Welcome to the second module of From Picky to Empowered: Introduction to Responsive Feeding. In this module, we look at understanding developmentally normal picky eating, understanding a child’s ability to self-regulate their food intake and the importance of mealtime structure. On top of this we give you practical examples with our comprehensive list of snack ideas and an introduction to “Family Style Meals”.
Understanding Developmentally Normal Picky Eating
You may have heard people saying that picky eating is ‘just a phase’ or is normal for young children. We explain how to tell the difference between normal and problematic eating and what this means for your child.
Understanding Self-Regulation
It is super important that your child is able to sit down to meals and snacks hungry, and stop eating because they are feeling full. This natural cycle where they eat for internal reasons rather than external ones (eating for your tummy not your mummy!) is a huge piece of the puzzle when it comes to helping children develop a positive relationship with food.
Getting Your Structure Right
In order to help children self-regulate, we need to have a meal and snack structure that is right for their age and stage. Many families find themselves in a grazing pattern which doesn’t support self-regulation. In this video, we talk about how to think about your structure and how to make some changes if you need to.
Snacks
Snacks are often thought of as packaged food to be eaten on the move, or something that a child shouldn’t fill up on. This Snack Ideas handout will help you plan snacks look more like nutritious mini-meals, rather than exclusively packaged foods.
Once you looked though the suggested Snack Ideas, try to come up with 3-4 mini meal snack ideas for your child and record them in your workbook. Try including 1-2 accepted foods and 1-2 new or less liked food in each snack and cover at least 2 food groups.
Family Style Meals
A family style meal is simply a meal where everyone serves themselves from serving dishes in the middle of the table. At Your Feeding Team, we think family style meals are a game-changer. We tell you all about the practicalities in this video.