Worried about whether your child is eating enough? Some helpful guidelines and advice.

Worried(ˈwərēd) about whether(ˈ(h)weT͟Hər) your child is eating enough? Some helpful guidelines(ˈgīdˌlīn) and advice(ədˈvīs).

By Casey(ā) Seidenberg

Feeding children can be a roller(ˈrōlər)-coaster(ˈkōstər) ride(rīd). Some days, children cruise(kro͞oz) along, eating most of what you serve. Then without warning, they take a dive and consume very little. This lasts just as long as you can cope(kōp), then they rise(rīz) through a growth spurt(spərt) to empty the refrigerator(riˈfrijəˌrātər) daily(ˈdālē), only to plateau(plaˈtō) before they prepare for another dive.

Through this bumpy(ˈbəmpē) ride, remember that the end goal is not to get as many healthy foods as possible into your child or to keep the sugary(ˈSHo͝ogərē) foods away from them at all costs. Nor is it to count the grams of protein(ˈprōˌtēn) or calcium(ˈkalsēəm) they consume each day. Instead, the goal is to raise(rāz) children who understand their hunger(ˈhəNGgər) cues(kyo͞o) and respond appropriately(əˈprōprēətlē), know how to eat in moderation(ˌmädəˈrāSHən) even when sweets are available(əˈvāləbəl), and trust their instincts(ˈinstiNG(k)t).

The best way to do this is to maintain the division(diˈviZHən) of responsibility proposed(prəˈpōz) by author, therapist(ˈTHerəpist) and feeding expert Ellyn Satter. She thinks parents are responsible for what food is put on the table, when meals(mēl) and snacks(snak) are served, and where children eat. Children are responsible for how much they eat — and whether they eat at all.

Mealtimes should be positive and should not be a battle(ˈbatl); your relationship with your child is more important than what she eats for dinner one night. This means that when she says she isn’t hungry, you should allow her to listen to her body. Conversely(kənˈvərslē,ˈkänˌvərslē), if she wants more dinner because she feels markedly(ˈmärkidlē) hungry, you should hand her the plate(plāt) of chicken.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/worried-about-whether-your-child-is-eating-enough-some-helpful-guidelines-and-advice/2018/07/23/24e4c5aa-89db-11e8-a345-a1bf7847b375_story.html