Healthy, Happy Families

Positive Parenting Skills To Promote Children's Healthy Eating Habits

Here is what we hear from parents:

• My child is a picky eater. How do I get him to try more foods?
• My kid won't eat vegetables. Help!
• My child doesn't want to eat dinner but then gets hungry later. What do I do?
• My child wants to eat snacks instead of meals. What do I do?
• I've heard family meals are good but we're just too busy. 

All parents want to do what is best for their children. But doing what is best is not always easy. As parents learn new ways to keep children healthy it can be challenging to make those changes in their own families. The Healthy, Happy Families site is designed to support educators as they help parents make changes. Topics cover issues parents face when getting their kids to eat healthy, and includes information about how children develop and the role parents play in that process.

The research-based information presented is relevant for nutrition educators and family support professionals seeking general knowledge to support parents of children ages 2 through 12 in making healthy changes to the dietary environments of their families.

Each topic area includes:

• General research-based information on relevant areas of child development and parent-child relationships
• How the information can be applied to child feeding
• Tips on parent behaviors that can facilitate the healthy behavior
• Resource links

Click on the topics to the below to start learning!

Division of Responsibility		Bribing with Food
Picky Eating		Family Meals
Feeding through the Ages		Role Modeling
Mealtime Routines		Overcoming Resistance