Preschoolers

Help your preschooler eat well, be active, and grow up healthy!

Young children look to you as they learn, develop and grow healthy eating habits. Make every bite count.

Healthy Eating

It’s important for preschoolers to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy and fortified soy alternatives. Choose options for meals, beverages, and snacks that have limited added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.

The amount of food preschoolers need depends on a variety of factors, including age, sex, and physical activity level. Use the MyPlate Plan as a general guide to how much they should eat from each food group every day.

Preschoolers have a wide range of normal growth; every child is different. Your child’s healthcare provider will monitor their growth over time using growth charts and other tools. Be sure to discuss concerns you may have about your child’s growth with their healthcare provider.

red head young boy holding fork knife multiracial family eating salad at table

Picky Eating

Picky eating is common for many preschoolers as they grow up and become more independent. Try the following tips to help them during this time:

Your preschooler may not eat the exact amounts suggested every day. Try to balance the amounts over a few days or a week.
Offer different foods from day to day. Encourage your child to choose from a variety of foods.
Serve foods in small portions during regular meals and snacks times.
Your child may not want to try new foods. Try serving a new food with a food they know and like in the same meal. It may take up to 12 tries for a child to accept a new food.
Let your child help prepare meals. Children get excited about tasting foods when they have helped make them.

Serve Safe Food

Teach your child how to wash their hands after using the bathroom, before and after eating, after playing with pets, and whenever they are dirty.
Some foods are more likely to cause foodborne illness (or food poisoning). Only serve your preschooler foods with seafood, meat, poultry, or eggs that have been cooked to the recommended safe minimum internal temperatures.
Avoid serving unpasteurized (raw) juice or milk.
Do not serve foods to your child that are hard to swallow. Cut them into small pieces of about a half inch. Some types of hard-to-swallow foods can include peanuts, popcorn, round slices of hot dog, hard candy, whole grapes, and cherry tomatoes.
Have your preschoolers sit down at a table when they eat to prevent choking. Do not let them run, walk, play, or lie down with food in their mouth.

MyPlate Tips on Alexa

Get MyPlate nutrition information straight to your home on your Amazon Alexa smart speaker, or on your phone or tablet via the free Amazon Alexa app. For more information, visit our MyPlate Alexa page.

Below are some of the many tips available for parents and caregivers on what and how to feed your preschooler. And just like the MyPlate.gov website and MyPlate tools, all of the information provided by MyPlate on Alexa is based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.

Added Sugars

Try chilled, plain water or sparkling water with a squeeze of fruit for a splash of flavor. Limit sugary beverages such as soda, lemonade, sports drinks, or fruit drinks.

Dietary Fiber

Include fruit at breakfast. Top cereal with a favorite seasonal or frozen fruit, add bananas or chopped apples to pancakes, or mix raisins into hot oatmeal.

Grains

Switch up pizza night. Create individual, homemade pizzas on whole-wheat English muffins or tortillas. Or, serve a traditional pizza using a pre-made whole-wheat flour. Don’t forget the veggie toppings.

Protein

Get creative with beans, peas, and lentils. Serve chili or stews with kidney or pinto beans, a bowl of split pea soup for lunch or dinner, or lentils as a side dish. Check online for recipe ideas.

Dairy/ Fortified Soy Alternatives

Include dairy in the morning. Serve a bowl of unsweetened cereal with low-fat or fat-free dairy milk or soy beverage. Or, top plain low-fat or fat-free yogurt with chopped or sliced fruit to include another food group.

Sodium/ Salt

Go easy on the salt. Serve fresh foods when possible or low-sodium packaged foods. Add flavor to foods with spices and herbs and skip the salt shaker at the table.

Beverages

Encourage kid-friendly drinks. Make water, low-fat or fat-free dairy milk, or unsweetened seltzer the go-to options for your kids. Serve 100% juice only on occasion.

Added Sugars

Sweeten foods with fruit. Mix fruit into plain yogurt, cooked oatmeal, and smoothies to sweeten without adding sugar. Or, combine plain yogurt, uncooked oats, and fruit for some overnight oats.

Calcium

The nutrients in dairy are important for all ages. Serve foods like low-fat or fat-free dairy milk or yogurt. Need an alternative? Offer lactose-free dairy milk or yogurt that's low-fat or fat-free. You can also offer fortified soy versions.

Healthy Eating

Looking for a healthy snack idea? Serve whole-grain crackers with turkey, hummus, or avocado for a tasty whole-grain snack.

Protein

Add protein to a salad. Grilled chicken or shrimp adds tasty protein to a salad of mixed greens. Chickpeas or black beans are delicious, budget-friendly options, too.

Healthy Eating

Meatless meals are tasty and budget friendly. Serve bean-based vegetarian chili or lentil soup, or some grilled tofu with vegetables.

Fats

Serve fatty fish like tuna, salmon, and sardines. These foods, as well as vegetable oils like olive and canola, are good sources of unsaturated fat, which is a healthier fat option.