{"id":432,"date":"2012-02-28T17:23:35","date_gmt":"2012-02-29T01:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/?p=432"},"modified":"2012-02-28T17:23:35","modified_gmt":"2012-02-29T01:23:35","slug":"getting-young-children-to-eat-by-bill-corbett","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/2012\/02\/28\/getting-young-children-to-eat-by-bill-corbett\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Young Children to Eat by Bill Corbett"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sometimes kids won\u2019t eat because it may be an extension of the power struggle we experience with them in other areas.\u00a0 They feel overpowered, bossed around, or simply small, during the majority of the day, and then discover at mealtime that YOU now want something from them.\u00a0 Others just don\u2019t like trying something new and others may have real dislikes for tasting or eating certain foods.\u00a0 Or perhaps they\u2019re just not hungry because they were allowed to snack too much earlier in the day.\u00a0 It is also common for children to become run down and tired by the evening meal, or pepped up and on their second wind.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RmJultWY058\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Taking measures to stop the chaos begins with recognizing what may be going on with you over this conflict.\u00a0 Are you recreating the control your parents had over you in forcing you to eat?\u00a0 Depending on the time and conditions of your childhood, food may not have been as plentiful as it is now and your parents were trained by their parents to eat when it was available.\u00a0 Some parents overreact to a child not eating, feeling a sense of fear that if they don\u2019t get the child to eat; their child may starve and develop eating disorders.\u00a0 In actuality, the parent\u2019s over reaction can create eating disorders.\u00a0 Avoid forcing a child to eat what is prepared because it will drive them further away from cooperating or being interested in eating in a healthy manner.\u00a0 The parents manner of behavior during an emotionally charged moment can make a child\u2019s challenging behavior even worse.<\/p>\n<p>As a solution to getting the kids to eat, I suggest parents establish a readily available alternative to whatever is being served and allow the children to have the power to choose between the prepared meal and this new established alternative.\u00a0 The established alternative must not be anything sweet and must not require special preparation.\u00a0 When my kids were little, our established alternative was a cup of dry Cheerios; the kids could select what Mom or Dad prepared for dinner or a cup of Cheerios.\u00a0 For some of our children, the alternative was the immediate selection in the beginning.\u00a0 As most parents do, I worried about them getting the proper nutrition if all they ever ate for dinner was Cheerios.\u00a0 But because we were consistent with our rules and boundaries, the Cheerios soon grew old and we found the children more willing to eat the prepared, hot food.\u00a0 Then as they grew older, we added a few more alternatives such as crackers and eventually, a PB&amp;J sandwich.\u00a0 We never allowed sugared cereals or cookies, and the PB&amp;J wasn\u2019t allowed until they were old enough to prepare it themselves.\u00a0 The object of the alternative is to give them a choice at meal time and make it something very simple to fix that they can eventually fix themselves.<\/p>\n<div><object type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" data=\"http:\/\/cdn-i.dmdentertainment.com\/DMVideoPlayer\/player.swf\" id=\"player\" height=\"349\" width=\"620\" ><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" \/><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http:\/\/cdn-i.dmdentertainment.com\/DMVideoPlayer\/player.swf\" \/><param name=\"flashVars\" value=\"CONTEXT=%7B%22scat%22%3A%22General%20Parenting%22%2C%22sscat%22%3A%22Parenting%20Advice%22%7D&#038;demand_autoplay=0&#038;demand_content_sourcekey=http%3A\/\/www.ehow.com&#038;source=http%3A\/\/cdn-viper.demandvideo.com\/media\/be245552-5cb2-495a-b40f-3fa394a07585\/flash\/a17d1b39-b683-45be-b2fb-1b50503738e4.flv&#038;demand_content_id=a17d1b39-b683-45be-b2fb-1b50503738e4&#038;demand_fb=false&#038;demand_studio_id=a17d1b39-b683-45be-b2fb-1b50503738e4&#038;adPartner=Adap&#038;demand_iconurl=http%3A\/\/v5-static.ehowcdn.com\/media\/images\/logos\/video-player.png&#038;KEY=DemandMediaehow&#038;demand_icontext=Discover%20the%20expert%20in%20you.