Picky Eating
If your child isn't eating well,
it's time to think about
MEALTIME STRUCTURE
and
LIMITS
STRUCTURE
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Offer a small meal or snack every 3-4 hours
-
Parent puts 2-4 foods on the table and child chooses from what the parent puts out
LIMIT
-
Child cannot have a snack between the set meal/snack times (don’t allow grazing)
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Child doesn’t get to choose what is served, but can choose from the options the parent serves
TRUST
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Parent encourages child to eat, but does not put pressure on child to eat in any way
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If the child chooses not to eat, it’s okay! Another meal will be offered in 3-4 hours
Structure and Limits for mealtime
Kids do best with structure and limits. When they know what to expect, they do a better job of eating.
What Does this Look Like?
Example #1:
8am Breakfast oatmeal with milk and peanut butter
11am Lunch mac and cheese + canned green beans + orange slices
2 pm Snack applesauce + toast + milk
5pm Dinner chicken + potatoes + peaches + roll
8 - Bedtime Snack toast + jam
Example #2
10 am Breakfast cereal + milk + canned fruit
1am Lunch quesadilla + canned black beans + chopped mango
4 pm Snack toast + cheese slices
7pm Dinner meat and veggie soup, roll, fruit
9 - Bedtime Snack toast + jam
Example 3:
6 am Breakfast eggs and toast
9 am Snack apples and peanut butter
12 pm Lunch curry, rice and mango
3 pm Snack cottage cheese and pineapple
6 pm - Dinner hummus, pita bread, cucumbers and watermelon
Tips for success:
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It doesn’t matter what time your meals are, as long as you routinely offer a meal every 3 to 4 hours.
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Don’t ask your child if they are hungry. Just offer a sit down meal every 3 to 4 hours.
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Avoid asking your child what they want. The parent picks a few foods, put them on the table and the child chooses from whats on the table.
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Always sit down and eat with your child, avoid eating on the run.