Childhood Nutrition and Activity

Making healthy choices for yourself is one of the best things you can do as a parent. Children learn a lot by watching their parents, so when you exercise and eat a balanced diet, your child is more likely to do the same.

There are many benefits to living a healthy lifestyle. Children who eat right and keep active:

• do better at school
• have a healthier body weight
• feel happier
• have more energy
• build habits for lifelong good health

Nutrition

While you decide what foods to offer, your child will decide how much food they want to eat. It is common for kids to eat more at one meal than another, or eat more food one day and less the next. This is normal. The important thing is to offer regular meals and snacks every day.

To help ensure your child has a well-balanced diet, keep a variety of healthy food choices from all food groups at home. It is okay to include treats once in a while, but never as a reward and not always as dessert. If you give your child too much of these easy-to-like foods, your child is likely to fill up on them and not want to eat healthier foods. Having meals together as a family is a great way to bond with your kids and model healthy eating habits.

If are worried about your child's nutrition or growth, ask your doctor to send you to a Registered Dietitian for tips on how to improve his or her eating habits.

Activity

It is important to encourage your child to be active every day. Limit all screen time (TV, computer, video games) to no more than one to two hours each day. Plan to do things together, such as regular family walks, chores or other physical exercise. Most children need at least 60 to 90 minutes of activity every day for good health.

Nutri-eSTEP for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Nutri-eSTEP for toddlers is a nutrition screening tool for children aged 18-35 months, and Nutri-eSTEP for Preschoolers is for children aged three to five years. Use these simple tools to help you find out how healthy your child's eating habits are. You will get direct feedback on what is going well and ways to improve your child's eating and activity habits.

Help and Support

• Unlock Food - Children's Nutrition (Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000)
• City of Hamilton - Public Health Services - Nutrition Information and Resources (905-546-3550)

Picky Eaters

Registered dietitian Kate Park shares some tips and tricks for dealing with picky eaters.

Infant Feeding Videos and Webinars