Children’s eating habits
Based on research and experience, here are some facts about children’s eating:
- Children will eat
- They are capable of regulating their food intake
- They generally react negatively to new food but will usually accept them with time and experience
- Parents influence their child’s eating habits
How often to eat
Babies need to feed on demand. Toddlers and preschoolers need to eat about every two to three hours. They have small stomachs and high energy needs. Plan the timing of meals and snacks and stick to the schedule when possible. Children need some limits as to when food is available.
Avoid food fights
The way to get a child to eat is to not make a big deal out of it. Offer a variety of healthy food choices and let your child decide when they are hungry and when they are full. Children know how much they need to eat. Children vary from day to day how much they eat and parents can’t predict this.
Don’t use food as a control tool. Never push food on pbies and children. If they want it, they’ll either open wide or pick it up themselves. It is your job to provide healthy, nutritious food. It’s your child’s job to eat it. Never chase your child with a spoonful of anything. Never use the threat of “no dessert” to get a child to finish his main course. Don’t even talk about how well or poorly a child has eaten. Zip your lip. It’s his stomach.
