Feeding Your Child

The Division of Responsibility, a concept created by Ellyn Satter, talks about dividing the responsibilities of feeding between the parent and the child.

The parent is responsible for what, when, and where. The child (toddler-adolescence) is responsible for how much and whether or not.

What
As the parent, you decide what the child eats. This means to limit “open kitchen” time (children eating whatever and whenever). Make sure to provide a variety of food for meals and snacks.

When
Parents need to set times to eat meals and snacks. For example, the parent can make sure that there are no snacks before dinner. This helps the child fulfill his/her responsibility of coming to dinner hungry.

Where
Eating together as a family can help children have a positive eating experience. In addition, children seem to try more food when they see their parents eat because children always want to be more like adults. Try to at least eat dinner together as a family.

How Much
Children instinctually know how much they need to eat. It’s the parent’s responsibility not to infringe.

Whether or Not
Parents also need to remember not to control what their child decides to eat and what not to eat. Parents are in charge of offering a variety of food and from that variety the child chooses what to eat and what not to eat.

This is a wonderful concept that creates good eating habits and helps children grow-up with a positive experience with food.