Feeding/Eating Habits for Children

Eating

Children should receive a balanced diet daily to help support proper tooth development.
- This balanced diet includes:
  - Food from the major food groups.
  - Limiting consumption of sugar/starch foods.
  - Limiting between meal drinking and snacking.
Children should be encouraged to have breakfast to avoid increased snacking between meals during the day.
- Risk of cavities increases when sugar is consumed between meals.
- Snacks have the highest sugar content of any meal.
Avoid foods and beverages high in acidic content. They weaken tooth structure and lead to increased cavities.
- For example: diet sodas, flavored waters, fruit juices, and sports drinks.
Offer milk or fruit juices only at mealtimes.
- Saliva production is increased during a meal and helps to neutralize acid production and rinse food particles from the mouth.
- Between mealtimes, offer your child water to drink.

Nursing to Sippy Cups

At will nighttime breast-feeding should be avoided once eruption of first tooth begins.
To avoid the development of “Baby Bottle Tooth Decay,” children should not be put to bed with a bottle.
- Baby Bottle Tooth Decay
  - Prolonged exposure of a baby’s teeth to liquids containing sugar such as milk, formula and fruit juice, can cause severe cavities.
  - If child must have a bottle at night, it should only contain water.
Children should be encouraged to drink from a cup by their 1^st birthday.
Do not let your child constantly sip liquids containing sugar, including milk and juice drinks.
- Training Cups
  - The best training (or sippy) cup for your child is one without a valve.
  - Cups with valves do not allow your child to sip and continue a sucking behavior.
  - Useful training cups will have a snap-on or screw-on lid with a spout.