Alabama ITSN

Wellness Wednesday! 💭

Transforming Tuesday! 🖤

Mealtimes are about so much more than food. They are daily opportunities to build trust, support independence, teach emotional regulation, and strengthen relationships.

This new handout from our colleagues at Alabama Partnership for Children offers practical, age-specific strategies for:

Infants (0–12 months): Building trust through responsive feeding
Toddlers (1–2 years): Encouraging independence and reducing power struggles
Young Preschoolers (2–3 years): Naming feelings around food and supporting self-regulation

Preschool/Pre-K (3–5 years): Building healthy food relationships and confidence

From recognizing hunger and fullness cues to offering healthy choices, practicing family-style dining, and creating calm, screen-free mealtimes, these simple strategies help children develop healthy habits that support both their bodies and their emotional growth.

We hope this resource supports families and educators in creating positive, consistent, and loving feeding experiences that build strong foundations for lifelong well-being.

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to each and every attendee of our 3rd Annual Infant Toddler Conference. It was an absolute pleasure to engage with our distinguished keynote speaker and esteemed educators during the breakout sessions. We appreciated the opportunity to share knowledge and best practices with you, ultimately striving to elevate the standards of our work within the infant and toddler community. We thank you again for your participation and look forward to seeing you at our next conference on February 19th & 20th 2026, which promises to be even more informative and engaging.

Save the date and join us in our continued pursuit of excellence! - Alabama Infant Toddler Specialist Network! 💚