Helpful Tips for Parents

• Breakfast is the most reliably linked meal to cognitive performance in school-age children. Prioritize a protein- and fiber-rich breakfast every morning.

• Serve new foods alongside accepted foods. A new food appearing next to something the child loves reduces threat and increases willingness to try.

• Family meals where everyone eats the same food are the most powerful eating behavior intervention available. Children whose families eat together have better diets across childhood and adolescence.

• Protein + fat + fiber at every meal stabilizes blood sugar and prevents the energy crashes that drive meltdowns, irritability, and inability to focus.

Frequently Asked Questions

My preschooler will only eat 5–6 foods. Is this concerning?

Accepting fewer than 20 foods is considered selective eating that may warrant attention from a feeding therapist. If a child eats 5–6 foods, is not growing appropriately, has intense anxiety around mealtimes or new foods, or has textures they physically gag on (not just dislike), evaluation by a feeding specialist or occupational therapist is appropriate. For children who eat 10–15 varied foods across food groups without significant distress, continued exposure without pressure is the recommended approach.

What are the best vitamins and supplements for preschoolers?

Most pediatric nutrition organizations do not recommend routine multivitamin supplementation for preschoolers eating a reasonably varied diet. The nutrients most likely to be deficient: vitamin D (supplement with 600 IU/day unless child gets >15 minutes of direct sunlight daily), iron (check ferritin levels at well-child visits), and omega-3 fatty acids (supplement if child doesn't eat fish 2x/week). Discuss specific supplementation with your pediatrician based on your child's individual diet and lab results.

Related reading: See also our meal planning guide and our breakfast ideas guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🥦 Healthy Food Knowledge — Learning about different foods, food groups, and what nutrients do in the body builds the food literacy that supports a lifetime of informed, health-conscious eating choices.
• 😊 Positive Relationship with Food — Joyful, pressure-free food experiences build the positive relationship with eating that underlies lifelong nutritional health — and is far more protective against disordered eating than any restriction-based approach.
• 🌈 Sensory Exploration — Experiencing the tastes, textures, smells, and colors of different foods expands sensory tolerance and — over many exposures — is the most evidence-based pathway to accepting previously rejected foods.
• 🤝 Family & Cultural Connection — Sharing meals and preparing traditional family foods connects children to family history, cultural identity, and the social bonds that family mealtimes — one of the strongest protective factors in child development — provide.

from Carla in Pennsylvania...

My daughter's preschool does a "Fast Food Friday" one day a month where the kids are served a meal from a fast food restaurant. I know it's just one day a month but I don't like the idea of the school endorsing fast food AT ALL. Many of the parent's have this idea that it's great because it's a "special treat" for them and that if you don't want your kid to eat it you can pack their own lunch that day. Of course I can but I don't think it's right that my child should have to watch the other kids eat their "treat" without her. I don't want her to even think of fast food as a treat.

Carla,

I'm sorry to hear of your predicament (and astonished that this is happening at preschool). Serving fast food at preschool doesn't set a good example of healthy eating. But I completely understand the difficulties with changing the status quo, especially when it comes to food.

Learn About the School Nutrition Policy

A good approach is to speak directly with the director/principal of the school. The school probably has a nutrition policy (if it's a public school it has to) and you can ask to see the policy. The fast food meal meal may not meet the standards set in the nutrition policy.

Give Examples of Other Schools Offering Healthier Foods

Talk to the director/principal about trends in school meals - many schools are serving healthier, fresher options that are less processed and include whole, natural local and/or organic foods. A great resource for background information is Chef Ann Cooper's website - http://www.chefann.com/blog/. She is well-known for improving food programs at public schools in California. She offers current news articles and tips for improving school meals.

Offer Fun and Healthy Alternatives

Then, let the director/principal know that you are in favor of offering healthy meals and snacks at your child's preschool. One part of making your school's meals healthier is to end the fast food lunch 'treat.' Have alternatives for a monthly treat in mind - some ideas:

A picnic (inside or outside) where the kids get to eat on blankets

Do a monthly food theme where a certain food or food group is the focus of circle time or other preschool activities. Then, center the monthly meal on the food of the month.

Let the kids help with lunch preparation once a month. Assign jobs such as kneading pizza dough, washing berries, etc.

Start a school garden and use produce from it (of course this won't be available right away!)

The point is to make the meal fun for the kids but still centered on the fundamentals of a high quality diet.

Good Luck!

by Kati Chevaux

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