5.7: Supporting Healthy Eating
- Page ID
- 173745
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Healthy Eating
In addition to “what” to feed children, “how” to feed young children also is critical. Repeated exposure to foods can increase acceptance of new foods. Another important concept is responsive feeding, a feeding style that emphasizes recognizing and responding to the hunger or fullness cues of an infant or young child.
Even before a child can talk, they will show signs of hunger or fullness by using sounds and body movements. Crying is often a late sign of hunger. Understanding a child’s signs is important to help you know when and how often to feed a child. Responsive feeding is a term used to describe a feeding style that emphasizes recognizing and responding to the hunger or fullness cues of an infant or young child. Furthermore, responsive feeding helps young children learn how to self-regulate their intake. [1]
Between birth through 5 months a child may be hungry if they: [1]
- Put their hands to their mouth.
- Turn their head toward the breast or bottle.
- Pucker, smack, or lick their lips.
Between birth through 5 months a child may be full if they: [1]
- Close their mouth.
- Turn their head away from the breast or bottle.
- Relax their hands.
Between 6 to 23 months a child may be hungry if they: [1]
- Reach for or point to food.
- Open their mouth when offered a spoon or food.
- Get excited when they see food.
- Use hand motions or make sounds to let you know they are still hungry.
Between 6 to 23 months a child may be full if they: [1]
- Push food away.
- Close their mouth when food is offered.
- Turn their head away from food.
- Use hand motions or make sounds to let you know they are full.
Accessing a Healthy Dietary Pattern
Many resources exist to support healthy growth and development during infancy and toddlerhood. These include the following government programs that aim to support a healthy dietary pattern for infants and toddlers living in households with limited incomes: [1]
- The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supports infant and early childhood nutrition through supplementing the diets of women who are pregnant or lactating and by providing breastfeeding support and iron-fortified infant formula when breast milk is unavailable or fed only partially. WIC accommodates the transition to solid foods by providing nutrient-dense foods in the supplemental food packages offered to older infants and toddlers. Nutrition education and counseling and referrals to healthcare and social services are other important resources offered to income-eligible WIC participants.
- The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides reimbursement for nutrient-dense meals and snacks served to infants and toddlers in participating child care centers, including at Head Start programs, and day care homes where infants and toddlers also have access to health screenings and families can be connected to health services to support their overall well-being.
- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest food assistance program in the United States. SNAP helps meet the nutritional needs of infants and toddlers living in low-income households by providing temporary monthly benefits that can be used to access a healthy dietary pattern. These government nutrition programs are especially important for the 14% of families with children who experience food insecurity and may struggle to access the foods needed to support a healthy dietary pattern. Professionals can use these, and additional Government and non-Government resources that exist within communities, to support healthy eating during infancy and toddlerhood.
[1] “Signs Your Child is Hungry or Full” from the CDC is in the public domain.
[3] Image from the CDC is in the public domain.
[1] Image from the CDC is in the public domain.
[1] “Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025” by U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is in the public domain.