The Importance of Parent/Child Interaction in Establishing Healthy Eating Habits For Preschool Children By Biljana Kroll
In America, a parent puts food in front of a child and says, “Eat it, it’s good for you.” In Europe, the parent says, “Eat it. It’s good!”
John Levee in ‘Another Way of Living’
W
hen it comes to determining the factors that affect children’s eating habits, the parent/child
interaction is where it all begins. Studies show that parents’ own food habits and their communication and interaction with the child has a direct effect on the child’s food intake, weight and physical activity.
Fact No.1 With 4 million babies are born every year
Fact No. 2 Total number of children under 17 has risen from 47.3 million in 1950 to 73.9 million in 2009
Fact No. 3 Since 1980, the number of overweight children has doubled
Fact No. 4 Hospital costs related to treating overweight and obese children and adolescents more than tripled, from $35 million during 1979-1981 to $127 million during 1997-1999
Conclusion The need for implementing healthier food habits for young children is more important today than ever.
The Problem
W
ith more processed food, instant lunches, and other fast food options being produced to meet this rising
population, the home-cooked meal has been pushed to the curb, and nutrition with it. The preschool years of a child has been noted as the most important years when food preferences are formed. During these years parents introduce their children to the food of the adult diet and these early experiences with food are believed to persist into adulthood. Unhealthy but convenient food choices that enter the child’s diet during this age will also form their future food preferences. Did You Know?
1 out of 3 children today is considered overweight or obese
There is evidence that obese preschool children are more likely to also become obese adults and their weight gain problem will be more severe than of those who become obese during adulthood. This same source also points out that obese preschool children chew less and eat their food in less bites than normal weight children. It is important for the parent to be aware of these differences and be introduced to all of the influential factors that go into the forming of their child’s food habits.
A study showed that modeling is a powerful process by which children learn new behaviors when it comes to making food choices. The study found that mothers were more successful models than strangers, and younger children were more affected by the modeling than older ones. The same study also found that children were more likely to try novel food when the adult also ate with the child rather than merely offering the food to the child.
A different study found that for children younger than 4 years familiarity is more important when it comes to preferring certain food while for children after 4 years sweetness is what guides their food decision-making.
Conclusion The age when children switch from baby food to adult food seems to be crucial.
The research shows that parent/child interaction during feeding time is more important than most people think. Feeding schedules create predictable patterns that parents can take advantage of to teach children the importance of vegetables, fruits and other food items while at the same time improve their verbal and social skills. These early interactions have tremendous impact on the development of healthy food habits and essential social skills. The parent’s role to elicit, lead and sustain interactions were mentioned as crucial during this preschool period.
Did You Know?
Parents spent twice as many hours multitasking in 2000 as they did in 1975.
The Food
T
he next stage was to explore various food options listed as healthy foods for preschoolers by the United States Department of Agriculture. The Food Guide Pyramid for young children (displayed below) was designed by the USDA to promote healthy nutrition in children from the age of 2 - 6 years. The purpose of the pyramid is to teach parents and their children of the five major food groups.
On their website, USDA recognizes the picky eating behavior as a “typical behavior” for preschool children that can go away over time if properly dealt with. Children may be unwilling to try new foods, or eat certain food and refuse to eat anything else. This refusal can be because of: • distractions in the environment, such as watching TV while eating; • mimicking other picky eaters on the table; • refusal to eat certain color or texture of food items.
Dealing with Picky Eaters List of suggested activities by USDA for parents: Be an example Eat healthy snacks, vegetables and fruits so that the child can see and mimic your behavior. Get creative Cut food in fun shapes, involve the child in preparing the food and expose the child to a variety of foods that otherwise they may not like to eat. Focus on each other Talk to your child and engage them during mealtime Listen to your child Valuing your child’s input can make them feel valued and more open to new food ideas. Giving them two healthy choices and making them choose between them gives the child control over the situation. For example saying: “Which would you like for dinner: broccoli or cauliflower?” instead of “Do you want broccoli for dinner?”
Dealing with Picky Eaters Be a good food role model Try new foods yourself. Show that trying new food is expected and considered ordinary activity in the household. The USDA also suggests offering one new food at a time and at the beginning of the meal when children are the most hungry.
Dealing with Picky Eaters
What Not To Do Feeding practices to avoid are: › Continuing to use a bottle, › Giving large amounts of sweet desserts, soft drinks, fruit- flavored drinks, sugarcoated cereals, chips or candy, as they have little nutritional value, › Feeding the child different food on the table than the rest of the family, › Not rewarding the child for finishing the food on the plate, such as offering a sweet reward after the meal, as this makes the meal appear as punishment, › If a reward is used parents should consider varying the reward from some days being ice cream to other days be giving a fruit.
behavioral milestones
These are the behavioral milestones in child’s development for each year as listed by the USDA. This information will be taken in consideration when creating the types of activities included in the project. At 2 years: • Can use a spoon and drink from a cup • Can be easily distracted • Growth slows and appetite drops • Develops likes and dislikes • Can be very messy • May suddenly refuse certain foods
At 3 years: • Makes simple either/or food choices, such as a choice of apple or orange slices • Pours liquid with some spills • Comfortable using fork and spoon • Can follow simple requests such as “Please use your napkin.” • Starts to request favorite foods • Likes to imitate cooking • May suddenly refuse certain foods
behavioral milestones
At 4 years: • Influenced by TV, media, and peers • May dislike many mixed dishes • Rarely spills with spoon or cup • Knows what table manners are expected • Can be easily sidetracked • May suddenly refuse certain foods
At 5 years: • Has fewer demands • Will usually accept the food that is available • Dresses and eats with minor supervision
A breakdown of the amount of food to be served to a child out of each of the five food groups: • Grains (bread, cereal, rice, pasta, crackers): 5 ounces • Vegetables (fresh, cooked): 1 1/2 cups • Fruit (fresh, cooked, canned, juiced): 1 1/2 cups • Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt): 2 cups • Meat & Beans (meat, fish, poultry, tofu, beans, peas, lentils): 4 ounces
A
ll sources were unanimous in the recognition that the preschool period is crucial in learning healthy eating habits
and increased education is needed during that stage in the child’s life. The researched information will lead to developing a tool for parents that will help them implement healthier eating choices for their children.