3131: Build Healthy Habits For Kids With a Feeding Schedule by Crystal Karges on Positive Parenting

[00:00:00] Hey, it's Justin from Optimal Living Daily. Before we start, I want to share a super powerful practice I use called NSDR or Non-Sleep Deep Rest. In just about 10 minutes or so, this Yoga Nidra practice leaves you feeling as refreshed as after a nap without actually sleeping. Experience it for yourself on our guided podcast. Search NSDR and look for the one from Optimal Living Daily.

[00:00:26] Hello, everybody, and thank you so much for joining me here on another weekly bonus episode of ORD. I'm your host, Greg Audino, and in this week's Sunday Extra, we're going to be sharing an old episode from Optimal Health Daily. I think you're going to like this one. So without further ado, let's hear Dr. Neil's narration and commentary as we optimize your life. Build Healthy Habits For Kids With a Feeding Schedule by Crystal Karges of crystalkarges.com

[00:00:56] As much as we may hate to admit it, kids actually do better with structure. When there is a reliable routine in place, this can help kids feel more secure in their surroundings and better able to thrive and develop. Consistent routines create structure and predictability, which is important for building healthy habits for kids. Having routines and daily schedules can be helpful for both you and your child, as you both know what to expect each day.

[00:01:23] Whether you consider yourself a free-range parent or the type of caregiver that likes to live more spontaneously, I bet it's safe to say that even the rule breakers among us tend to fall back on some type of structure or routine. Think about how, from your kiddo's earliest days, you followed a schedule. Maybe it was something you loosely implemented, or maybe it was something you stuck to without fail.

[00:01:47] It may have been when you nursed or bottle-fed your baby, how you scheduled playtime, and let's not forget that all-important sleep routine. The truth is, when kids can reliably understand when things are coming during their day, like sleep, playing, and eating, they build better trust with their caretakers, and overall, learn to develop healthier behaviors that will help them for years to come. A meal schedule is simply a routine set of times that you serve meals and snacks to your kiddos.

[00:02:17] Ideally, this can also serve as a time for you to check in with yourself to see if you are needing to eat as well, which is an important part of intuitive eating for many caregivers. Four reasons why your kids need a feeding schedule. One, to develop a positive feeding relationship. The feeding relationship between a child and their caregivers will influence how a child feels about food and their body. Raising a healthy eater involves more than the types of foods we're serving.

[00:02:45] Our behaviors and attitudes toward feeding also play a part in how a child will learn about food. Establishing a routine with eating, such as with a meal schedule, helps a child trust that food is consistently available. Promoting self-regulation for your child, with the help of a meal schedule, is an effective feeding approach that can support a healthy eater. Two, to demonstrate the importance of eating.

[00:03:10] Eating well should be a priority, and kids will learn this from a young age if time is made for family meals and eating regularly. Sometimes we can inadvertently pass on our own behaviors towards food and eating to our kids. But this may not be in their best interest. For example, some adults may go several hours before eating. However, because kids have smaller tummies and need energy to fuel their growth, they consistently need food about every two to three hours.

[00:03:39] Having set times when you're having meals and snacks keeps nourishment a priority, even on your busiest days. Three, to regulate their appetites. Many kids may come to mealtimes with poor appetites or unwilling to eat or try different foods. Sometimes, if a child has the opportunity to snack frequently throughout the day, they won't feel hungry come mealtime and be less likely to eat nutritious foods you're offering.

[00:04:05] When a child is used to eating consistently and at regular times throughout the day, they will be better able to regulate and tune into their hunger and fullness cues and more open to trying different foods. And four, to support adequate nutrition intake. When you have multiple times throughout the day to feed your child, you are also given many opportunities to serve a variety of foods. This increases the likelihood that your child will better meet their nutritional needs

[00:04:34] and consume adequate amounts of food to support their growth. What having a meal schedule doesn't mean. Some parents fear the word schedule because it can be misinterpreted to be rigid or strict. But in actuality, having a schedule with your meals and snack times can actually free up more time during your day to focus on the things that are most important to you. Having a meal schedule for your family does not mean you can't be flexible or spontaneous

[00:05:02] or enjoy eating at other times or eat on the go when needed or be adaptable. Does this mean you have to be a stickler to a meal schedule? Not by any means. But having and building a routine with meals and food is only going to help your children thrive and grow up to be healthier adults. A sample meal schedule that you might implement for your kids may look something like this. 8 a.m. breakfast. 10.30 a.m. morning snack.

[00:05:30] 12.30 p.m. lunch. 3 p.m. afternoon snack. 5.30 p.m. dinner. And 7.30 p.m. evening snack. Now, this is just for sample purposes. You can customize a meal schedule however it works best for you and your family. It's not so much about eating at exact times. Rather, being intentional about providing food to your kids on a regular basis.

[00:05:56] Your schedule may vary based on the ages of your kids, school, activities, etc. Remember, having a meal schedule should serve as a guideline for your family. As to intentional times, you're planning to offer your kiddos meals or snacks. But this isn't something that has to be followed meticulously. When you have a meal schedule in place, you can spend less time worrying about what and when you're going to feed your kids,

[00:06:21] have more peaceful family meals, and help create a foundation of healthy eating behaviors for yourself and your kiddos. You just listened to the post titled Building Healthy Habits for Kids with a Feeding Schedule by Crystal Karges of crystalcargis.com

[00:07:04] Dr. Neil here for my commentary. It's very normal for children to be somewhat picky about their food choices. Depending on the child's age, they may prefer simple foods with few ingredients. Think macaroni and cheese or a plain cheese pizza as opposed to a pizza with all sorts of toppings. A bean and cheese burrito instead of one loaded with rice, beans, guacamole, and salsa. You get the idea.

[00:07:34] I mean, take a look at any kid's menu at any restaurant. It's all really simple foods with like three ingredients max. Again, this is fairly typical. But then there are those children that seem to be even more specific about their likes and dislikes. So how can you encourage even the pickiest eater to try something new? Luckily, researchers have tried to answer this question. And it seems as though getting the child involved in the process is helpful. Here's what I mean.

[00:08:03] Have the child help plan one dinner for the family. The caregiver, of course, would get final say and would help add balance to the meal, like suggesting a vegetable the child hasn't tried before. So have the child help plan one of these dinners. Then they can help go grocery shopping for the ingredients. Then they can help in the kitchen prepare the meal. All of this is getting them to buy in. They will want to see the family enjoy the meal they helped create from start to finish.

[00:08:33] And in the process, you may have been able to convince them to sneak in a new ingredient or two into the recipe. All right, that'll do it for me for today. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for listening all the way through and sharing the show with someone. I'll be back here tomorrow for our usual Friday Q&A. So definitely stay tuned for that where your optimal life awaits.