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| |    When Daycare Provides Meals and Snacks by Mary Silva, M.S., R.D. reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. There are many advantages to having your child's daycare provide meals and snacks. It relieves you of the daily chore of menu planning, preparation, and packaging of food. And your children benefit by being exposed to new foods and by the creation of a family-meal atmosphere where everyone is served the same food. This setup can be very helpful for children who are considered picky eaters. Eating with a group of children at daycare can help your child learn to be more accepting of a variety of foods. Children respond well when they see other children eating different foods, and they usually can adapt to the practical limits set by not having other substitute foods available to them. While the eating behavior of young children is most affected by family eating habits, as they get older they are more influenced by other children. How good is the food program? Parents should look carefully at the meal program of their child's prospective daycare. Studies have shown that daycare menus often don't provide adequate calories--that is, not enough food. The diet provided might also be low in iron and zinc, nutrients believed to be important to a child's learning ability and behavior. The main sources of iron and zinc in most diets are meats. There should be an adequate volume of food and a good deal of variety. The food should be nutritious--not a lot of high-sugar, high-salt junk foods--and should be prepared safely. You can use our checklist [hl to the checklist] to evaluate your child's daycare menu. Look at the setting Don't forget to look at the eating area critically. It should be clean, pleasant, and well lit. Highchairs should be available for smaller toddlers. For older children, the chairs should be the right size so that children sit with their backs supported and feet on the floor. The utensils should be an appropriate size for your child's small hands and neither too light nor too heavy. The food should be served on plates or bowls, not on bare tables. To prevent choking, children should not be allowed to eat while walking. It's a good idea to visit at mealtime. Take note of the appearance of the food and the attitude of the person serving the food, and whether the children are having a pleasant experience. Talk about:
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