Kids and Food
Picky Eaters, Fostering Healthy Eating Habits and More
Nurturing a Taste for Nutritious Food
- Model healthy eating habits
- Try to make at least one meal a day a time for connection and community
- Encourage a child to follow his bodily cues for hunger and thirst, to eat when he is hungry and stop when he is full
- Forcing a child to eat, or to eat a certain food, is counterproductive and can lead to unhealthy eating habits and potentially eating disorders
- Avoid the use of food as a reward or punishment, or of making food (or dessert) contingent on behavior
- Rather than restricting access to certain foods, consider having only healthy options available in the home and allowing the child to choose
Read more about Kids and Food via the Links Below
- Feed With Love and Respect - One of API's Eight Principles of Parenting
- Read more about Feeding with Love and Respect on API Speaks (blog)
- Do you have an extremely picky eater? Weigh in on the issue on the API Forums
- What are your thoughts on bedtime snacks? Discuss this on the API Forums
Member Resources
One of the many benefits of API Membership is access to the members-only site, The Attached Family. The following articles on Adoption and Foster Care can be found in the password-protected section of The Attached Family website. Login instructions are available on the online magazine's homepage.
- Beyond Babies...Promoting Attachment Through Feeding of Older Children
- Gently Persuading the Picky Toddler to Eat
- Discouraging School-Age Children and Teens from Junk Food
- Solution to Childhood Obesity is in the Parents’ Behavior
