Child Feeding Tips ...... Save Your Sanity and Save Time

Child Feeding Tips and More

• Approximate serving size for children 1-3 years of age as a rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon per year of age. Additional amounts to be provided according to appetite.
• You as a parent decides when and what your child will eat. Your child decides if he or she will eat it and how much. Once this is realized, some of the pressure will be gone.
• Scheduled meals and snacks. Routine is a must! Do not let your child eat and drink all day long as it takes the edge off of his or her appetite for meals. " No Grazing"
• Eat together as a family as much as possible. Enjoy the time together.
• Children will go through food jags where they want a specific food item daily for a week or two and then they want nothing to do with it. Wait a few days or a couple of weeks and they will come back to it. Remember that food jags are normal so do not make a big deal out of it. Instead, work with your kids on trying new foods.
• Don't be a short order cook. Always preparing something separate will soon become expected by your child. This will also lead to your child learning to put up a big fit until mom or dad gives in as well as causing additional stress. Remember you are in charge of what your child eats.
• Reward children with praise, activities, stickers, small toys, outings etc. rather than with food.
• Watch portion sizes. Children are not small adults. Remember that when dining out, most child portions are much larger than they should be and really could be 2 to 3 servings for your child. Split meals between children or take home part of it for another meal or two.
• Increase active play. Try a game of tag, bike riding, walking the dog, playing at a park, swimming, bowling, playing ball, dancing and exercising to name a few.

• Encourage active play at least 1 hour a day. Set a good example by being active yourself.
• Repetition is the key. Kids may need to be offered a new food item 10 to 20 times before they will even try it. Tastes for specific food items develop over time.
• Don't make eating a battle. No nagging, arguing, bribing or coaxing. Generally speaking it will cause more feeding issues in the long run. Eating is to be pleasurable and seen as a postive experience and not a negative experience. Positive mealtimes stimulate eating as well as conversation and learning.
• Do not pressure your child to clean his or her plate. Research indicate that children are born with good control of their eating . Children will eat when they are hungry and will stop when they are full. Children who are forced to eat more than what they want can lose their natural ability to control their food intake and hunger is no longer what makes them eat. This can also lead to eating issues and eating disorders in the future.
• Children like foods when offered in a fun presentation. Be creative!
• Try foods in different ways such as cooked, raw, canned, fresh, frozen, sliced, chunked etc. You never know which way your child prefers it and it could mean the difference of him or her eating it or not.
• Sneak in specific food ingredients when all else fails. For example, try pureed broccoli and carrots blended in spaghetti sauce or chili or try cooked vegetables mixed in mashed potatoes.
• Make individual snack baggies of preferred snacks. Children like to have their own little package and making it yourself is much cheaper and healthier.
• Average time to allow for snacks is 10-15 minutes and for meals 20-30 minutes. Your child should have been able to eat or drink what he or she wanted in this time frame. Remove any remaining food and your child from the table and wait until the next scheduled meal or snack time before offering food or drink again. Some children would sit in their chair for an hour or more if you would let them without making a dent in their food.
• Do not use the term "good" or "bad" for foods. Instead use the terms "healthy" and "not so healthy" when describing foods.
• Avoid eliminating certain foods. An environment where certain food items are denied often backfires. Instead, stress balance, moderation and variety.
• Be a good role model. You cannot expect your kid to want to drink milk if you are drinking a diet coke.
• Encourage healthy eating rather than referring to a a healthy diet.
• Offer snacks at least 1-1/2 to 2 hours before meals.
• Serve new food items with a familar food item.
• Offer at least 1 food item at a meal that you know your kid will eat, but do not cater to his or her likes and dislikes.
• Change your buying habits if it is too difficult to limit the "not so healthy" foods. Buy in smaller amounts and not so often.
• Serve dessert with the meal, if any at all, as it becomes less important and is not used as a reward.
• Let your children determine when they are full. Remember that the amounts eaten will vary from child to child and day to day.





• Allow your children to help with setting the table, with meal preparation and meal planning as well as help in the grocery shopping.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests that fruit juice should be limited to a maximum of 4-6 ounces a day for children ages 1-6 years and 8-12 ounces a day for children ages 7-18 years.







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