Kids Doc On Call

Kids Doc On Call

It can be hard to know whether your child is getting their nutritional intake while at childcare. While at home, you can monitor their diet and add all the yummy nutrients they need into their meals. But ensuring the same for childcare can be a little more difficult. Thankfully, we have some great tips to help take the pressure off.

  1. Ask the childcare centre what the menu is and plan accordingly

Don’t be afraid to call the childcare centre your little one attends and enquire about the weekly menu. This can help you plan your menu at home, so you can compensate or cut out certain foods to ensure a balanced diet. For example, there may be a heavy lean on pasta and bread during the week at childcare – that means you can focus on protein and veggie options at home so you aren’t overloading your child with too many carbs.

  1. Aim for all the food groups at lunchtime

If the childcare centre does not provide meals and it’s up to you to prepare a yummy and nutritious lunch for your child, follow the simple rule of hitting the five major food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy.

Even better if you use a lunchbox with multiple dividers in it to separate the food options: s sandwich in one spot, with some cut up fruit in another and then a few pieces of cheese to finish. Bonus points for incorporating some cool shapes and designs for your child so they can have fun while they eat!

  1. Always have healthy snacks available

Children are going to want to snack and if they’re at the age where they freely walk into the kitchen to grab themselves something to munch on, this is a great tip for you: Keep healthy snacks in prepared and in easy to reach places such as the bottom shelf of the fridge or the lower levels of your pantry.

Rice crackers, little bags of carrots, cucumber or capsicum, cut fruit, muesli bars, raisins or nut mixes are all quick grab-and-go snacks that are still healthy and tasty.

  1. Healthy alternatives to regular junk food

Where possible, go for the healthy versions of your favourite snacks: Veggie Straws and Veggie Puffs can replace normal potato chips, while homemade chocolate using cacao butter will solve the problem of too much processed sugar.