Feeding Practices

Build a strong foundation for healthy eating habits with supportive feeding practices.

Feeding practices are important because they can help children learn to listen to their bodies and decide whether they are hungry or full. They can also help in guiding children to try new or less preferred foods. Below you will find resources that will help you improve practices that promote intuitive eating and responsive feeding.

Best Practices

Click any best practice goal below to find resources that can help child care programs build healthy feeding practices.

"Always serve meals family style (preschoolers serve themselves with limited help)."
“Caregivers help children determine if they are full before removing their plate.”
“Caregivers help children determine if they are still hungry before serving additional food.”
“Caregivers gently encourage children to try new or less favorite foods in positive ways.”
“Do not use food to encourage positive behavior.”

Resources for: "Always serve meals family style (preschoolers serve themselves with limited help)."

Action Guide: For Child Care Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies

Summary: Guidelines for feeding practice policies and practices that support child nutrition.
Source: Connecticut State Department of Education
Access: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/sde/nutrition/cacfp/ccpolicy/child_care_action_guide.pdf

Family Style Meal Service with Children

Summary: Toolkit on how to hold family style meal service in child care, meeting federal CACFP guidelines.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services
Access: https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/CACFP-Family-Style-Meal-ServiceOperator-Booklet.pdf

Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments

Summary: Contacting a consultant and completing the online version of the Go NAPSACC assessments opens up a suite of planning, learning, and implementation tools to understand further what the health best practices are and how to reach them at your child care.
Source: Go Nutritional and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC)
Access: https://gonapsacc.org/our-focus-areas

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future

Summary: Under the section of "Nurture Healthy Eaters," scroll down the menu to find responsive feeding resources for both infants and toddlers. Resources are geared towards child care providers and parents.
Source: The Nemours Foundation
Access: https://healthykidshealthyfuture.org/5-healthy-goals/nurture-healthy-eaters/resources/

Model Policies for Creating a Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment in Child Care Settings

Summary: This nutrition toolkit describes model policies and provides tips to on how to fulfill them.
Source: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Community Food and Nutrition Assistance
Access: https://health.mo.gov/living/dnhs_pdfs/ChildCareModelPolicies.pdf

Nibbles for Health: Nutrition Newsletters for Parents of Young Children

Summary: Nibbles for Health has reproducible newsletters that can be given to parents to address many of the challenges they face every day, even as they reinforce lessons being taught to children in child care. Topics include portion sizes, reducing sugar, reducing sodium, selective eating, increasing nutritious food groups, and more. Newsletters can be downloaded, or hard copies may be ordered.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/nibbles

Sample Child Care Nutrition Policy

Summary: A sample policy that allows a center to fill in the blanks and customize to meet their needs.
Source: SC Child Care Services
Access: http://www.scchildcare.org/media/6941/GH_SAMPLE_Level_B_Nutrition_Policy.pdf

Resources for: “Caregivers help children determine if they are full before removing their plate.”

Action Guide: For Child Care Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies

Family Style Meal Service with Children

Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future

Model Policies for Creating a Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment in Child Care Settings

Resources for: “Caregivers help children determine if they are still hungry before serving additional food.”

Action Guide: For Child Care Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies

Family Style Meal Service with Children

Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future

Model Policies for Creating a Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment in Child Care Settings

Resources for: “Caregivers gently encourage children to try new or less favorite foods in positive ways.”

Create a Positive Meal Environment

Summary: This document was created as a supplement to the Nutrition and Wellness Tips for Young Children: Provider Handbook for the Child and Adult Care Food Program. It contains tips on how to create an environment that encourages positive eating habits.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture
Access: https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/tn/Supplement_D.PDF

Family Style Meal Service with Children

Food Critic Activity

Summary: A template for children to rate a new food.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://myplate-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/2020-12/Food_Critic_508.pdf

Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments

Launch Your Day with Breakfast! Stickers

Summary: Use these stickers to help promote eating breakfast. They can be downloaded or ordered from the Team Nutrition website.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/launch-your-day-breakfast-stickers

Make Today a Try-Day!

Summary: Poster and sticker set that you can use in your child care setting to encourage children to try new foods. Available by download or you can order from the Team Nutrition website.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/tryday-stickers

Model Policies for Creating a Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment in Child Care Settings

MyPlate Nate and Kate Stickers

Summary: These stickers can be downloaded to be used with children during nutrition lessons. They can also be used to reward children when they choose to eat healthy foods from the five foods groups. Download or order from the Team Nutrition website.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/fbg

MyPlate Handout

Summary: These sheets can be used to reinforce nutrition education lessons. They can be downloaded and printed or ordered for free.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://milkmeansmore.org/product/my-plate-handout-for-kids/

MyPlate Activity Resources

Summary: Various Coloring Sheets, MyPlate Champion Certificate/Pledge, Plan Menu, and posters, and place mats can be printed for free as part of nutrition lessons.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://www.myplate.gov/resources/print-materials?page=3

Nibbles for Health Newsletter – Together…Let’s Try New Foods!

Summary: Newsletter featuring tips for trying new foods with children, and includes a tasting reward chart.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture – Food and Nutrition Services
Access: https://foodhero.org/sites/foodhero-prod/files/resources/together_foods.pdf

The Two Bite Club (English and Spanish)

Summary: This educational storybook, available in English and Spanish, was developed to introduce MyPlate to young children. Parents or caregivers can read the book to children and encourage them to try foods from each food group by eating "just two bites," like the characters in the story. You can download a copy from this site or follow the Resource Order Form link to get a free hard copy.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/two-bite-club

Resources for “Do not use food to encourage positive behavior.”

Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future

Model Policies for Creating a Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment in Child Care Settings

MSU Extension SNAP-Ed