LLA Therapy's Feeding Specialist, Mallory Hawley M.A., CCC-SLP, gives 10 tips for "Problem Eaters"
Problem eaters are individuals who have less than 30 foods
in their repertoire. They often experience food jags, where they continuously
eat the same food daily (i.e., Cheetos) and then suddenly don’t want to eat it
again (often times never adding this food back into their repertoire.) Families
involving a problem eater often experience a great deal of stress around meals.
Here are 10 tips for creating a more successful environment.
1. Each meal/snack offered to the individual should
include 1 protein, 1 starch and 1 fruit/vegetable. An example of an acceptable
snack could include: cheese and crackers with apple slices.
2. Stop being a short order chef. It often seems
less stressful to make the child what they want for dinner to eliminate a
battle. You aren’t doing you or your child any favors. They don’t get to
explore new foods when they are always presented with what they prefer and you
are creating more work for yourself. Make one meal for the entire family to
share.
3. That being said ALWAYS offer at least one
preferred food. Offer enough of it to sustain them if that is all they choose
to eat. Yes, that may mean that they only eat bread for dinner some nights.
4. Invite your children into the process of
creating a meal. Not only is it beneficial to see what ingredients are included
in a dish it also provides a wonderful time for language and sensory
development as well.
5. Begin each meal with a preparatory activity
(i.e., setting table, washing hands, etc.) as it can help them organize
themselves for the next step.
6. Strive to sit down around the table with no
other distractions for meals. Eating has always been a social activity and a
great time for family togetherness. It also provides another opportunity for
your child to see what others in your family enjoy eating.
7. Serve each meal family style (i.e., passing
plates around the table.) Use a “no thank you plate” where each member of the
family may put a small amount of food that they don’t wish to eat. Each person is expected to take a spoonful of
everything and either put it on their plate or on the “no thank you plate.”
Passing foods offers ample amounts of sensory information including the smell
of foods, the temperature, interacting with food by spooning some out, etc.
8. Don’t use dessert as a reward for completing a
meal! When you do this the message you are sending a child is that dessert is
the best thing in existence and their meal is now the most evil thing because
it is between them and the desired reward of dessert.
9. Limit high calorie drinks between meals as it
promotes a feeling of fullness and decreases what they will consume during a
meal. Water is the best option for drinks between meals. Don’t allow your child
to participate in grazing-type of snacking as it interrupts the
hunger-satiation cycle.
10. Get messy!! Allow your child to explore foods in
whatever way they prefer. Make edible play-doh with different spices (i.e.,
gingerbread), colored noodles to explore, or edible finger-paint.
Labels: Feeding, Kid Tips, Parents, Speech Therapy