%20Check%20out%20millions%20of%20articles%20and%20videos%20on%20topics%20that%20are%20important%20to%20you%20across%20Home%2C%20Family%2C%20Money%2C%20Food%2C%20Style%2C%20Health%20and%20more%21&#038;ID=a17d1b39-b683-45be-b2fb-1b50503738e4&#038;demand_iconlink=http%3A\/\/www.ehow.com\/&#038;demand_rvdisplaymode=0&#038;demand_related_feed=http%3A\/\/www.ehow.com\/services\/video\/series.xml&#038;KEYWORDS=kid%20tips%2Ckid%20tricks%2Ckid%20help&#038;v=4.0.5.c&#038;demand_email_url=http%3A\/\/www.ehow.com\/services\/video\/email.html&#038;CATEGORIES=Parenting&#038;demand_ehow_videoid=12221420&#038;DESC=If%20your%20toddler%20refuses%20to%20eat%20dinner%20it%27s%20important%20to%20realize%20that%20you%20have%20a%20few%20distinct%20options.%20Get%20tips%20for%20parents%20with%20toddlers%20who%20refuse%20to%20eat%20dinner%20with%20help%20from%20the%20author%20of%20an%20award-winning%20parenting%20book%20series%20in%20this%20free%20video%20clip.&#038;demand_continuous_play=1&#038;demand_video_timeout=10&#038;ADAPTAG=kid%20tips%2Ckid%20tricks%2Ckid%20help&#038;cp=1&#038;COMPANION_DIV_ID=companionAd300x250&#038;demand_cat=Parenting&#038;overlayAdPartner=ScanScout&#038;demand_scat=General%20Parenting&#038;demand_uihex=ffffff&#038;ss_progId=4d94c0888205a&#038;purl=http%3A\/\/cdn-i.dmdentertainment.com\/DMVideoPlayer\/player.swf&#038;demand_sscat=Parenting%20Advice&#038;wa_vloc=video_detail&#038;sitename=ehow&#038;demand_related=3&#038;demand_share=facebook%2Ctwitter%2Cemail&#038;demand_site_id=EHWC&#038;taboolaId=ehow&#038;video_title=Tips%20for%20Parents%20With%20Toddlers%20Who%20Refuse%20to%20Eat%20Dinner&#038;done=true&#038;TITLE=Tips%20for%20Parents%20With%20Toddlers%20Who%20Refuse%20to%20Eat%20Dinner&#038;demand_page_url=http%3A\/\/www.ehow.com\/video_12221420_tips-parents-toddlers-refuse-eat-dinner.html&#038;sourcehd=http%3A\/\/cdn-viper.demandvideo.com\/media\/be245552-5cb2-495a-b40f-3fa394a07585\/flashHD\/a17d1b39-b683-45be-b2fb-1b50503738e4.flv&#038;comscore_c3=7290850&#038;demand_hd=0&#038;comscore_c4=7385246&#038;skin=http%3A\/\/cdn-i.dmdentertainment.com\/DMVideoPlayer\/playerskin.swf&#038;wa_vemb=1\" \/><\/object><\/div>\n<p>Here are a few words of wisdom regarding restaurants\u2026 they were made for adults!\u00a0 If you are struggling with getting the kids to behave when the family is eating out, do one of the following: go to a \u201ckid-friendly\u201d restaurant that caters to children, bring a bag of activities to keep them busy and focused, or get a baby sitter and eat out alone occasionally as a couple.\u00a0 My granddaughter, like her mother, was always a challenge at restaurants.\u00a0 She talked loud, got up and down from her chair constantly, picked fights with her brother, threw her menu on the floor to see if anyone would pick it up, and leaned over the walls and planters to talk to other patrons.\u00a0 Frequently she would shout at the wait staff walking by, saying, \u201cExcuse me, I need a new red crayon.\u00a0 Mine broke!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One final thought about kids and eating; keep portions small.\u00a0 Overloading a child\u2019s plate with food can be overwhelming to them.\u00a0 Give them <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">very small<\/span> amounts of all the items prepared for the meal and allow them to ask for more.\u00a0 Putting a full plate of food in front of your child could be like saying \u201cgo explore space!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Bill Corbett is the author of the book \u201cLove, Limits, &amp; Lessons,\u201d and the executive director of Cooperative Kids.\u00a0 He produces and host a TV show for parents called, CREATING COOPERATVIE KIDS, and you can watch it online at <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.TheParentingShow.tv\"><em>www.TheParentingShow.tv<\/em><\/a><em>.\u00a0 He has three grown children, two grandchildren, and lives with his wife and 14-year-old step daughter Olivia.\u00a0 You can visit his Web site <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cooperativekids.com\/\"><em>www.CooperativeKids.com<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0 for more information and parenting advice.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sometimes kids won\u2019t eat because it may be an extension of the power struggle we experience with them in other areas.\u00a0 They feel overpowered, bossed around, or simply small, during the majority of the day, and then discover at mealtime &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/2012\/02\/28\/getting-young-children-to-eat-by-bill-corbett\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-child-care-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=432"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1571,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432\/revisions\/1571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}