Kiddipedia

Kiddipedia

 

Picture this scenario with me for a moment if you will.

Your toddler, sat in their highchair, feeding themselves surrounded by food mess. Their meal is equal parts on the table in front of them, on their clothes, face, it’s everywhere.

As a parent, what is your first instinct? How reactive to mess at mealtime are you?

Do you a) let your child be to explore their food’s textures and take in the experience for what it’s worth? Or b) do you grab the first sponge or wet wipe you can get your hands on and frantically clean their face and surroundings?

Which of those two would you do?

It’s good for us to know, that whatever your reaction is, it may in fact influence your child’s eating habits later on life, which is exactly what we are here to explore today with our special guest and resident expert in fussy eating, Marie-France Laval.

Marie-France Laval is a Dietitian-Nutritionist, Home Economist and Counsellor originally from France.

Marie France is also the CEO of Fussy Eater Solutions where she offers a range of online and in-home programs to support fussy eaters and their families.

We ask Marie France questions including:

  1. What impact do our reactions to mealtime mess have on raising confident eaters who can tackle most foods?
  2. In your years of experience, have you found there is a correlation between parents who are super clean and have children who are fussy eaters?
  3. Typically what type of parental behaviours can impact the chances of a child being raised as a confident eater?
  4. Some parents really cannot stand the mess, what does this look like during a meal? Why is this behaviour not helpful when a child is fussy?
  5. Why is it unwise to clean a fussy eater’s face during meal times?
  6. Why is avoiding sauce and dips not a good idea?
  7. How can not allow a child to self-feed backfire?
  8. Why is it so important that children learn to explore food with all their 5 senses?
  9. Does this mean a child could struggle from a sensory perspective?
  10. What tips can you share that can limit the toll on parents?

For Marie France’s full article: https://kiddipedia.com.au/freaky-clean-parent-fussy-eater-child/

For further details: https://fussyeater.com.au/