You’re still responsible for what food to provide for your child. By the time children are eating a wide variety of foods with different textures (between 6–12 months old), new roles will help your child learn to be a healthy eater. You decide: Your child decides: what food and drinks are offered whether or not to eat when food and drinks are offered how much to eat where food and drinks are offered In the chapters ahead, you’ll find suggestions about healthy eating for different age groups. Family meals Meals are important times for your family to connect with each other. Even your young baby will benefit from being with you during meals. Spending time together during meals helps your family: build strong family relationships develop healthy eating habits develop language and social skills A strong family relationship helps your child feel secure. Try to have at least one meal together each day. Set some guidelines around where you’ll eat as a family. Children learn by watching you—turn off all electronics so you can enjoy each other’s company. 50 The Early Years | Healthy Parents, Healthy Children  Healthy food for the whole family H E A LT H Y G R O W I N G FA M I L I E S Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide (Canada’s Food Guide) recommends healthy foods for the whole family and is available in many different languages. Try to serve a variety of healthy foods and follow Canada’s Food Guide every day. Eating the recommended amounts and types of food will help you and your family meet your needs Canada’s Food Guide – for vitamins, minerals and other First Nations, Inuit and Métis nutrients and will contribute to your The food guide is available family’s overall health. in Plains Cree and other Indigenous languages. To learn Here are some guidelines for the whole more, visit the Links section at family based on Canada’s Food Guide. healthyparentshealthychildren.ca/resources Recommended number of Canada’s Food Guide servings each day Vegetables Grain Milk and Meat and Age and Fruit Products Alternatives Alternatives 1–2 years up to 4 up to 3 up to 2 up to 1 2–3 years 4 3 2 1 4–8 years 5 4 2 1 9–13 years 6 6 3–4 1–2 Female 14–18 years 7 6 3–4 2 Male 14–18 years 8 7 3–4 3 Female 19–50 years 7–8 6–7 2 2 Male 19–50 years 8–10 8 2 3 Female 51+ 7 6 3 2 Male 51+ 7 7 3 3 “ My partner and I find that it’s really important that we are both on the same page about feeding our daughters. Discussing and agreeing on our own family ” rules and boundaries for meal and snack times helped to create consistent expectations related to eating among our daughters. ~ Craig, dad of two daughters Healthy Parents, Healthy Children | The Early Years 51  Examples of 1 serving Make each serving count Vegetables fresh, frozen or canned vegetables eat at least one dark green (e.g., and Fruit 125 ml (½ cup) broccoli) and one orange vegetable fresh, frozen or canned fruit (e.g., sweet potatoes) 125 ml (½ cup) choose vegetables and fruit raw leafy vegetables 250 ml (1 cup) prepared with little or no added fat, sugar or salt choose no more than 125 ml (½ cup) of 100% juice Grain bread 1 slice (35 g) choose whole grains at least half of Products rice or pasta 125ml (½ cup) the time bannock 6 cm x 6 cm x 2 cm choose grains that are lower in fat, (2 ½ inches x 2 ½ inches x ¾ inch) sugar and salt pita or tortilla wrap ½ small (35 g) hot cereal 175 ml (¾ cup) cold flaked cereal 30 g, 250 ml (1 cup) Milk and milk or fortified soy beverage choose homogenized whole milk Alternatives 250 ml (1 cup) (3.25% milk fat) for children cheese 50 g (1 ½ oz) 9 months to 2 years of age (see page 297) yogurt or kefir 175 g (¾ cup) choose skim, 1% or 2% or fortified soy beverages for children 2 years and older Meat and cooked fish, shellfish, poultry, lean choose meat alternatives such as Alternatives meat or wild meat 75 g (2½ oz) or beans, lentils and tofu more often 125 ml (½ cup) eat at least 2 servings of fish every 2 eggs week cooked legumes, such as beans or choose lean meat and alternatives lentils 175 ml (¾ cup) prepared with little or no added fat tofu 175 ml (¾ cup) or salt peanut or nut butters* 30 ml (2 Tbsp) shelled nuts and seeds** 60 ml (¼ cup) * To avoid choking risk for small children, spread peanut or nut butters thinly on bread or crackers and do not serve them right off a spoon. ** Choking risk for small children, see page 59. choking: occurs when food (or another object) is inhaled into the airway and causes breathing problems 52 The Early Years | Healthy Parents, Healthy Children Offer a variety of foods from the four H E A LT H Y G R O W I N G FA M I L I E S food groups, including some choices Vitamin D for all children that have healthy fat such as fish Vitamin D is an important part of your child’s and avocados. For young children, nutrition. It helps their body absorb calcium, servings can be divided into smaller promotes healthy bones and prevents rickets. Starting at birth, all children need a 400 IU amounts and given throughout vitamin D supplement every day. the day. For example, you can serve ½ of a vegetable or fruit serving at Multivitamins are not recommended for babies and most children do not need them. two different snack times to equal 1 full serving. Some foods that are not healthy for your child are: Drinks with caffeine, like coffee, tea and energy drinks—these can make children anxious and make it hard for them to fall asleep. Herbal teas—not enough is known about how they can affect your child. Some herbal teas may also have caffeine in them. Foods with sugar substitutes (e.g., aspartame, stevia and sucralose) and calorie-reduced foods—these may end up replacing healthier food choices that are needed for your child’s growth and development. If you offer foods that are high in unhealthy fats, sugar or salt, limit these to small amounts and offer them only once in a while to your family. This may include foods like: sugary cereal and chocolate bars cookies and doughnuts sausages, wieners or hot dogs chips and pickles sugar-sweetened drinks such as pop, iced tea, sports drinks, fruit punches, fruit cocktails, fruit drinks, fruit ‘ades’ (e.g., lemonade) and flavoured vitamin or mineral water To learn more about healthy eating for your whole family, visit the Printables and Links sections at healthyparentshealthychildren.ca/resources rickets: a disorder caused by a lack of vitamin D, calcium or phosphorus that can lead to softening and weakening of the bones Healthy Parents, Healthy Children | The Early Years 53