Organising meals

Meal patterns are arranged to meet our biological needs, as well as our social and cultural habits. We advise three meals per day, with perhaps a snack to avoid grazing (particularly on fatty and sugary foods).

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are crucial to ensuring your child eats a balanced diet.

Breakfast

Ideally, breakfast should include:

• 1 cereal product;

• milk, yoghurt or cheese;

• 1 portion of fruit;

• water or a herbal/fruit tea.

Lunch and dinner

Lunch and dinner should include:

• 1 portion of cereals or potatoes (pasta, semolina, rice, couscous, potatoes or a sufficient quantity of bread);

• vegetables;

• 1 portion per day of meat, poultry, fish or eggs divided between 1 or 2 meals;

• 1 portion of milk, yoghurt or cheese;

• 1 piece or portion of fruit (cup of strawberries, handful of cherries, etc.);

• water.

Mid-morning snacks 

If your child eats a full breakfast, they do not need a substantial morning snack. You can offer them some fruit without spoiling their appetite for lunch.

If your child does not want breakfast, you could give them some bread and butter, a dairy product and a piece of fruit, ideally at around 09.00, but not after 10.00 (to avoid spoiling their appetite for lunch).

Always offer water to drink!

The afternoon snack

The afternoon snack should include one or two foods from the following groups: fruit, dairy products and cereal products. You can let your child choose.

Don't forget to give them water to drink.

Don't fall into the following trap: if your child has an afternoon snack at around 16.00 in their after-school setting, and returns home at around 18.00, make sure they don't have a second snack. If your child is hungry, offer them some fruit before dinner.

Don't worry if your child goes a day without a balanced diet. A balanced diet is not measured over a single meal, but over one or several days.

Children from 3 to 6 years of age will resist.

They go through a period of saying no. This is a normal phase of your child developing their personality! If your child does not want to eat, don't force them. But also don't offer an alternative.

Don't get angry. Just try to keep calm.