When it comes to feeding childrenespecially children who tend to be pickywell-meaning parents might be tempted to offer praise when their child eats healthy, nutritious foods when they normally wouldn't (or, for eating everything they've been served). For example, I often overhear parents say to their children during or after a mealgreat eating tonight! You finished everything on your plate! or
When it comes to feeding kids–especially kids that tend to be “picky”–well-meaning parents might be tempted to offer praise when their child eats healthy, nutritious foods when they normally wouldn’t (or, for eating everything that they’ve been served). For example, I often over-hear parents say to their kids during or after a meal “great eating tonight! You finished everything on your plate!” or “good boy for eating your broccoli!”Although well-intentioned, mealtime praise can be mis-interpreted by kids, can discourage mindful eating behaviours and can actually enable further picky eating behaviours. it places value judgements on what and how much they eat. What’s more, is that offering praise at the table might unintentionally shame a sibling who is struggling to try new foods. We don’t want to shame–we want to encourage.Praising kids (let’s say for eating a certain food or for eating a certain amount) by saying “great job for___” sends your child the message that you’re evaluating him (if it’s not a “good job”, it must be a “bad job”, right?). Instead, simply noticing that your child is doing something positive will empower him to continue to do it without always expecting praise.And then, you can gently encourage and give your child permission to continue exploring new foods (whether it’s tasting, licking, touching etc.), even if he’s making teeny tiny steps towards doing so. This will make him feel capable of going one step further in his exploration, without the pressure off actually swallowing a food right at the get-go. It gives him permission to gradually warm up to a food in a way that feels comfortable to him. This ultimately increases the chances of him accepting it later.It’s important to think about your words as your child’s inner voice. You want them to learn things about themselves and maybe even repeat these phrases even when you are not around. Try “that was brave of you for trying that red pepper strip–you must be proud of yourself”. This makes your child feel capable of doing it again and of being more adventurous in general when it comes to food. ❤️https://www.sarahremmer.com/praising-at-meals-why-it-may-hinder-rather-than-help/