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10 Tips for Mealtime

1. De-stress the Plate: Offer a white or solid color plate with 2-3 small portions of food. Less food on a child’s plate allows them to feel successful at eating their portion and even the opportunity to ask for more.
2. Ditch the Barstools: Barstools offer very little postural stability and no foot support, which can make eating tiresome. Try sitting at the table, in a high chair, or booster and using Amazon boxes as a footrest. When our whole body is stable, our mouths can better focus on the task of eating.
3. Make Food Prep Fun: Stirring, measuring, and online grocery shopping are all COVID approved ways of  involving children in food preparation. Preparing food fosters children’s interest, curiosity, and sense of ownership as a positive foundation for mealtime.
4. Offer Opportunities for Control: If mealtime has become a battle for control and autonomy, consider these positive alternatives for your child: deciding how a food is cut or sliced, choosing plates, condiments, or their seat at the table, and the activity after the meal.
5. Give Praise not Pressure: Phrases like “You can do it; I know you like this; you ate this yesterday” can come across as pressure and discourage the reluctant eater. Keep praises light-hearted and specific to what your child did well “I am proud of you for sitting in a different chair today, thank you for helping me stir, you described the food we’re having so well.”
6. Problem Solve Together: We solve small problems with our food all the time without thinking about it: we add more salt, let it cool off, or cut it into smaller bites. Teach children how to do the same with ideas on fixing the food problem together “It’s too big? Let’s make it smaller. It feels wet? Let’s pat it dry with the napkin. It’s just too much today? I would love to give you a hug.”
7. Minimize Meat: Meat requires a lot of muscular strength and coordination to chew. The way children express that it’s too hard for them is oftentimes through refusal. Try dicing grilled chicken, steak, lunch meat, etc. into the size of a black bean or your pinky nail and showing them how you chew it on your strong back teeth.
8.  Positive Food Talk: Once a child says they don’t like something that is usually it. End of
   discussion. Stay away from words “like” and “don’t like” and instead say “you’re still learning
   about….broccoli.” Talk about what foods look or taste like in a neutral way “Is it sweet or
   salty? What color is it? How could you describe its shape? Do you think it would be good with
   ketchup?”
9. Give a 5-minute Warning: Everyone appreciates a heads-up on what happens next. Set
   your timer or give your child the task of telling Siri or Alexa to set a 5-minute timer. Enjoy
   listening to that last song, put condiments out on the table, and wash hands.
10. Know When to Ask for Help: Food preferences and some degree of pickiness are normal
    for everyone. But when a child’s choices at mealtime create a negative experience for the
    whole family, compromise nutrition, seems difficult due to motor or medical issues, or are
    consistently stressful, know that there is an experienced team of feeding therapists in your area who can help.