How many parents are worried because their child does not eat his meal, at daycare or at home?
“The concern of parents is not to be trivialized because behind each refusal of a child, there is an explanation”, advances Cosette Gergès, nutritionist in pediatrics and author of the book Feeding children in a caring and positive approach (for 18 months to 5 years).
Is this too new? Does it smell too strong? The child may not be hungry enough at dinner if the snack was heavy; or else he’s not used to so many mixed flavors and textures, she says. Maybe he enjoys a food one way and not another – like broccoli raw rather than cooked? “It’s not the same texture in the mouth; for him, it’s a different and new food,” says the nutritionist. And the child needs to be exposed to new foods many times before they taste them. “The literature says 15 to 20 times, but there are children for whom it is much longer. »
“We must also not forget that children are still learning to chew, which becomes mature around the age of 4 and even later”, she adds, which explains why meat often comes back into the foods that children refuse to eat.
There are so many factors that will influence a child’s appetite, so it’s important not to focus on just one meal. We move on and try to understand why to find tips and strategies.
Cosette Gergès, pediatric nutritionist
Possible solutions
Without necessarily transforming the meals according to the tastes of the child or preparing a particular meal for him, Cosette Gergès emphasizes the importance of evaluating “where he is at in his discovery” when choosing the menu. “So that the overall eating experience is positive,” she says.
PHOTO D. BOUDREAU MEDIAS INC., PROVIDED BY COSETTE GERGÈS
Cosette Gergès, pediatric nutritionist
“Let me give you an example: you have planned salmon, broccoli, quinoa, and you know that your child does not like these three foods. Do we put him in a position of success for discovery? A child is not mature enough to say “no, thank you”; he will cry, throw, spit or have a bacon attack. And if it’s unpleasant all the time, the child will find a way to move away, to avoid the meal through behaviors that are sometimes perceived as disturbing. »
Strategies to try include separating the foods on the plate and making sure to always offer one or two foods that the child likes, alongside those that are less familiar or unpopular; it’s what she calls “food friends”, reassuring, like a dip or cubes of cheese among unloved vegetables on a skewer. And above all, we avoid putting pressure on him to eat or forcing him to taste, while offering him a way out if he does – like allowing him to spit the food out without being nagged.
The parent is responsible for the meals, so it is he who decides what will go on the table; the child will determine if he eats it and how much he eats.
Cosette Gergès, pediatric nutritionist
The important thing, in his opinion, is to trust the child about what he chooses to eat and to offer him six occasions to eat a day – while multiplying the exposures to “scary” foods so that they become less and less over time. “As they say: out of sight, out of mouth… And if your appetite is better in the morning and at dinner, that’s fine. »
“We must avoid concentrating only on the meal that is the most skipped, she insists, and look at the whole of his day, his week, his month, because the child’s diet is evaluates over the long term and not one meal at a time. Especially since from the age of 1 year, his growth slows down compared to the first 6 to 10 months of his life (which can cause a loss of appetite), while he learns at the same time time to be more selective in his tastes.
And don’t forget: “We’re not the best parents because our child likes tofu,” she says.
Calling all
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