Feeding Practices

Feeding practices are important because they aid in the formation of healthy eating habits. They can help children learn to listen to their bodies and decide whether they are hungry or full. Below you will find resources that will help you improve feeding practices to make sure kids try different foods and get all of the nutrition they need.

Best Practices

Select the best practice to find resources that can help you reach that best practice.

“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.”

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

Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) Manuals

Summary: This manual provides the best practice recommendations for each question on the self-assessment. The manuals also include the rationale behind each recommendation, challenges to implementing recommendations, and tips for changing current practice.
Source: Michigan Healthy Child Care
Access: http://mihealthtools.org/childcare/resources.asp

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

Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) Manuals

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

Building Blocks for Fun and Healthy Meals

Summary: This menu planner provides tools needed to successfully prepare and serve meals and snacks in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). It comes complete with sample menus, guidance on keeping and using production records, and information on food safety and sanitation.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: http://www.fns.usda.gov/building-blocks

Child and Adult Care Food Program Meal Patterns Revision: Best Practices

Summary: The USDA has developed new CACFP meal patterns for healthy eating patterns for children and adults in care. Optional best practices were also developed that build on the meal patterns and highlight areas where additional steps can be taken to further improve the nutritional quality of the meals that are served.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cacfp/CACFP_bestpractices.pdf

Developmental Readiness Handout

Summary: Fact sheet about developmental readiness for infants surrounding when to introduce solids foods.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture – Child and Adult Care Food Program
Access: https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/community-nutrition/pdf/infant_development_readiness_handout.pdf

Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

Summary: This Interactive Food Buying Guide makes it easy to searching, navigating food lists for the CACFP program. A profile can be created to save food items to a favorites list.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture
Access: https://foodbuyingguide.fns.usda.gov/

Food Buying Guide Mobile App

Summary: This link explains how to use a mobile app about food yield information for the Child Nutrition Programs.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture – Food and Nutrition Services
Access: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/food-buying-guide-mobile-app

High Five Stickers

Summary: These stickers can be downloaded to be used for kids during lessons. They can also be used to reward children when they choose to eat healthy foods from the five foods groups.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/high-five-stickers

Launch Your Day with Breakfast! Stickers

Summary: Use these stickers to help promote eating breakfast in lessons or during mealtimes. They can be downloaded or ordered from Team Nutrition and that information is located on the page.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: http://www.fns.usda.gov/launch-your-day-breakfast-stickers

Make Today a Try-Day!

Summary: Poster and sticker set that you can use in your day care to encourage kids to try new foods. Available by download or can order from Team Nutrition.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/make-today-try-day-cacfp-postersticker-set

MyPlate for Kids: Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables Poster

Summary: This poster shows kids how their plate or tray should look with half of it being fruits and vegetables. Available to download or order a copy for free from Team Nutrition.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/myplate-kids-make-half-your-plate-fruits-and-vegetables-poster

MyPlate Posters

Summary: MyPlate posters that are 20” X 16” in size. They are double-sided in colors of Blue/Magenta and Green/yellow. You can download for free or order a free one using the Resource Order Form link on the page.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/myplate-posters

New Child and Adult Care Food Program Meal Patterns: Child and Adult Meals

Summary: The USDA recently updated the CACFP food patterns to ensure children and adults have access to healthy foods. The new child and adult meal patterns include a greater variety of vegetables and fruit, more whole grains, and less added sugar and saturated fat.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cacfp/CACFP_childadultmealstandards.pdf

New Child and Adult Care Food Program Meal Patterns: Infant Meals

Summary: The USDA recently updated the CACFP food patterns for adults and children so they have access to healthy foods. The changes to the infant plan include the support of breastfeeding and fruits and vegetable consumption.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cacfp/CACFP_infantmealstandards.pdf

Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) Manuals

Produce for Kids: Your Healthy Family Resource

Summary: This website is dedicated to educating about healthy eating and provides recipes, what produce is in season, and lunch box ideas.
Source: Produce for Kids, Inc.
Access: http://www.produceforkids.com/news/whats-season

The 3 Ring Food Circus: Easy and Fun Food-Related Activities for Preschoolers and Young Children

Summary: This book contains activities that teach young children about trying and learning new foods, having fun being physically active, and using MyPlate to fill a healthy plate. You can download a pdf from this site.
Source: United Dairy Industry of Michigan
Access: http://www.milkmeansmore.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/0002dcm_3-Ring-book.pdf

The Two Bite Club (English and Spanish)

Summary: This educational storybook, available in English and in 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, just 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

MSU Extension SNAP-Ed