As parents we teach our kids a multitude of things. We teach our kids to ride a bike, tie their shoes and how to brush their teeth. Often we lose sight of the fact that we need to teach our kids how to eat. Our children are going to learn how to eat so it is best that we teach them. We often start out well when they are babies. Most parents are good about not giving food too soon, they are smart about giving a new food every three or four days to see how they react. Most parents avoid foods that are choke hazards. In the beginning most parents are good at setting a standard with eating.
Something changes around 18 months. Kids become independent at this age and learn how to get what they want. Some become very good at manipulating their parents and praying on their fears. Kids learn that if they don’t eat what they are given then they may get what they want. Often this leads to parents giving a “rescue meal”. The control of food in the house shifts and often the parent never recovers. For the next 16 years the parent is just trying to keep their child happy with food. It is a constant challenge to give them what they want. My challenge to you as a parent is to take back the responsibility of teaching your child how to eat.
How to Start
The best way to teach our children to eat is through modeling and exposure. Let’s talk about modeling first. Everyday your kids see how you live. They notice how you talk and walk. They notice how you interact with others. They see all that you do and they model these behaviors. This is why you have to set a good example. The way you eat and the relationship you have with food is going to dictate how they eat. If kids see you making healthy choices they will tend to do similar. If they see you constantly eating foods that are not as healthy they will do the same. If the parent is making healthy choices it increases the chance that the child will make healthy choices.
Modeling
Kids not only model what we eat but they model how we eat. How do you eat? Do you eat at the table, in front of the TV, or in the car? Do you eat slow and make the meal enjoyable or do you eat fast just to get full? The most important question is do you eat as a family? There are a growing number of studies that show that when families eat together and eat sitting at a table they tend to ingest less calories. They tend to make healthier choices. When families are sitting at the table together they tend to eat slower and eat less. By eating together at a table you are helping your child’s body composition and helping them get the fuel their growing bodies need. Families that eat together also have the added mental health advantages that comes with making meals more of a social event.
Exposure
To be better eaters, kids need exposure to healthy foods. This can be done at a superficial level by just bringing new and different foods into the house. Just having healthy choices available is a great start. The next step to expose your child to new foods is to get them involved in the purchasing and preparation of meals. Take your child to the store. Show them what is available. You may even surprise yourself by finding foods that you didn’t know your store sold. Let them choose some of the things that you have not had at home. If they feel that they are in some control they are more likely to try something new. Once at home let them help prepare meals. Some kids will find this helpful. Pull up a chair or have a kitchen learning tower to enable your younger kids to help. For older kids pull up some cooking videos on youtube and let them follow along as you work together to make something new. Exposure to new foods can be an adventure for the entire family.
Let kids make mistakes. Let them not enjoy some things. It is ok if they don’t like something. Don’t be forceful. Kids will never like something if they are being forced to try it. I have read that it may take a child trying a food 5 times before they may like it. I have also read that it may take 15 times for them to like a particular food. I would tell you from experience there are some foods they may never like. That is ok. Just praise them for trying something new even if it is just a lick or a sliver. I once read that you do not make kids eat. You prepare foods and offer foods. Kids eat.
In the end, food as a fuel source for fitness should be fun and social. Changes should be small and gradual. Decide today to take away any frustration you have with meal time. Kids will eat and they will grow. Don’t let your fear interfere with your teaching your child to eat.
