How Can I keep My Preschooler Active?

So what should parents and caregivers do? You probably already know what will motivate this age group best: fun. To keep active time fun, know what activities are best for your child’s age group and make having a good time the top priority. For instance, preschoolers might groan if you drag them on a boring walk around an exercise track.

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Why Do Preschoolers Need to Play?

Preschoolers can be unstoppable — running, spinning, leaping, and climbing at every opportunity. Their desire to move, move, move makes this a great time to encourage fitness habits that will last. Kids need to be fit for the same reasons adults do: to improve their health and make sure that their bodies can do what they need them to do.

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Tips for Smart Snacking

-Keep healthy snacks in your refrigerator or pantry. Let kids choose their own snacks from among a couple of nutritious options. -Offer a variety of snacks, not just the ones kids already likes. Offer new choices, but don’t give up on foods that may have been rejected in the past. It may take a few tries before a child accepts

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Meeting Iron Requirements

Toddlers should have 7 milligrams of iron each day. After 12 months of age, they’re at risk for iron deficiency because they no longer drink iron-fortified formula and may not be eating iron-fortified infant cereal or enough other iron-containing foods to make up the difference. To help prevent iron deficiency: • Limit your child’s milk intake to about 16-24 ounces

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Avoid the Junk Food Trap

Toddlers need to eat healthy to get the nutrients their growing bodies need. Candy, potato chips, and other low-nutrient “junk foods” shouldn’t be part of their diet because they can crowd out the healthy foods needed. Also, food preferences are established early in life, so don’t miss opportunities to help your toddler develop a taste for nutritious foods. Even if

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Can Kids Skip a Meal?

Many toddlers need to eat often — as much as six times a day, including three meals and two or three snacks. Keep this in mind as you establish a pattern of meal and snacks. But realize that a food schedule only sets the times that you will present food to your toddler. Your child may not take every opportunity

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Let Kids Feed Themselves

Kids should start finger feeding around 9 months of age and try using utensils by 15-18 months. Provide many opportunities for this, but make sure your toddler eats enough so that the experience doesn’t lead to frustration. Jump in to help when necessary, but pay attention to hunger cues and signs that your child is full. You can always offer

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Things to Avoid

Most parents have bribed their child by promising some tasty treat, but this isn’t a good strategy. Using sweets as a bribe creates the impression that they’re more valuable or better than other, more healthy foods — plus kids quickly learn to use them as a bargaining tool. As for sweets, there’s really no reason, nutritionally, for young kids to

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A word about juice

Juice — even 100% fruit juice — contains about the same amount of calories as soda. And juice drinks have excessive amounts of added sugar. Letting kids carry around a juice box all day can lead to diarrhea in some and contribute to weight gain in others. Limit your toddler’s juice intake to no more than 4 oz. (120 ml)

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