How to decrease negative mealtime behaviors, reduce food loss and keep a cleaner floor!
Many children resort to throwing their food off their tray. Usually they are bored, done eating or want attention. The most important thing you can do is set up your child’s environment for success. Children learn what they are supposed to be doing from watching others around them, routine (doing things over and over) and practice. For example, a child learns what bedtime means and is by watching others around them, completing the routine over and over and practice the routine. They pick up environmental cues to understand that their bed is for sleeping.
The same is true for the family table, your child needs to learn that the table is for eating. Eating together at the table helps your child learn through copying others. Your child is more likely to eat and practice good mealtime behaviors if they see their parents and siblings practicing the same behavior. Similarly they are more likely to try a new food if they see someone else eating the new food. If you haven't created a mealtime routine yet, now is the time!
Sometimes getting your child to look at you while eating is difficult, other times they don’t seem to even try the food at first and need help getting it to their mouths. The following are 6 steps to try and improve eating at home.
1. Get your child’s attention. It helps to turn off TV and other distractions. Massage or tickle them lightly and be very animated and exciting so they want to look at you.
2. When you have your child’s attention take a bite of food, their food, or from your own plate. Be very excited to eat the food and use exaggerated slow mouth movements (its okay to CHEW WITH YOUR MOUTH OPEN).
3. REPEAT; steps 1 and 2. WAIT until your child shows interest in their food.
4. If your child throws food off his plate/tray/table, stop them the next time, by guiding their hand to your mouth and eating the food for them again, CHEW WITH YOUR MOUTH OPEN.
5. REPEAT step 1-4 and continue to act very excited to eat food from them.
6. Now it is your turn to feed them. When they pick up food to feed you, say (child’s name) "Joe’s turn” and guide their hand to their own mouth.
Your child should maintain at least 1 food in each food group. When your child shows difficulty chewing, swallowing or has difficulty eating on their own, a Feeding Therapist can help determine what else can be done to improve your child's eating and feeding skills.
Just like with any other routine, establishing a new mealtime routine will take time and lots of repetition! So have fun and enjoy your child learning to feed you!