Schedules: The first step to getting your chlild to eat

Let me first explain what happens when your child is not on a schedule:

Infants, tend to be cranky all day, have strange sleeping patters, and "graze" instead of taking a full feed.  If you keep this up, you will have a baby who hates eating and mealtime because they are CONSTANTLY being fed in order to achieve your daily goal of ounces. 

Children who are not on schedules were those babies only now they are older and think that is a way of life, and so they are up all night eating because they can't get enough calories during the day.  So, as a parent you go to your pediatrician and you ask, "Why is my child like this?"  And the pediatrician says, "Well try to get more into them."  or "Get them to sleep through the night."  In all reality that is a GREAT idea, but HOW?! That is usually when you are hopefully referred to a feeding therapist. 

Life could be so much easier... 

When your infant turns about 3 months old, you should begin to think about putting them on a schedule.  Most breastfeeding moms are told to feed as needed, however the problem with this is A LOT of babies don't know how much is needed and they will snack all day, which promotes horrible eating habits.  For those of you who are reading this, and say to yourself, "This lady has no idea what she's talking about, my baby ate as needed and is fine", then you do not have a "picky" eater or a child with feeding concerns.  And you are lucky.  For the rest of you, it is important to understand that babies, just like adults, need consistency and structure to decrease the chaos.  All people, including infants and children, should eat 6 times throughout the day, and then fast all night.  For infants, it is a certain volume of formula or breast milk and for children it is 3 meals and 2 snacks.  I tell all my parents, there is a FORMULA, it is math, all you have to do is figure out what formula works for you and your family and your child will be sleeping through the night and eating in no time.  

Here are some examples of a schedules gone wrong and tricks and tips to fix them: 

 EXAMPLE 1:
You have a 4 month old baby, who is supposed to be taking 28-32 ounces of milk (formula or breast milk) according to your pediatrician.  Your baby is currently taking 20 ounces and most of those ounces are during the NINE times he/she is waking up in the middle of the night.  You are exhausted because you have to wake up and go to work in the morning. What do you do? 

You need to get your baby on a schedule.  9/10 when this scenario is presented to me in my office, the parents say, well we try to feed her ALL day but she wont take it.  Yes, this is because your child is exhausted just like you are and she is beginning to wonder why she is having to work so hard every hour to attempt to feed.  So, you take one feed at a time.  Feedings (for a 4 month old) should not last more than 45 minutes and they should not be more frequent than every 3 hours (unless there are extenuating circumstances for your pediatrician or GI doc telling you otherwise).  If you stick to this rule and divide the number of ounces you want your child to take by how many feedings you should be doing (usually 6) you will get the total number of ounces your child should take every feed.  Then you strive for this.  At night, you try to soothe without feeding and I guarantee you will feed less and less at night, until your child is only waking up once or twice, which is much better than 9!

EXAMPLE 2:
You have a 3 year old child who lives off oatmeal and gold fish and will not accept any other foods.  He requests goldfish all day long and you give them to him because he is in the 5th percentile for weight.  He just started preschool and you were hoping seeing other children eat would help him learn to eat new foods... but it didn't help.  What do you do?

Get him on a schedule!  This does not just mean times to eat, it means no snacks like goldfish or other low calorie crackers.  Once you stop the crackers all together one of two things will happen.  Your child will all of a sudden branch out to those foods that he will "sometimes eat" and/or your child will begin eating more oatmeal, which is better than just living off goldfish.  Then you set up feeding times:  Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.  Usually for my picky eaters I eliminate snacks all together until their appetites are back.  Lastly, you introduce smoothies to increase their daily nutrient intake and caloric intake. 

The bottom line is: Feeding your picky eater, or your baby that can't quite regulate themselves is TRICKY! You have to figure out the pieces of the puzzle and put them all together.  Leave comments or ask for help from a Feeding Specialist in your area if any of the above sounds like you and your family!

I'm Back!

I'm Back!

Things were a little crazy this summer...

I got married and became an Auntie, so needless to say I've been extremely busy! Thank you to all of you who read my blog and have been commenting even without new posts.  I will hopefully answer all the questions you have and help your little ones eat better!

Keep an eye out for new and exciting posts and real life stories about families I help on a daily basis!

Thanks!
Miss Liz

4 tricks to help your picky eater

1.  Becoming independent- Is your toddler refusing their preferred foods and refusing to try new foods, unless it is on their terms?  If this is your problem, your toddler might be testing their limits as a way of telling you that they are ready for more independence with mealtime.

