Snacking American Style: How it turns kids into a picky eaters
I may have just solved the picky eating problem for about 75 percent of the children who won’t eat their healthy dinners.
The problem is snacking.
Once, I saw one of my French nieces walk through the kitchen, grab something and stick it in her mouth. It surprised me, a lot. I knew immediately something was wrong with that picture. It took me a second to realize: I had literally never seen a French kid (or adult) walk through the kitchen and put something in her mouth like that.
French people don’t do that, you see. They eat only when it’s time to eat. They don’t eat just because they feel cravings, or are bored or stressed. They don’t eat just because they feel like celebrating, or relaxing, or socializing. They only eat if it’s time for breakfast, lunch, goûter (after-school snack, similar to British tea…
read more“My Toddler Will Only Eat Peanut-Butter-&-Jelly Sandwiches!” How it happens, how to avoid it, how to change it
When your baby hits toddlerhood, a lot of normal changes occur, but a couple of things in particular:
- His appetite becomes less reliable. He’s not growing as fast anymore, for one thing, so sometimes he won’t feel like eating at all, or less than before.
- He starts asserting his individuality. He starts wanting to call some of his own shots.
Where parents go wrong in response to these changes:
- They think it’s not OK if their toddler doesn’t eat anything or very little one day. They get worried. They get the mindset that he has to eat something and that it’s their job to make sure he does. They begin to interfere with his natural appetite and natural ability to self-regulate. Said toddler also notices that not eating gets an interesting reaction from his parents.
- They offer the toddler something else to eat in an attempt to get him to eat something. This is…
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When Picky Eating Leads to Abnormal Parenting
Marlena’s picky eater, six-year-old Walker, was overweight. He wanted to eat bean-and-cheese tacos and little else every day. His eating was abnormal. So Marlena reacted, desperately. She did all she knew to do.
One night, the whole rest of the family found themselves doing the chicken dance after every bite he ate, to get him to eat. True story.
Another night, he allowed Mom to spoon chicken and rice into his mouth while he played video games. She would feed him a “second dinner” before bedtime if he refused dinner, so that he wouldn’t wake up in the night, screaming from hunger.
Any given night at the dinner table found both parents badgering Walker non-stop to eat more of this, more of that, with threats of punishment and promises of reward.
Following a Picky Eater Down the Wrong Path
If you have abnormal eating going on in your house, your automatic response may be…
read morePatio Picnics for Picky Eaters
If you have a picky eater, take her on a picnic. Eating outdoors is just one great way to reduce the pressure and make the dinner table experience more enjoyable, in order to get kids more interested in eating.
For once, improving our lives doesn’t require misery! We need not always increase the pressure or muster up will power, hard work and self-denial. In this case, those are the most counter-productive actions to take.
If you have a picky eater, instead look for ways to create a more pleasant atmosphere at the table. Where pressure and ugliness isn’t getting you anywhere and is probably making the situation worse—not to mention damaging your relationship with your child—a picnic is better at whetting your child’s…
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