Holidays are approaching and we are already dreaming about all sorts of good traditional meals to cook and enjoy with our family. But all the sudden your little dream bubble pops, your child only eats chicken nuggets or hotdogs. Then you start planning a different meal so they can enjoy Holiday meals too. If mealtime is stressful for a parent then it is stressful for our little ones too. Many times, as parents, we forget that mealtime should be a pleasant experience. A child should never be forced to eat or a parent should never bribe a child to eat. That can actually make your child develop a food aversion or a feeding disorder. Just don’t give up. Present to your child the same food for a couple of weeks so he can become familiar with it. Go step by step, let them for example, touch the carrot with his finger, next time you give him carrots; tell him to kiss the carrot, and so on. Just give him time to get used to it. Eating is supposed to be an enjoyable time for the family. Always make it happy and positive.
Here are some ideas to have a happier and healthier mealtime:
· Turn off the TV- Many families are used to have dinner in front of the TV or sometimes, they just need the TV on as a background. This is not a good habit. You need to sit together as a family and have conversations, without the TV distractions. Mealtime conversations help your child’s language to grow, he can learn pre-conversational skills and also this helps with the child’s social skills; remember they learn table manners from the parents.
· Do a little dancing- Longmont Speech Pathologist, and Pediatric Feeding Specialist, Melanie Potock, recently completed a CD called Dancing in the Kitchen, that will make you and your child dance and enjoy good food! This CD contains funny and lovely songs that will help to create the positive environment we need to make mealtime less stressful. Included in the CD is her professional advice for each song to encourage your child trying new food. A song about peas before lunch time will help your little one eat some peas with a big smile! Visit her website and listen to sample songs and read more about her experience helping children with feeding/swallowing disorders.
· Praise every attempt- Our toddlers love praising, if he touches the carrot with his lips, a big: “bravo!” will make his day. Next time you’ll see him trying the carrot just to see you cheering.
· Save a healthier snack for later- If your little one is still learning to eat new foods and doesn’t quite eat all his food, or is not interested in the food; remove the plate from his table. Don’t stress about it. Give him a book to look at while the rest of the family finishes their meal. The child will be hungry later on, just save a healthy snack or his leftovers for later.
Mealtime is such an important topic that another article only about mealtimes will follow soon. Remember that our toddlers are still learning and we need to be very patient with them. If you have concerns about your child’s eating habits, or doesn’t matter what you do your child is having prolonged and stressful mealtimes, coughing while eating or drinking, swallowing food without chewing it, etc. A Feeding Specialist will be the best professional to contact for an evaluation, treatment and advice.
Comments
Very interesting and useful information.
Very nice,children should be taught to eat the good foods too,not just pre cooked ones
I've just bought the CD, Dancing in the Kitchen. My twins are absolutely crazy about it. They listen to it 24/7. My daughter started singing one of her favorite songs, I Love Peas, at dinner. What a great CD!
I am a pediatric occupational therapist and mother of two young daughters. My girls (ages 5 and 7) absolutely LOVE the CD. It is on constantly in the car and the music has helped turn a grumpy, hard morning into one full of smiles and giggles. The songs are fun for the girls to listen to and sing along with but are interesting enough not to make me crazy! This CD is be a valuable addition to our family collection and I will use it during my therapy sessions as well. Very well done.
My daughter loves dancing to the CD! Every song is so upbeat and catchy! Melanie's feeding advice has been a God-send. Her book lays out very practical, easy to follow advice that will make mealtimes easier for eveyone. I especially enjoy Melanie's humor woven throughout the book.
My family loves the Dancing in the Kitchen CD--especially my six-year-old daughter who is also a very picky eater. The first time we listened to the CD, we were in the car. When we got home, my kids wanted to continue listening inside. As we were sitting down to dinner, the Peas song came on and my daughter sat listening intently to all the words, without eating a bite of dinner (which is her usual habit). When the song was over, she said, "Hey, that little boy didn't like peas, but when he tried them, he learned they were good!" Then she proceeded to try the soup and said, "Hey, I like this soup!" and she ate all of it--a first in our house. Now, she goes around singing all the songs and we listen to it several times a day. And when we're having something for dinner that she doesn't think she'll like, I just start singing the mom part in the peas song and she sings the kid part and takes a little bite. She might not always like it, but she's getting exposed to so much more food now than she ever was before! It's a great CD!
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