Parenting Packs: Healthy Eating

For an overview of the Book Bundles and Parenting Packs early literacy kits, please visit the original post. The cost listed is the list price of each item, regardless of whether or not we got it on sale/discount. The activity sheets and resource guide amount was calculated by cost of binder clip + lamination sheets.

Itemized List

• Carrying Tote ($15.99) — The Container Store
• Cool Kids Cook by Kid Chef Eliana & Dianne de las Casas ($14.95) — Baker & Taylor
• Give Peas a Chance by Kate Samela ($14.99) — Baker & Taylor
• Go, Go, Grapes! by April Pulley Sayre ($17.99) — Baker & Taylor
• The No Cry Picky Eater Solution by Elizabeth Pantley ($17.00) — Baker & Taylor
• Rah, Rah, Radishes! by April Pulley Sayre ($17.99) — Baker & Taylor
• Learning Resources Healthy Helpings: A MyPlate Game ($19.99) — Learning Resources
• Learning Resources Pretend & Play Sliceable Fruit and Veggies ($19.99) — Learning Resources
• Mesh Bag (1) & Vinyl Bag (1) ($6.98) — The Container Store
• Activity Sheets & Resource Guide ($3.00) — created in-house

Total: $148.87

For the kids books: Cool Kids Cook which includes easy and healthy recipes for kids to make with caregivers. I liked that this book was “written” by a Kid Chef and seemed a lot more accessible than some of the character cookbooks in our library. And then Go, Go, Grapes! and Rah, Rah, Radishes! because of their great photos and excellent rhythm — hopefully these books will inspire kids to try a new fruit or vegetable!

And the grown-up books: Give Peas a Chance and The No Cry Picky Eater Solution. Both books address picky eaters (which is a common issue with healthy eating), but Give Peas a Chance addresses other eating concerns like nutrition, how much food is enough, and beyond the toddler to the whole family. It’s also written by a pediatric nutrition specialist. The No Cry Picky Eater Solution is from a trusted line of books and it’s a resource that we have in both areas of the library (adult and parent/teacher collection).

I wanted to include a MyPlate tie-in since the USDA is an excellent source for caregivers to turn to about healthy eating. And rather than including a chart or book, I was thrilled to find a game. Kids can race to fill their plates with healthy choices. This enforces the MyPlate choice options and portion sizes.

Lastly, I wanted to include play food. Since I was focusing on healthy eating, I stuck to Fruits and Veggies. I loved play food as a child and hope that it sparks their interest in new fruits or vegetables. I also included suggestions to keep these in the kitchen so that the family can “prepare” dinner together, even if the child is using pretend food.

It’s the end of May and the Healthy Eating Parenting Pack has gone out 7 times since launching at the end of November! Another popular choice from our collection!