What to do?  Instead of arguing or getting into a power struggle, place two foods that are "sometimes preferred" and "very preferred" food on your toddler's plate.  It is not your job to get your child to eat; your job is to present healthy, nutritious foods and EXPECT them to eat what you have offered.  Often times you, as a parent, feel that you are responsible when your child refuses foods, however 9 times out of 10 it is a behavior developing and if it is dealt with in the right way from the start, your child will be less likely to keep "testing" you in the future. 

2.  It's yucky- Some times you are thinking your picky eater is being difficult or defiant, when actually they really do not like green beans...YET!  Develop ways for eating new foods and trying foods to be fun.  When I am treating I always tell children from the beginning it takes lots of practice to like new foods!

When I ask my kiddos, "Do you like that?" after they have tasted a new food, they will even say, "Not yet but I might soon."

It is important that you teach your kids not to disregard food items after only one taste.  How many times do you hear adults saying, "I used to hate ______, but now I can't get enough of them".  This is because it take 10-15 TASTES before a child/adult will consistently chew and swallow a NEW food.

Also, encourage your child to dip their non-preferred foods into something they love and get them to lick it off.  For instance, (I know it sounds odd) so many of my kiddos like carrots with sun butter on them.  Now, I would have never thought about this, but we eat celery with peanut butter, so why not try it with carrots?!

3.  I'm not hungry-  It's mealtime and your child just will not eat.  Sometime you, as a parent, see the clock and think "She must be hungry it's "lunch time", when in fact, you just offered her 5 crackers an hour ago and maybe she really isn't hungry right then.  It is important to understand your child's hunger cues and try to help him/her to understand the concept of hungry/full.

With that being said, it is SO important to remember to limit snacking, especially when you are offering "empty" snacks like crackers, cheerios, puffs, yogurt melts, etc.  These foods will give your child a false sense of fullness, and they will be less likely to eat when it is mealtime. 

4.  I'm bored-  Your child is refusing to eat their "favorite" grilled cheese triangles.  Have you served these to him/her the past 5 nights because you KNOW he will eat them?  Children, like adults, can become bored of foods even if they were previously their "favorite".  Try not to get into a routine where you present their most favorite food every meal in fear that they will not eat otherwise.  This will make mealtimes dull and boring.  Instead practice food chaining, where you change their favorite food by one property each time to mix it up.  (ie: grilled cheese in triangles on wheat bread with yellow cheese, grilled cheese in other shape on white bread with white cheese, grilled cheese open faced, grilled cheese with sliced turkey, etc).

**Bottom line, if your child is refusing to eat, there is always a solution.  If you can't figure out what the solution is, ASK FOR HELP!**

Trust your mommy instinct..

Most parents use their pediatrician as a resource to guide them through the process of developmental milestones, however sometimes your "mommy instinct" is way more in tune with what your baby needs.  I was inspired to share this story when a patient came into my office today with her child that was 18 months old, still currently drinking 36-40 ounces of milk from a bottle, would not transition to a sippy cup, eating only stage I purees and not producing words (because of decreased oral motor strength).  She had previously mentioned concern to her pediatrician who responded with, "he's pooping, peeing, and growing, I wouldn't worry!" 

Well, I wouldn't exactly agree with that comment.  This mother was so thankful that she found my office because she did not know how to help her son.  I am sharing this story because I want everyone out there to know that sometimes, it is OKAY to tell your pediatrician what to do.  Usually, they are the expert, but in some cases you know your child best and can sense when something just doesn't feel right.

My first suggestion for this mommy was to decrease her child's intake of milk, introduce a cup at mealtimes (filled with milk), and transition to a mashed consistency of food.  It is important to note:  If your child misses feeding milestones (a significant amount of them) you can not just skip to the age-appropriate skills because they haven't learned their lessons from the more immature skills yet.  (ie: for this kiddo I wouldn't suggest handing him a grilled cheese and a cup of milk for dinner with some blueberries).  Although they might breeze through the stages (as I imagine this kiddo will), it is important that he learn to protect his airway when eating finger foods, self feed, learn to bite from a larger piece of food, move foods around in his mouth, etc. 

Overall, if you as the mother (or caregiver) have a feeling that something isn't right, you are probably on the right track.  TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS :)

Play with your food!

