Having a food baby

You can think of playing with food as something fun. And even to see the benefits for development: kneading porridge with his hands means he gets sensory experience. Puts a cucumber in a glass of milk - explores the world. But time passes, the child grows and begins to perceive games with food as the norm.

This is unlikely to change on its own, and much more effort will be needed to change in the future. Therefore, it is better to stop unwanted eating behavior at the very beginning. And experiments and activities to enrich the sensory experience should be moved to another time.

Change starts with parents

If a child is indulging and we overreact emotionally, the situation only gets worse. The kid either gets hooked on these emotions, or stops paying attention. In any case, the relationship deteriorates, and the cry of the parent and children's tantrums become an indispensable part of the process.

Before the next meal, try to bring yourself into a resource state: drink fragrant tea, take a deep breath or read a couple of pages of your favorite book. This will help you stay calm while setting boundaries.

For children under three years old, the order in the behavior of adults is very important - when in the same situations they behave in the same way.

If yesterday it was impossible to play with food, then it is impossible today, tomorrow and never at all. When the opposite happens, the baby is in a shaky state - it is difficult for him to understand why everything is constantly changing.

Talk to dad, grandmothers or nannies. Explain that it is now that the right behaviors and norms are being laid, and it will be difficult to change habits. Ask not to let the child play with the food.

Keep a consistent line of conduct while you're pampering. Only in this way the baby will accept the rule and feel relieved: the rule is valid - there is no such thing that mom says one thing, and grandmother says another.

Pay attention to the utensils and the place — everything should encourage you to eat, not to play:

• the baby is comfortable to sit;
• he has the opportunity to leave the table;
• handy spoon and fork;
• there is little food on the plate (when he eats a portion, you can report).

Learn more about the organization of space for eating and the full algorithm for the development of a spoon for babies in our mini-course "Eat by myself"

Clear rules are needed

First of all, make sure that the child is really hungry. Watch him, discarding your own stereotypes. Children may be different - some eat less, but often. For others, breakfast, lunch and dinner are enough.

A hungry baby will be more willing to eat, while a full baby will most likely want to play with food.

The child follows his needs, but at the same time acts within the limits that we set for him. When he begins to mess with food, it is important to immediately stop and offer a choice: either he continues to eat, or he is not hungry and can leave the table.

— If you want to eat, then eat. If you're full, you can go play or help me clear the dishes.

— Okay, I see that you are full. You can leave the table and go to play.

And here you have to show patience and perseverance, because the child can be indignant and throw a tantrum. This is his attempt to test boundaries and make sure the rules are firm: “Does mom really not allow you to mess with food? And if I scream, demand, cry?

The next time she comes and says she's hungry, offer healthy food (not cookies, snacks, or sugary drinks). If he refuses, remind me:

— So you are not hungry.

When you make sure that a hungry child eats wholesome food with an appetite and you are consistent, then everything will work out. Children who do not have medical cases will never act to their own detriment. The habit of playing with food is the consequence of the belief that sooner or later they will give the food they insist on.

How to stop playing with food

1. Parent's calmness and confidence.
2. Firm but benevolent rule-making.
3. Consistency of all family members in following the rules.
4. Hungry child.
5. Convenient place, crockery and cutlery.
6. A small amount of food on a plate.
7. Sensory activities outside meals.

Articles on the topic:

Life hacks for organizing space

10 mistakes in setting rules

Why babies love order and predictability so much

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Children's games with food - is it possible or not?

— Anastasia Ivanovna, why do children start playing with food?

— Children experiment, learn about the world around them through play, and learning about food is no exception. Tactile sensations are very important here. Therefore, the child begins to play with everything that falls into his hands. At the same time, at the time of the game, he is full and does not want to eat.

- Can I let my child play with food?

— Opinions are opposite: someone allows you to play with food, someone is categorically against it. Here it is necessary to take into account the age and health of the child. For example, with an autistic spectrum disorder, the baby is simply afraid of food and new products. In this case, he can be allowed to play with food so that he can get used to its consistency, shape, size, colors.

Mothers should be as attentive as possible to what the child plays, so that he is not cut off, not burned. And, for example, at one and a half to three years old, a child should already understand that food is food, not a game.

Opponents of food games say that everything will be dirty. Psychologists, on the other hand, believe that small children should dirty - they have such a goal: to leave their mark, to say that they are here. Therefore, kids draw with what is at hand.

How does food play help introduce new foods to your baby?

