Parents of preschoolers often worry about how much their child is eating or think that it isn’t enough. Preschoolers may refuse food or label it as “yuck”.  Do not force your child to eat, as this can reduce their natural ability to understand appetite, knowing when they are hungry and when they are full.

As a parent, you play a key role in offering your child the right food. Preschoolers will naturally self-regulate the amount of food they eat based on their needs. 

See Fussy eating for more information.

It can take up to 15 exposures for your child to accept a new food. Provide your child with daily exposure to the new food for up to two weeks to allow them time to become familiar with it.

You can teach your child about healthy eating by engaging in activities such as:

• growing, watering and harvesting produce from fruit and vegetable gardens
• reading books about healthy eating, such as The Hungry Caterpillar
• playing games about healthy eating, such as doing a blind taste test of fruit and vegetables
• cooking activities such as opening, mixing, pouring and cutting food.

These experiences allow children to explore and experiment with new and different foods. It can also enhance children’s literacy, familiarity and relationship with healthy food.

Tap water is recommended as the drink of choice and is essential for hydration. At this age, children may need to be reminded to drink water as they can be distracted, easily forget and not feel thirsty. 

Reduced-fat milk, not skim milk, can be given to children over two years old who have a good appetite and are growing within the normal development ranges. 

Whole fruit is always the best option for fruit consumption but if your child would like fruit juice, the recommendations are to limit it to one small glass (125mL) of 99% fruit juice per day.

See the Dehydration factsheet for more information.