Galway Advertiser 1991/1991_01_10/GA_10011991_E1_012.pdf 

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FEEDING WITHOUT FIGHTING
For many families the kitchen table is a battleground. Young children refuse to eat the nourishing food their parents have prepared. Worse still, they delight in messing it up.
A n d their anxiety to get on with the whole exciting business o f living after a few reluctant mouthfuls disrupts t h e family m e a l a n d prevents it f r o m being a peaceful occasion. E x p e r t s s a y that a l m o s t h a l f o f all f o u r year-olds play u p w h e n i t is t i m e t o e a t . I n m a n y h o m e s , get t i n g children to eat is t a b l e till e v e r y s c r a p has b e e n eaten," they order. T h e nagging starts at every meal-time leading to continual battles. The m o r e parents insist, t h e m o r e c h i l d r e n resist. Belfast born, D r . Christopher Green, a Consultant Paediatri cian w h o has publish ed a n u m b e r of papers dislikes v a r i e t y a s m a n y toddlers do, a repetitive but n u t r i t i o u s d i e t is perfectly acceptable according to D r . G r e e n . A f t e r a l l , it's the child w h o has to e a t it, h e r e a s o n s . "Wonders can be achieved by transpor ting stubborn feeders to t h e g a r d e n o r p o r c h , where they can drink milk through a straw a n d e a t little s a n d wiches out of a lunchbox. "Some foods popular with young children have been greatly wronged in parents' eyes, although they a r e in persuasion, diets which, while they were widly unbalanc ed day b y day, were perfectly balanced on the longer term. " L i k e them, your child m a y have a bread j a g and then a m e a t passion, a n d then eat almost nothing but fruit for a day or two without do ing any h a r m at all. Trust h i m to know best." Parents should not w o r r y about the order of courses a c c o r d i n g to t h e experts. I f a c h i l d insists o n h a v i n g dessert first, then let h i m . H e will insist m o r e and m o r e if you refuse

EATING HABITS
H e advises parents to e n c o u r a g e adult eating habits, but says

If you are driven up the wall by the antics of your children at meal-times, here are some tips from child care experts.
* Don't rush your c h i l d . I f h e is t a k i n g a long t i m e to finish, t h e n l e a v e h i m t o it. T h e rest of y o u can get on with the next

course.
* A v o i d disorganis ed, disturbed, noisy meals. T h e toddler s h o u l d sit a n d e a t w i t h the rest o f the family, b u t i f t h i s is i m p r a c

T H E M O R E PARENTS

INSIST, THE MORE

CHILDREN

RESIST

tical then a parent should sit next to t h e child a n d feed h i m before the m a i n fami ly meal. * Don't display a n g e r i f t h e f o o d is n o t eaten. P u t the r e m a i n ing food in the fridge a n d t a k e it o u t a g a i n . * I t is t h e c h i l d ' s right to eat o r not eat his food, b u t i f h e refuses a m e a l , h e m u s t n o t b e a l l o w e d to immediately have m i l k , c r i s p s o r sets. * I f children wish to eat three good meals a d a y , t h a t is h i g h l y c o m m e n d a b l e B u t for t h o s e w h o d o n ' t , it is wiser to channel your energies into pro viding nourishing snacks throughout the day rather than fighting. Try to keep mealtimes enjoyable R e m e m b e r t h a t sit t i n g is a c h i l d ' s l e a s t

favourite pastime. T r y i n g to m a k e h i m sit q u i e t l y a t t h e f a m i l y t a b l e is b o u n d t o l e a d t o f r i c t i o n . I t is often wiser to let h i m sit u p w i t h y o u . e a t what he wants a n d then get d o w n to play. D o n ' t t a k e too m u c h trouble over your child's f o o d . O f course, it i s i m p o r t a n t h e should b e offered a g o o d m i x e d diet. B u t the m o r e trouble y o u take buying a n d preparing meals,the m o r e a n n o y e d y o u ill g e t w h e n h e is unaappreciative. * D o n ' t insist o n just one mouthful. I f a child doesn't like a particular food, he doesn't. * F o o d refusal does not go so f a r as to en d a n g e r life. C h i l d r e n are born with a n ap petite t h a t m a k e s s u r e they don't starve.

almost a s difficult a s getting t h e m to bed. H o w c a n you cope w i t h your youngster's feeding problems and get h i m to b e h a v e i n a socially acceptable w a y a t table? First, it isn't necessary for a n y child to e a t any par ticular food a t a n y particular a g e According to the late D r . H u g h Jolly, one o f t h e world's most highly regarded paediatricians meal time warfare often s t a r t s w h e n w e l l intentioned parents n a g their children to e a t up. CONTINUAL BATTLES

o n toddlers, m a i n t a i n s by a g e o n e , m a n y children undergo a dramatic change of attitude to food, halv ing their intake a n d becoming extremely fussy. F r o m this a g e o n wards, the negative streak is a l w a y s just a r o u n d the corner, so forcing most children to e a t becomes u n productive, he says. Toddlers have m i n d s a n d tastes o f their o w n a n d if parents want to eliminate meal-time warfare, they must outwit their w i l y little ones. A l t h o u g h t h e tod dler should ideally be " F i n i s h y o u r greens given a variety of well a n d don't leave t h e balanced foods, if h e

it is n o d i s a s t e r i f a child decides to return to t h e m a i n course after having polished off his rice pudding. Bribes o r force should never be used. Offering a child a n ex FORCE t r a t r e a t o f h e e a t s DON'T food h e doesn't w a n t FEED rarely succeeds. H e L e a d i n g child care will expect the stakes expert, Penelope to b e raised. Instead, Leach insists a gently encourage the p a r e n t s ' j o b is o n l y t o toddler to partake. offer good food, not to C h i l d r e n e a t w i t h force it d o w n y o u r t h e i r e y e s too, s o t r y to c h i l d . present the food nice " A long time ago a ly. I t c o u l d entice research study show them t o e x p l o r e ed that one year old further. babies w h o were of K e e p portions small fered a w i d e range o f a n d c o n s i d e r v a r y i n g foods t h r e e t i m e s e a c h day selected, for t h e v e n u e if t h e kit themselves, with no c h e n p r o v e s less t h a n adult assistance o r successful.

fact quite nutritious. Toast o r bread with baked beans a n d a glass o f m i l k provide j u s t all t h e i n g r e d i e n t s any child needs, says Dr. Green.

TRY TO KEEP

MEALTIMES

ENJOYABLE