Parenting isn't defined by what your child eats, focus on nurturing positive food environment.
Picky eating is normal, offer variety of foods multiple times, consider sensory preferences.
Deep dives
Helping children develop a healthy relationship with food
The speaker discusses her fear of passing on her eating disorder and body hatred to her daughters. She highlights the importance of addressing our own issues with food to support our children's development of a healthy relationship with food. The speaker notes that our relationship with food begins at a young age and emphasizes the importance of creating a nurturing and positive food environment. She also mentions the role of trust and unconditional permission to eat in fostering intuitive eating habits in children.
Recognizing and navigating picky eating
The speaker addresses picky eating, mentioning that it is a common and normal stage of development. She explains that children may become neophobic or fearful of new foods as they become more physically independent. The speaker advises parents to continue offering a variety of foods, even if the child initially rejects them, as it often takes multiple exposures for a child to accept and enjoy new foods. She also suggests taking into account the child's sensory preferences and being mindful of serving sizes to avoid overwhelming them.
Changing the narrative around dessert and treats
The speaker discusses the issue of using dessert as a reward or withholding it as punishment for eating certain foods. She encourages parents to shift the perspective and include dessert as a regular part of meals, rather than something earned or withheld based on eating behaviors. By normalizing dessert and treating it as a neutral aspect of meals, parents can help children develop a healthier relationship with treats and reduce the focus on reward-based eating.
Introducing the 'Feeding Littles and Beyond' cookbook
The speaker introduces the 'Feeding Littles and Beyond' cookbook, which offers a wide range of recipes for families with children of all ages. She emphasizes the importance of finding go-to recipes that work well for the family and cater to different dietary needs. The speaker highlights that using the cookbook as a shared activity with children can encourage their involvement and help them feel more connected to the food they eat.
Truth: Feeding small children is hard and stressful. But here's another truth: You are a good parent even if your kid is only eating crackers right now. You are a good parent even if your kid hasn't touched a vegetable in months. And you are a good parent if you are bottle feeding instead of breastfeeding. What your child eats or doesn't eat isn't an indication of your parenting. This week Dr. Becky and Megan McNamee of Feeding Littles get real and deep about feeding small children and everything it can bring up.
Get the Good Inside App by Dr. Becky: https://bit.ly/3ylf8SR Follow Dr. Becky on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbeckyatgoodinside Sign up for our weekly email, Good Insider: https://www.goodinside.com/newsletter Order Dr. Becky's book, Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be, at goodinside.com/book or wherever you order your books.
For a full transcript of the episode go to goodinside.com/podcast To listen to Dr. Becky's TED Talk on repair visit https://www.ted.com/talks/becky_kennedy_the_single_most_important_parenting_strategy
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