28/01/2024
A reminder to parents/carers that sometimes eating away from home can make little humans, starting pre-school or kindergarten, really anxious. Here are a few things to consider:
No guilt!!! As busy parent/carer you may feel pressured amidst the frenzy of social media posts but honestly, it’s ok to send the same lunch every day as routine equals comfort.
New food can be scary! Change can be scary! Schools have food rules & rituals (where to eat, how to eat, what to eat, no play until you eat) so now is NOT the time to introduce new foods into this mix of experiences.
Outside home, kids experience “othering” so arm them with the cultural-historical-family significance of their food, then they can proudly orate their heritage and eat with no shame (also a handy time to note the downfalls of bragging!)
Empower and apply their early learning by meal planning, gardening, shopping, copying food words, counting out items, food art, food stories, digital pictures and especially cooking. This is a great read from UK academic Fiona Lavelle with some excellent age-stage-skill advice:
https://theconversation.com/children-as-young-as-two-can-learn-to-cook-here-are-the-kitchen-skills-they-can-get-to-grips-with-144318
Explain choices made on their behalf about the itself, like why no nuts are allowed at school etc. But DO NOT make this a ‘thing’ unless it diffuses angst – if kids are not interested hooray, let them be kids without a care!
Keep connected by including a note and a tiny portion of something special, they will be missing you and will be reassured knowing a favourite food can be eaten during the midst of a tumultuous day (to be clear, ultra-processed full of chemical nasty “treats” ain’t what I mean).
School age often coincides with peak fussiness, so resist the urge to focus on food and eating. Enlist siblings, peers and teachers to support and encourage but don't worry if your child does not eat much at school. There are exceptions, but this phase will pass.
If you are at all worried about the food behaviours of the children you love, please reach out to the expert ‘paediatric dietitians’ and nutritionists who specialise in this field.
Checkout the resources from Dr Kyla- Paediatric Dietitian and her team here https://mealtimes.com.au/ or contact Dietitians Australia to find a specialist.
Here is some great insight from US Dietician Marci RD Marci Evans, MS, CEDS-S, LDN
https://marcird.com/forget-ww-how-to-protect-your-children-from-food-body-shame/
Fantastic suggestions here from Jemma O'Hanlon
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-24/senior-dietitian-shares-advice-on-packing-healthy-lunchbox/101885848
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