- You can come up with many games. Mom should be guided by age. They talk with kids about the color, shape, size of fruits and vegetables: these games develop logic well. With an older child - about where they grow, how they process, water vegetables and fruits. All available material is applicable for the development of cognitive abilities. However, if a child likes to play with food, it is important that he does not flirt, do not throw food and understand that this is food after all.

— Why can't you force a child to eat?

- You can get a backlash. Many studies are aimed at understanding the behavior of toddlers. And in most cases, children refused to eat because they were forced to eat, they were asked to finish everything from the plate, they were given portions commensurate with adults. It is not right. The volume of the child's stomach is the size of his clenched fist, and the serving on his plate should be the same.

• psychological - the child is not ready or does not want to eat;
• physiological - deviations in the state of health: for example, with a low acidity of the stomach, the child will not want meat.

There are many nuances - a mother can track them in a food diary and work in conjunction with doctors who will help her deal with the problem.

Read also

• Is it necessary to force the baby to finish eating, let him leave the food on the plate.

— Is it harmful for a child to play with food?

- Parents most often make two mistakes:

• offer the child to eat what he played;
• Forced to eat a child who is not hungry.

There was a case when parents told a child a fairy tale about a seed that smiles at the sun, grows and rejoices. Then the grain was boiled and the porridge was put on the table. However, the child refused it, because he had just heard that the seed was alive. Such inconsistencies occur when the parents themselves flirt too much and do everything so that the child eats the dish offered to him.

— How to explain to a child that you can't play with food without killing his interest in new foods?

— Personal example and pedagogical complementary foods will help here. Let the child continue to play with the products familiar to him, but at the same time he also receives pre-fed foods - the minimum amount of other products per sample, not for saturation.

In addition, the baby can be emotionally motivated. If the child has tried or even licked the product, you should praise him and ask: how did you like it or not? More to go to the emotions, the state of the baby, to what he felt. Then you can easily negotiate with him.

- Can eating games be replaced by watching cartoons at the table?

— Cartoons are convenient for parents, because the child watches them, is silent and chews. In fact, this is abnormal eating behavior. When a baby watches a cartoon or plays a tablet, his attention is directed to them. He does not understand that he has eaten, and begins to overeat or undereat, throwing a plate. This leads to an overload of the entire gastrointestinal tract, to a failure in the production of hormones that are needed for digestion and the normal state of the child. As a result, everything can end in obesity, or the baby will simply stop eating without cartoons.

— What to do if the child does not sit down at the table without games and cartoons?

— To get away from food for cartoons, the baby's attention needs to be switched to food. You will have to play with it, but the main thing is not to get carried away with it too much. Parents need to be patient and keep their course on feeding without cartoons. Children know how to "push through" their desires - they will hysteria, cry, scream. And here it is important not to break.

Food play depends on the age of the child, but should always be supervised by an adult. This is for example:

• sorting by shape, size of vegetables, fruits;
• drawing food on your plate;
• patting, kneading food.

— Is it necessary to allocate a special meal for games with food?

— Playing with food, in my understanding, is when girls make beads from pasta, and in kindergartens, children make pictures from cereals. The game should not accompany the main meal - porridge and mashed potatoes when the child is hungry. When the concepts of "game" and "food" are divorced, this is more correct. The game develops fine motor skills and encourages curiosity about food.

- I would like to hear the opinion of pediatricians about food games.

— Pediatricians mainly give advice on the balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. The state of the body depends on the nutritional value of products. In addition, they suggest not to conflict and not to stop the game in a harsh manner. Otherwise, the child may experience psychological stress, and then this trigger will start to work all the time. Also important are the psychological state of the family and the agreement between adults about what is possible and what is not allowed for the child.

— Why do pediatricians and pediatric nutritionists disagree about food games?

— How many people, so many opinions. And everyone has different goals. To get energy, vitamins and minerals from food, meals must be complete. Games with food at the table are connected in order to develop interest in products. But it doesn't have to be a permanent tactic. Everyone strives to ensure that the child develops correctly and understands that at the moment he is eating and not playing.

Toddlers who play with their food are more likely to try new foods and eat a variety of foods. But it is important to separate games with food and eating directly. If the child has begun to play, parents can adjust to him. But one child will make pyramids of pieces, and the other will knead the food in his hands, spread it on the table and be pleased with it. Every family has its own limits. While feeding, it is better not to watch cartoons. The child may either not finish eating or overeat, and this leads to malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract. But games with food as an element of pedagogical complementary foods help prepare the child for eating adult food.

* Breast milk is the best food for babies. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a child's life and continued breastfeeding after complementary foods are introduced until the age of 2 years.

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