Have you heard of a “Sound bite?” A sound bite is the term that reporters use for a really good sentence or phrase that sticks with you! It’s sometimes a powerful summary of an entire conversation or an idea that really makes you think.
What is your child hearing you say about their picky eating?
Image credit: Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya /Pexels
Have you ever thought about what sound bites your child is digesting? If you have a child who is cautious about what they eat, the words they hear you say about their eating can make a difference.
Over the next few weeks, listen and pay attention to what you’re saying to others about your child’s food preferences.
Overheard at home to the babysitter:
“Emma doesn’t like green vegetables.” When Emma hears that statement, what does she think? She probably thinks, “I don’t like green vegetables.”
Heard at a restaurant:
“You don’t need to bring anything for Liam. He won’t eat it.” Liam thinks, “I don’t eat anything at restaurants.”
Overheard to grandma:
“Just make Teddy nuggets. He won’t eat anything else. Teddy hears, “I only eat nuggets.”
Talking about picky eating behaviors where children are listening can reinforce preferences and habits.
We don’t have to call our children “picky”. We don’t have to say any negative phrases about their eating such as “Oh, she won’t eat that.” Or “He won’t eat anything anyway.” Just offer.
Rather than commenting, just serve the food.
Or turn a negative behavior into something positive, “Noah is a great eater!”
Rather than bribing, just offer.
There are a few effective steps to getting kids to take a bite without bribing, nudging, rewarding, restricting, or pressuring.
The first thing you must do is offer! If you don’t offer variety, they can’t get used to new foods.
It doesn’t mean you can’t offer their favorites.
Kids need to learn to tolerate new foods in their personal space. Continue to offer favorites alongside of other foods either on the same plate or on a separate plate. Have kids serve themselves a portion of everything the family is eating.
Work on getting them to smell the food. We never want to force kids to do anything with food. Model smelling a food by leaning over and saying “Wow! This smells like summer!”
How can you get them to touch the food? Does this have to mean eating? Not at all! Stack the carrot coins, line up green beans in a long thin row, make a circle out of peas.
Pushing for first bites, extra bites or sips often backfires, especially when children are cautious about new foods. Look at your job as a caregiver as just offering. Have meals together and work on making the meal fun. The tasting and eating part is really the job of your child.
And last but not least- Listen to what sound bites you are feeding them. What are they hearing you say about their eating?
