Mealtime Magic: Secrets to Feeding Your Little One

Today we’re going to talk about getting little ones to eat, but not too much, and the right things. There are so many theories about how to get our kiddos to eat veggies, fruits, fish, beans, but the answer to how to get kids to eat healthy foods is really naturally built into them. All we have to do as parents is to let the natural process do it’s thing. And what is that natural process? Simply put, it’s hunger. 

Transcript

Hello and welcome to another episode of Proactive Parenting. Remember, this is a judgement-free space to learn how to raise value-driven kids in a way that is right for your family, using the most current scientific research out there. 

I’m your host, Dr. Deanna Marie Mason. I’m a certified pediatric nurse practitioner, published author, anda professional who has devoted my career to studying and using child development to help parents manage childhood issues. 

So, grab a cup of coffee or tea and settle in to learn something new about your child because when we know better, we do better. 

Today we’re going to talk about getting little ones to eat, but not too much, and the right things. There are so many theories about how to get our kiddos to eat veggies, fruits, fish, beans, but the answer to how to get kids to eat healthy foods is really naturally built into them. All we have to do as parents is to let the natural process do it’s thing. And what is that natural process? Simply put, it’s hunger. 

Let me start this topic by sharing that I have heard parents tell me just about everything in their search to get their kiddos to eat. A few of the things I have heard “help” get kids to eat include: 

-Pick the tops off of broccoli to make sprinkles to put on other foods -Blending puréed vegetables into ground meat to make meatballs
-Putting smashed avocados in chocolate brownies
-Having the child watch cartoons to distract them from what they are eating -Covering everything with batter or breading to hide what is inside 

-Lie and say strawberries and grapes are candy
-Put a dish of ranch dressing or ketchup on the plate and allow the child to dip all their food in it and refill as necessary -Put everything in some type of bread whether that’s sliced bread, tortillas, waffles, and so on to hide the contents -Make a child eat to earn their dessert 

Honestly, the list goes on and on. I am always amazed at parents’ creativity. But it does make me stop and reflect that moms and dads seem to feel they have to outsmart or lie to their small children in an effort to trick them into eating. Why would parents feel the need to force something as natural and cyclical as eating onto their child. From my observations, it appears to be related to a connection that parents make between food, eating, love, and the idea of being a good parent - whatever that means. There is huge pressure on parents, and food gets caught up in that pressure to perform. That’s where I see parents doing some unique things to make sure their kiddo is eating. 

The good news is that there is no reason to sweat over getting our kids to eat. We are humans and we need to eat in order to live. For this reason, we were built with an internal system to let your bodies know when we need to eat - hunger. 

For instance, did you know that a baby who has just been born will innately crawl towards the breast of their mother to begging sucking if placed on her belly? Yep, a newborn’s nose is programmed to smell mom’s colostrum and move towards it’s source to give her the big protein boost that is waiting in mom’s breasts at birth. Similarly, babies are hard-wired to cry incessantly when hungry to assure they are heard and fed. We are born knowing that we need to eat and when we need to eat. As parents, all we need to do is to respect this natural system. 

So, the question that remains is how? And the answer is remembering that parents and children have a shared responsibility in eating. Most behavioral problems around food arise because parents don’t understand that feeding a child means sharing responsibility. Simply put, responsibility is shared in the following way - you are responsible to provide food and your child is responsible to eat as much of it as they need. 

Now I know that some of you are thinking, you don’t know my child. If I give them the opportunity not to eat, they won’t. And my response would be that you are probably right. At least until their body feels hunger. They they will eat because they are hardwired to do so for survival. You don’t need to worry that it won’t happen, because it will. In less than a day, the hunger kicks in and sets little ones up to be excited about food and eating. The good news is you don’t need to get upset when your little one refuses to eat what you provide. They are just exercising their part of the responsibility equation we were talking about. They choose how much, if any. Just take a deep breath, relax and know that they will eventually be ready to eat. 

Understanding this dual responsibility is central to avoid behavioral eating problems. When parents try to take over their child’s responsibility in eating, they create a power struggle. Some common examples of parents taking over their child’s responsibility in eating include spoon feeding children after age 1, making a child eat certain foods or controlling how much a child eats. These types of power struggles lead your child to ignore their responsibility to eat as much as their body needs or creates a situation in which they start to push back in the struggle for control. 

All you should focus on is your responsibilities to avoid creating behavioral eating problems. Just center your energy on providing nutritious age-appropriate foods on a regular and reliable schedule so your child can anticipate when food will be served and how much to eat. If parents don’t structure mealtimes and snacks in a way that their child can anticipate, it is impossible for a child to complete their responsibly. Likewise, if a parents doesn’t provide food choices that are appropriate for their child’s age and development, that can also impede a child from completing their responsibility. 

If you want more specific information about how to get your child to eat, please check out my audio course, The Proven Method to Get your Child to Sleep, Eat, and Play Happily, available Spotify, Apple Books, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, and multiple other platforms. 

When practiced regularly, this proactive parenting technique of shared responsibility to help your child learn to eat enough food to keep them full until the next snack or meal without having any fight or struggle over food will make the whole family experience more harmonious for everyone. 

I invite you to try some of these ideas in your family today. See if they change how you feel about your ability as a parent. I think you’ll be surprised at how positive you feel and the change you will see in your child. 

I’ll wrap things up here. As always, I welcome your comments or questions about this episode. Eating issues are always a lively topic! Please don’t hesitate to connect with me at deanna@proactiveparenting.com. And if you want to find out more about who I am and what I do, please take a look at my webpage, www.proactiveparenting.com. 

You can also go to Facebook and Instagram to connect with other parents just like you. Find me by searching for my name - Deanna Marie Mason. Finally, if you would like to purchase any of my books, online courses, such as Newborn Care or Breastfeeding Bootcamp, or audio courses, you can find all those resources on my webpage, again that is www.proactiveparenting.com 

Thanks so much for listening, I hope you found this episode useful and interesting. If you did, please leave a comment and tell a friend so they can become a Proactive Parent too! 

Well, that’s all from me for right now. This is Dr. Deanna Marie Mason signing off. I look forward to connecting with you again soon. Until then, take care and be well. Bye!