The habit of snacking when you're not hungry is common, especially when food is around.   When you are taking care of children, snacking during food preparation can be tempting. As many new moms are trying to get back to their pre-pregnancy weight, these little bites here and there can actually prevent weight loss. But really, a bite here, a nibble there, does it matter over the course of a day? Actually yes! Eating the leftovers on your child's plate is not a good habit to start.  Despite the nutritious meals you are making, (AND I KNOW YOU ARE AIMING FOR NUTRITIOUS MEALS, BECAUSE YOU ARE READING THIS BLOG!), even healthy bites add up in calories. 

Check out this example:
BREAKFAST
1 bite of low-fat yogurt
1 Tbsp Cheerios
1 Tbsp scrambled egg

LUNCH
1/2 oz or ~ 1.5 tsp avocado
1 baby carrot

DINNER
10 French fries
1 bite of hot dog

SNACK
10 mini pretzels

TOTAL: 325 CALORIES, 8 GRAMS FAT, 3 GRAMS FIBER, 9 GRAMS PROTEIN, 1166 mg SODIUM

As you can see, it doesn't seem like much per meal, but it can make a big difference on your waistline.  General recommendations for weight loss are to decrease by 250-500 calories per day for healthy weight loss of 1/2-1 pound per week. Thus, you could actually GAIN weight by eating a bite or two of your kid's food at every meal. 

Next time you reach for your kid's plate as you are cleaning up dinner, remember every bite counts in YOUR total day!