Parents need to know a few simple nutritional facts because a child's nutrition is very important. But other things are important too: enjoying food without guilt, guiding children toward a lifetime of wise food choices, having pleasant family meals without conflict, and taking into account how much, or how little time Mother has for food preparation.

There are no "bad" foods. However there are bad eating habits like eating too much of something or never eating certain healthy foods like vegetables. Parents are the ones who buy and cook the food, decide when the meals and snacks are served, present age-appropriate food to the child, make family meals a pleasant time, teach the child table manners, serve as good role models, and teach the child how to make lifelong wise food choices.