Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters is a blog series by parents and dietitians whose stories and advice reminds us that we can overcome the challenges of feeding children. Subscribe to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.
As a mom feeding two toddlers, I am fortunate to work with a team of dietitians at Dairy Council of California. Their advice and guidance on feeding kids has simplified my life, erased my guilt and made dinnertime a pleasant experience in the Ruzzamenti household.
As you follow the Eat, Play, Love series, these amazing dietitians, along with guest bloggers, will help you do the same. But I wouldn’t make you wait one day longer to hear how simple it can be to feed your kids without stress and strife.
- Provide structured meal and snack times.
- Create clear responsibilities. As the parent, you are responsible for when, what and where of eating, your child is responsible for whether they will eat and how much they will eat.
These are the basic rules, but getting comfortable with them and transitioning to them can be tricky. I highly recommend reading Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter, who created this widely-used feeding strategy, and of course, following this blog, which will provide the same steps and guidance that has so greatly benefited my family.
In the months since implementing the Ellyn Satter philosophy, I have watched my two-year-olds devour everything on their plates at some meals and not take a single bite at other meals. Yet I am confident in the knowledge that this is a perfectly normal and healthy way to eat.
I know that most parents act from love when they ask their children to eat their vegetables to earn their desserts. But my love is expressed by taking the time to prepare nutritious dinners, sitting down as a family, and leaving the responsibility of eating to each individual. And dinnertime bliss will follow!
Subscribe to our Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters blog series to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.
For more tips and information on raising healthy eaters, follow @mealsmatter and the #eatplaylove hashtag on Twitter.
LeAnne Ruzzamenti