Snack Tips for Parents-

Snacking is a major pastime for many American children - so much so that nearly one-fourth of kids' daily energy intake comes from nibbling between meals.

Much of this nibbling is on prepackaged snack foods, which are high in calories and low in nutrients. The popularity of these fattening treats may be one of the factors responsible for the country's childhood-obesity epidemic.

But snacking itself isn't necessarily bad. The content of your child's snacks is what's most important. Providing healthy snack choices now will help your children learn to make healthy food choices in the future.

Snacks Are Essential-

Young children actually need snacks. Their stomachs are small, so they often can't get all the nutrients they need in a day through meals alone. They need smaller portions of food more often. A good rule of thumb for toddler serving sizes is about 1 tablespoon of food for each year of age. You can always give them more if they're still hungry.

Children's growth rates slow down after their first birthday. Because they need fewer calories at this time, they tend to eat less. Continue to provide healthy food choices for meals and snacks. Don't get upset or force children to clean their plates.

Certain foods may cause choking in younger children. Avoid feeding raw vegetables, popcorn, nuts or peanuts, and dried fruits - such as raisins - to children under 3. Quarter hot dogs lengthwise and then cut into small pieces. Slice grapes in half.

Don't Spoil Your Dinner-

Children who attend child care may not be hungry at the family mealtime if their caregivers serve them a late afternoon snack. Consider asking your child care provider to not offer a snack too late. If your child is frequently in child care until 6 p.m. or later, you may even pack an evening meal for him or her to eat at 4:30 p.m., before going home. Then your child can have a healthy snack at home during the family dinnertime.

Fruit Juice: Friend or foe?

Children often prefer fruit juice to water or fresh fruit because juice tastes better to them. And many parents see no problem with allowing their children to drink almost unlimited amounts juice, since juice is promoted as a good source of nutrition.

Although juice does contain some healthy nutrients, it's high in calories and it may contribute to weight gain and tooth decay if consumed in excess. Some juice drinks, even those with 100 percent juice, have more calories than sugary carbonated beverages do. Juice also lacks the healthy fiber that whole fruit has.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children drink no more than two 6-ounce servings of fruit juice a day. Consider juices fortified with calcium, especially if your child shies away from milk and dairy products.

Sugar Attacks Teeth-

Sugary snacks, including sugared soft drinks and fruit juices, can cause cavities. Bacteria in the mouth convert sugar to a type of acid that eats away at tooth enamel. This acid continues to damage teeth for at least 20 minutes.

Gooey and sticky sweets usually result in the most damage because they spend more time in your mouth. Allowing toddlers to sip juice all day long gives their teeth a sugar bath that lasts the entire day.

Expanding Choices-

Once children begin attending school, their food options expand beyond what you choose to buy at the grocery store. But you<