How Can Parents Know if Their Child is Eating Enough
Parents of young children are often concerned that their child is not getting enough to eat. Kids can be very inconsistent with what they eat, how much they eat, and when they eat. For parents, that can make us wonder if our children are eating enough. How are you supposed to know if your child is eating enough or not?
Before discussing this further, it is important to point out that there are some children who have true eating challenges, such as extreme food selectivity. This article is not discussing the picky child or selective eater. This is talking about a child who seems to eat sporadically and sometimes skips meals or eats very little at a meal.
Reassuring Signs that Your Child is Eating Enough
Your pediatrician has not voiced any concerns to you about your child's growth.
You can tell that your child is growing--they look bigger than they did in pictures from a few months ago.
Your child has outgrown shoes or pants in the past months.
Your child enjoys eating
Your Child does eat willingly at some meals or snacks.
Your child sometimes asks to eat without being offered a meal or snack.
Your child sometimes eats seconds at a meal or snack.
Your child sometimes eats more than you expect, especially after a meal when they ate less than you expect.
What to do When Your Child Skips a Meal
Most of the time, what you should do when your child skips a meal is be reassured that they are fine! Children have a decent sense of hunger and satiety, and they will eat when they are hungry. Their bodies will make them feel hungry at appropriate intervals.
It is very normal for a child to eat well at one meal and then decline to eat anything at another meal. Even if your child skips dinner, they are unlikely to wake up in middle of the night hungry. More likely, they will eat a heartier breakfast the next morning.
If you are having a family meal, you can still decide if you would like your child to remain present at the table when they are not hungry. Besides for nutrition, meals give us family time. Keep the atmosphere positive and pleasant, and you can still use the time to talk to your child and enjoy each other's company.
What Not to do When Your Child Skips a Meal
There are a few tactics to avoid if your child does not want to eat a meal. Don't force or pressure them to eat. It is important for children to eat out of hunger or an internal drive to eat rather than outside pressures. In fact, eating from outside pressures can cause eating problems as kids get older.
Don't bribe them to eat. Don't punish them if they do not eat. Eating is not a mark of good behavior, and declining a meal is not a sign of poor behavior. Rewards and punishments are not useful for and can backfire when used for a child who is not hungry.
Besides for nutrition, meals are also meant to be a pleasant time to spend with those we love. Turning a meal into a battleground means your child does not get the positive social aspect that meals give us.
How to Know if Your Child is Eating Enough
Remember that hunger or drive to eat is a physiological process to protect us. In general, our children's bodies will make them feel hungry when they need to eat. They also will not want to eat when they are not hungry. Of course, if you are concerned, this is a great topic to bring up with a dietitian or discuss with your pediatrician. They can give you personalized guidance on how much your child needs to eat and how to promote healthy eating.
Good article with good advice - welcome back :)