How To Prevent Eating Problems
That’s it! You did it! You have reached the end of our Picky Eaters blog series!
By now I’m sure you’ve begun implementing a few our of tips and tricks, and are starting to see some real change in your child’s eating habits. And if you haven’t, remember, these things take time. Just keep up the consistency and positivity, and eventually your child will graduate from the school of picky eaters to become a real food aficionado!
Now, let’s talk about how to prevent eating problems from starting in the first place. This will be especially important for families with multiple children, since siblings often like to copy their brothers/sisters, and picky eating is probably not something you want them to pick up on.
Step 1: Establish a meal and snack schedule
Once your child moves past the demand feeding stage of infancy into the toddler and preschool years, you will want to establish a meal and snack schedule to make sure that he or she is hungry at meal time. Not only that, but most children do well with routines. When they can predict what, when, and where things are going to occur, their behavior tends to be better. As an added bonus, this schedule will make life easier for you! Your child will be eating at established meal and snack times, instead of eating separate meals or constantly snacking. That means less time that you have to spend preparing separate meals!
So, how do we do this? Start by establishing a daily schedule. Create a consistent daily schedule for your child that goes beyond meal-related scheduling. This schedule should include mealtimes, snack times, bath time, wake up time, bedtime, etc. As a result, your child may be less resistant at mealtimes - they’ll know what to expect. As an added bonus, your child may develop better sleep habits, which in turn will develop better eating habits. Feeding sleepy kids is often a struggle. It’s even more of a struggle when parents are also sleepy as a result of a child’s poor sleep habits.
If you’re questioning why we should create these schedules, consider the following problems that not having a schedule can create:
Your child will eat less during meals if they snack on their favorite foods throughout the day.
Your child will learn that avoiding foods at meals is ok, because they can eat what they want later.
Your child won’t be as motivated to try new foods.
Adding to these problems, is the fact that the foods that kids often eat between meals are typically high in calories, such as cookies, crackers, or milk, that greatly curb their appetites. I know it can be difficult to keep your child from eating between meals. Your child will be hungry and you’ll be tempted to give them food. You’ll worry that they’re not getting enough to eat. But stay strong! It’s important because it will help your child develop a better appetite and prevent the problems associated with free-range eating that I just mentioned.
You’ll also want to stick with water between meals and snacks. Water is hydrating and won’t fill your child up. It’s not recommended that you restrict water intake, unless it’s causing your child to fill up and lose their appetite. You’ll also want to limit how much milk or juice your child drinks during meals and snack times. The amount of milk or juice that your child should be drinking will depend on his or her age:
Preschoolers: 5 ounces per meal
School-age: 6-7 ounces per meal
Once they’ve finished the appropriate amount of milk or juice, they should have water if they’re still thirsty. If your child tends to drink all their milk/juice at the beginning of the meal, offer water initially, and then wait 5-10 minutes before offering milk/juice. If you’re concerned about how much liquid your child is drinking during meals or snacks, try silently placing their drink down, without commenting or asking if they want a drink. Sometimes that comment alone can serve as a prompt for them to drink, but they may be less likely to do so if you say nothing.
Step 2: Repeatedly offer new foods
It takes time for children to decide that they like a new food. As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, it can take 10-20 tastes just for your child to decide that they like a new food! They don’t necessarily need to eat an entire serving of the food, but instead, they should just taste it over time. Many families use a “no thank you” bite at meals. For example, the child is required to taste each food that is served. If the child does not want to eat any more of the food, he or she just says, “No thank you” after the first taste.
Step 3: Offer age appropriate portions of a variety of foods
Keep an eye on your portion sizes. Stay away from heaping portions of a few foods, and instead give your child small portions of many foods. If given the choice, your child will fill up on the food that they like the most during the meal, and then won’t eat the other foods, which often happen to be vegetables and meats.
Step 4: Serve meals in the kitchen or dining area, while the child is seated
If you want your child to sit in the kitchen or dining room when the family eats, he or she needs to be taught to do so. Do not allow your child to eat in other areas of your home or eat while walking around. This is a good practice for several reasons. First, it’s a safety issue. If your child is eating in the backseat of the car or running around the house with food in his mouth, you may no know right away that your child is choking. Second, you want your child to associate eating with the kitchen or dining room, not sitting in front of the TV or computer. Not only does this make meals more difficult, it actually increases the long-term risk of obesity. Finally, it’s not fair to YOU! Don’t you have enough to do without having to clean up spilled food and drink around your house?
Step 5: Model eating a variety of foods and exhibiting appropriate mealtime behavior
Children learn by observing the behaviors of others around them. If they see you and other family members eating a wide variety of foods, they’ll be more likely to eat these foods as well. Let your child know how much you enjoy the food. If you or another family member doesn’t like a particular food, don’t express that dislike at the table.
Step 6: Ignore minor inappropriate behavior and age-appropriate messiness
It’s a fact: young children are messy eaters. They’re still developing their motor skills and testing out the magical phenomenon that is cause and effect. Don’t worry about wiping their mouth every few seconds during the meal, and don’t make a big deal over thrown food, upside-down bowls and cups, and utensils used as drumsticks. These behaviors usually decrease over time. Until then, just put small amounts of different foods in your child’s bowl or on their plate. This way, spills stay small, and you can always give your child more once he or she has eaten what you’ve served.
Step 7: Limit mealtime or snack time to 15-20 minutes
15-20 minutes is enough time for most children to complete a meal. Having your child stay at the table longer than 15-20 minutes typically doesn’t result in them eating more, but will result in more inappropriate mealtime behavior. One thing to note: if your child has problems with fine motor skills, he or she may need more time to eat.
Step 8: Provide positive social interaction
You want to teach your child that meals and snacks are pleasant, enjoyable experiences. Yelling, threatening, coaxing, and pleading during meals does not increase food intake. Interestingly enough, it has been found to actually decrease food intake. To make mealtimes rewarding, save some of your “special” interactions, attention, and comments and provide them only at mealtimes. As with any reward, limiting its use can increase its desirability.
Step 9: Limit distractions
Turn off the TV. Remove toys from the table. Put away the phones and tablets. Have all family members focus on the meal, not on other activities.
Step 10: Encourage self-feeding
It’s often easier, faster, and less messy to feed your child; however, teaching children to feed themselves will increase their independence and save you time over the long term. You can start by allowing your child to self-feed during just parts of the meal. As your child’s eating skills improve, encourage more and more self-feeding.
Source:
Williams, Keith E., and Richard M. Foxx. Treating Eating Problems of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities: Interventions for Professionals and Parents. PRO-ED, 2007.