This post is not only about foods and mealtimes, but about sensory exploration in general.  It is so important that you allow your children to play with textures of all sorts.  In this day in age, everyone is so focused on germs and not allowing children to EXPLORE.  I'm not suggesting that you allow your children to put "dirty" toys or outside materials in their mouths, however it is so important that you let them proceed with their natural developmental course to put objects, toys, dirt, etc in their mouths.  This is how babies learn!

Everyday I see parents discouraging their children from putting sensory toys (rattles with textures, teething rings, stuffed animals, etc) in their mouths, but it is so important that they learn to experience those textures and desensitize their mouths and oral cavities. 

When you are first introducing purees, put a teaspoon on your little one's highchair tray and let him/her touch it, play with it, run their fingers through it.  If you are concerned about the mess, strip them down and let them explore in their diapers.  Most highchairs are very easy to clean these days and a teaspoon can only go so far!

As you start to introduce foods with more texture (the really exciting and messy foods :) Let your little one's push their fingers through it until it bursts (ie: grapes).  Foods that appear different on the outside vs the inside are SO INTERESTING to children, let them figure it out, this way they will be so much more inclined to put it in their mouths and taste it. 

This brings me to the flying yogurt on a spoon.  Yes, every child learns to dip the yogurt/puree and then flings the spoon to watch it fly across the room, or right into mommy's face.  The more you negatively react to this, the more exciting it is for your child, so just calmly remove the spoon from their hands, or redirect the activity.  Do not make a big deal or a disgusted face, this will just perpetuate and add fuel to their fire. 

Just remember, kids like to explore, it makes mealtime (something that is not always fun) a little more exciting and interesting... just try it!

Fruit of the week

When kids learn letters and shapes, they learn one letter/shape for the whole week.  A great way to increase your child's food repertoire is to pick a food/fruit that they don't eat and introduce it on the first day with pictures, games, crafts, etc.  On the second day, you could begin to cut the food, "explore" it with their fingers, kiss the food, etc.  Each day progress as far as how far your child will go with the exploration until he/she is eating the food.  Kids love to learn, so this approach is easy and will be fun for them to try new foods! Here are some ideas of crafts and fun things to do with foods:

- Paint with fruit (cut the fruit in half and use it as a stamper for the paint!)
- Colorful spaghetti (cook some different shaped noodles and put some paint in them, allow your child to play with them using their hands, kitchen tools, etc)
- Food towers (use their preferred foods to build towers, alternating every other layer with a non-preferred item)
- Make mom lunch (have your child help make YOU lunch using some of their non-preferred foods.  This way, your child will have to touch and smell the foods, and then can watch you eat them)

As always, although you may be stressed out because your child is having a difficult time eating, don't become so stressed that you loose focus on the fact that mealtime should be FUN!

Finger Foods!!!

Many of my readers are wondering about finger foods to introduce.  Here is a list of all of my go-to finger foods to suggest for kids:

7-9 months:
- MumMums
- Biter Biscuits
- Small pieces of soft veggies
- Small pieces of cooked fruits
- Meltable solids: cheerios, puffs, rice krispies, graham crackers, Ritz (or any buttery cracker), etc

9-12 months:
**This is the time when you are allowing your kiddo to practice eating solids especially introducing ones similar to what you and the rest of your family is eating for dinner.

- Soft Cheeses (ie:Laughing cow)
- Meatball
- Bread with melted cheese
- Bread with nut butters/butter/jelly
- Zucchini chunks- no skin
- Cooked cauliflower
- Mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes/yams
- Quesadilla bites
- Rotisserie chicken- dark meat shredded
- Raviolis with different fillings  - butternut squash/cheese/spinach- try mini ones :)
- Pancakes/waffles with syrup/apple butter/or jelly
- Rice (try mixing your child's favorite puree as the sauce initially)
- Soft cooked pasta (try mixing your child's favorite puree as the sauce initially)
- Cracker with jelly/sunflower seed butter/cream cheese
- Tofu
- Green beans - cooked
- Peas
- Carrots - cooked
- Squash - cubed
- Potatoes - cubed or in strips (like french fries)
- Breadsticks
- Rice cakes
- Dips (hummus, refried beans, guacamole, sunbutter, soft cheese, cream cheese, etc)
- Deli meats (Nitrate-free if possible)

**Just remember: Every child develops at their own pace and therefore some of the foods on this list may not be appropriate for your child.  This is simply a guideline for suggestions... As always use your best judgement!