• Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed

Maryann Jacobsen

Independent Author & Family Nutrition Expert

  • Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy

Want to Raise a Good Eater? Let Your Child Make These 3 Mistakes

September 3, 2015

Tweet
Pin
Share279
Yum
Email
Share
279 Shares

Everywhere I turn, some expert is talking about the problem of over-involved parents. A new book that was recently reviewed by the NY Times, “The Gift of Failure,” explains how children are better off when they can actually make mistakes on their own. Because, well, that’s how they learn.

But watching a kid struggle when we know the answer — or how to do it better — isn’t always easy. One area completely overlooked in this realm of failing is eating. To learn about food, eating and their body, kids need to mess up. So here are the top three “learning mistakes” I think kids need to experience.

1. Let Them Get Hungry

When a child says he’s hungry, it can send any adult into a panic searching for food. But what does this teach? Hunger is something that needs to be attended to immediately. Whether that’s the intention or not, kids catch on that hunger is something to get rid of quick.

When my kids say they are hungry before dinner I always answer with “good, you’ll enjoy the meal more.” We want kids to learn that pangs of hunger do not need to be fixed immediately. When kids experience the consequence of not getting enough at meals, they are incentivized to fill up when they get the chance. And when they don’t always see favorite food at gatherings — and they choose not to eat — they learn what happens: hunger.

Putting aside medical conditions and special circumstances, the occasional longer-than-parents-like bout of hunger teaches kids how to do a better job of managing their hunger.

2. Let Them Eat Too Much

“Don’t eat too much, you’ll get a tummy ache.” Parents often hover to make sure kids get just the right amount of sweets. But eating past fullness, especially non-nutritious items, teaches kids a few different lessons.

First, it can remove the taboo from non-nutritious foods. If my kids seem to be obsessed with some food, I plan an eat-all-you-can snack. Sure enough, they stop asking for it.  It squashes their curiosity instead of piquing it.

Second, they can learn the adverse effects of eating too much of food that simply isn’t good at nourishing the body. Big A now realizes that starchy foods, like Cheese-Its, don’t fill her up. She learned that thanks to her weekly visit to Grandma’s.

A child can only learn the limits of his body by experiencing them.

3. Let Them Cook Their Way

Big A made guacamole from start to finish the other night with no help from me. It ended up way too watery. You better believe next time she will add less yogurt and salsa. We talked about how you can always add more so it’s best to start off small.

Those nice and neat pictures of kids helping in the kitchen are not real! It gets messy and they make mistakes. But then one time they get it and their confidence builds. And you realize the mistakes are what taught them.

Coco, a mom of two girls 6 and 8, has had her kids helping in the kitchen since they were two. Now they can cook simple meals on their own. But she remembers lots of mistakes, ” We once made pizza and whilst making the dough, my daughter accidentally put too much liquid into the flour and it became more like a paste,” she says. “We played with the paste on the table for a while and the pizza ended up having bread as its base.”

There’s a myth that good eaters always eat a variety of foods, stop after consuming balanced portions, are natural cooks and only want one cookie (if that!). No, the kids who grow into good eaters are the ones who were allowed to make mistakes and learn from them. Of course, with supportive parents there to help guide them.

What are some food mistakes your kid has made?

  • Try one of Maryann’s books, all sold on Amazon:

From Picky to Powerful: The Mindset, Strategy, and Know-How You Need to Empower Your Picky Eater

How to Raise a Mindful Eater: 8 Powerful Principles for Transforming Your Child’s Relationship with Food

The Family Dinner Solution: How to Create a Rotation of Dinners Meals Your Family Will Love

What Does Your Tummy Say?

Related Posts

  • How to Raise a Mindful Eater book cover
    My New Book: How to Raise a Mindful Eater

    This is the final post in my How to Raise a Mindful Eater Series  After…

  • 5 Feeding Mistakes Even Dietitians Make

    I'm not perfect. I don't always serve perfectly balanced meals or say the right thing…

  • book cover of Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense
    Book Review: Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense

    I spoke with a woman recently who told me that she was a skinny, picky-eating…

  • 7 Ways to Help Your Picky Eater

    Has your eat-everything baby turned into a toddler who has trouble getting through one meal?…

Tweet
Pin
Share279
Yum
Email
Share
279 Shares

Categories: Feeding School-Age Kids, Feeding Toddlers & Preschoolers 7 Comments

« Dinner Rotation: August-September
Book Review: The Science of Mom »

Comments

  1. Margie says

    September 3, 2015 at 12:06 pm

    Let them put too much salt on their food (or sugar, sprinkles, pepper, etc.).

    Reply
    • Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD says

      September 3, 2015 at 12:50 pm

      Good one!!

      Reply
  2. Anna says

    September 7, 2015 at 1:59 pm

    What about this one: saying he wants another bowl of cereal, then one bite into it saying he’s full? I don’t make him eat it, of course, but I’d like better strategies for teaching him not to waste food by taking more than he can actually eat.

    Reply
    • Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD says

      September 9, 2015 at 9:02 pm

      Sorry Anna meant to reply sooner. When I think my kids are almost full, I encourage them to take a little, letting them know they can always get more. You could try that.

      Reply
  3. Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says

    September 11, 2015 at 9:20 am

    Spot on tips, as usual!

    Reply
  4. Rebecca says

    June 14, 2016 at 7:50 am

    This is a good one. It will help a lot of hands-on mothers out there. Thank you!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I’m Maryann…

Hi, I’m a registered dietitian who focuses on developmental stages. Here, you won’t get one-size-fits-all advice. Instead, you’ll get information based on your (and your family’s) age and stage. Make your choice between family and midlife-focused newsletters below and subscribe. Find out more!

Recent Posts

  • Heart Health for Women Over 40 Comes Down to This
  • How to Diet-Proof Your Daughter with Amelia Sherry [Podcast]
  • Yes, Every Midlife Women Should Take a Multivitamin (And Here’s Why)
  • 10 Signs Intermittent Fasting Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype
  • What do the Latest Vitamin D Studies Really Tell Us?

Random Posts

  • 30 Meal Challenge (Meals 8-10): Vegetarian Dishes30 Meal Challenge (Meals 8-10): Vegetarian Dishes
  • Book Review: Nurture ShockBook Review: Nurture Shock

Categories

Get the books!

The Alliance of Independent Authors - Author Member

Join the Newsletter

Sign up for Maryann’s E-mail Newsletter and get her ebook The Landmines of a Healthy Relationship with Food for FREE. Subscribe now!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list. You're not done. Check your email to confirm your address. After you do that, you'll receive a link for the free e-book.

.

Copyright © 2023 — Maryann Jacobsen • All rights reserved • Powered by Femme Flora. Designed & Developed by BinaryTurf Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.OK Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT