Why won’t my kid eat?
Why won’t my kid eat?
Making sense of picky eating and finding solutions
More than 50% of parents of young children report that they are concerned about their child’s eating habits. While some picky eating habits are a normal developmental stage, others have deep roots. When we invest time in figuring out root causes, it’s easier to find strategies that will work best for your child.
Why the “wait and see” approach is a bad idea for picky eaters
It’s not uncommon for you as parents to hear advice from others to “wait and see” when you’re wondering what to do about your child’s eating difficulties. While on the surface, the wait and see approach may give a glimmer of hope that your child will eventually grow out of it, it does nothing to quell your well-justified concerns in the moment. Here we’ll discuss reasons why “wait and see” isn’t the best course of action when your child faces feeding difficulties.
What’s the ONE THING picky eaters typically can’t resist?? FOOD PLAY!
The adventure of food play goes beyond expanding palates and developing essential skills in picky eaters. It's about building connections, trust, and a sense of safety within the feeding relationship.
Prepare for Lunchtime Success
At That Makes Sense OT, we know you strive to provide your children with a healthy and balanced diet, ensuring they receive the nutrients they need to grow and flourish. When faced with pediatric feeding disorders and picky eating tendencies, mealtimes can be challenging... and those lunchbox meals? Yikes! We’ve compiled a list of comprehensive and research-based strategies to avoid food jags.
The Magic Ingredient for Peaceful Mealtimes with Picky Eaters, Revealed
Have you ever found yourself teetering on the brink of exhaustion, feeling as drained as a squeezed-out juice box, after yet another epic battle at the dinner table with your picky eater? Oh, the eye rolls, the sighs, the refusal to eat anything remotely green—it's enough to make any supermom question her culinary skills and sanity.
Do your kids seem to exist on air alone?
Do you ever wonder how you got to this point of cooking two separate meals? Every. Single. Meal. And if that’s not bad enough, if everything is not perfect (the right brand, the right shape, the right tenderness or crispiness, the right temperature, the right color, the right ____________ fill in the blank) with said food, the WORLD MAY END—meaning they aren’t going to eat it anyway.
Debunking the myth, “They’ll eat when they’re hungry.”
“They’ll eat when they’re hungry” oversimplifies the complex nature of a child’s eating habits. It suggests that hunger is an innate drive that guarantees children will eat when they feel hunger and when their bodies need food.
In this blog post, we’ll debunk this myth by exploring the interplay between motor skills, sensory experiences, and environmental influences that influence a child's eating habits.
Why Responsive Feeding Works... and Why It’s So Hard
In the simplest of terms, Responsive Feeding is a concept created by Ellyn Satter, a registered dietician and family therapist who is internationally recognized for her work on eating and feeding. Responsive Feeding can be described as “The Parent Provides and The Child Decides.” It emphasizes quality of life and meaningful occupations, both key components to the occupational therapy framework.
Pre-mealtime tips: Creating a safe space for your picky eater
Pre-mealtime tips: Creating a safe space for your picky eater. Attunement = to bring into harmony.
Unraveling the Mysteries of Pediatric Feeding Disorder
Mealtimes can be a real struggle, especially when your child is a picky eater. It can feel like a daily battle to get them to eat anything beyond their limited selection of foods. You might start to feel defeated and worry about your child's nutrition and health. “Will my child grow out of this phase on their own? Is this something that requires intervention?” These are the questions that many parents ask themselves as they navigate the challenging world of picky eating.