Washington County
Extension Office
333 E. Washington Street,
Suite 1200 PO Box 2003
West Bend, WI 53095
Phone: (262) 335-4841
Teaching
Good Food Habits
Habits like brushing
teeth, hand washing, and choosing healthy foods are learned behaviors.
You can help your child develop good food habits.
Tips for developing
good food habits:
Allow enough
time at the table.
• Children
should have enough time to en joy their food. Because they still
need practice using utensils, it can often take them longer to
eat. Remember, it takes at least 20 minutes for the stomach to
feel full.
Be a good role
model.
• If you serve
and enjoy a variety of foods, chances are your child will, too.
Older siblings can also be role models. Most kids want to do what
they see others doing.
Don't reward,
punish, or appease with food.
• Eating for
parental love, attention, or approval teaches children unhealthy
behaviors about food and themselves.
• Kids may
be encouraged to overeat if they are rewarded with something (such
as dessert) for having a clean plate.
• Offering
a sweet treat as a reward for eating vegetables makes one food
seem better than another food.
• Offering
food to make a child feel better can lead to overeating.
Use non-food
rewards. • Give your child attention with
kind words and hugs instead of a cookie.
• Show love
by spending time with your child and having fun together.
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Tips
For Creating A Nurturing Place To Eat
Plan for calm
and respectful meals. Focus on eating and talking with
your child. Show the importance of meal time by turning off the
TV and putting away reading materials.
Provide a safe
and comfortable place to eat.
To avoid in jury, always
stay with a young child who is eating. Make sure chairs are child-size
and stable. Use child-size utensils.
Avoid choking
and know what to do.
For kids under 4 skip
small, hard, whole foods such as popcorn, nuts, seeds, and hard
candy. Cut hot dogs, grapes and raw carrots into small strips.
Help kids learn
to chew foods well.
On bread use
only a thin layer of sticky foods such as peanut
butter.
Take a class
in first aid.
Remember the
" division of responsibility " in feeding your child.
As
a parent, you are responsible for:
- Selecting and buying food.
- Making and presenting food.
The
child is responsible for:
- How much he/she eats.
- Whether he/she eats.
- How his/her body turns out.
Information
for this handout was adapted from Nibbles
for Health Nutrition Newsletters for Parents of Young Children,
developed by USDA, Food and Nutrition Service.
I
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Pyramid
Pizza 
1 package of English
muffins ¼ pound (4 ounces) shaved ham
1 (20 ounce) can crushed
pineapple, drained ½ cup Mozzarella cheese
1 (15 ounce) can of tomato sauce
Optional items:
canned mushrooms, finely chopped green pepper, finely
chopped green onions, thinly sliced cherry tomatoes
• Preheat
oven to 375°.
• Split each
muffin in half. Place muffins face-up on a cookie sheet.
• Spread some
of the tomato sauce on top of each muffin.
• Cut shaved
ham into small pieces. Place ham on top of the tomato sauce.
• Place drained
pineapple on top of ham.
• Add any of
the optional items if you want.
• Spread 1 Tablespoon
of Mozzarella cheese on top of each muffin.
• Bake for
10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
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