Feeding Children and Occasional Treats

Ellyn Satter, a renowned Registered Dietitian and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, developed valuable guidelines for feeding children. They are called "The Division of Responsibility in Feeding". This means parents and other caregivers are responsible for what food they offer and when they offer it. The child decides how much they will eat, or whether they will eat at all.

Think about that for a moment, no more pleading to take one more bite. No more coercing to taste each item on their plate. No more distraction techniques to avoid a second or third serving. Liberating! Right?

If your job is the what will be offered, would you think offering your children "junk food" is okay or would you feel you wouldn't be doing a good job with your feeding role?

Like teaching discipline, teaching your child feeding skills takes time and does not happen overnight. The world is full of less healthy food choices in vending machines, at friends and family's houses, parties, etc. and your goal is to raise a child who can make healthy choices the majority of the time when you aren't around as they grow older and more independent.
In order to do this, your children need to be exposed to treats occasionally. Ms. Satter recommends offering treats, such as potato chips, with meals occasionally, ensuring there is enough for everyone to eat their fill. This means how much they eat is not your role. Ms. Satter cites a study involving school-age girls whose parents had severely restricted access to "forbidden foods". These girls were more likely to eat when they weren't hungry, be fatter and felt guilty and ashamed for eating. They had not been trusted to regulate their own intake and lost the ability to do so. Children's bodies have a natural ability to regulate their intake and activity levels naturally. When adults interfere with restrictions we disrupt those natural messages. Read more about "Forbidden Foods" on Ellyn's website.

In Ellyn Satter's book, "Your Child's Weight: Helping Without Harming" she discusses issues which arise when parents engage in "restrained" feeding practices. When parents teach poor feeding practices (especially around the when of offering food- not offering regular meals and snack times) and how stress impacts some children's eating habits.

Her professional advice is:
"Feed and parent well, accept your child's size and shape, and avoid interference".

Feeding children, like parenting is a process. Information on feeding children will help you along the way.

Ellyn Satter is the author of the following books our agency highly recommends:
"Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense"
"Your Child's Weight: Helping Without Harming" (in our Alpine Resource Library)
"Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family: How to Eat, How to Raise Good Eaters, How to Cook"

Ms. Satter also has a wealth of free materials you can access instantly on her website ellynsatter.com.

Enjoy these posts for more information on child feeding & nutrition. 

If you are a child care provider in California you can receive cash reimbursements for providing healthy food to the children in your care. If you are a child care provider in El Dorado, Alpine, Placer, Nevada or Mono county our agency can help you enroll in the California Child Care Food Program (CCFP).