Healthy Daycare Snacks

Take note, parents: When it comes to your child's nutrition, you should look beyond what's happening at your own dinner table. At a recent pediatric conference, childhood health experts nationwide called daycare "the next frontier" in battling obesity, a disease that afflicts one in three American kids under the age of 17. Why the new focus on daycare? Parents are often asked to provide classroom snacks for their children and the kids' classmates a few times a month. Unfortunately, that means time-strapped Moms and Dads often reach for the most convenient packaged option, which can be loaded with preservatives, fat, and excess calories. But there are alternatives. Follow these tips for putting your child on the right nutritional path, even when you can't be there to supervise.