I’m a child nutritionist…why it doesn’t matter if your kid doesn’t finish food

MANY parents will stress to children the importance of finishing all the food on their plate.

But we spoke to child nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed to find out if this really does more harm than good.

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Charlotte is the founder of Charlotte Stirling-Reed, the infant and child nutritionist and author of How to wean your baby Y How to feed your toddlerand shared her best advice for approaching meals with kids.

The child nutritionist explained to us that she would never force her children to finish their meals and this is actually something that parents should avoid.

He explained: “Some children will eat MORE and some will eat LESS of these servings.

“My advice is always to use them as ideas of how much to serve, but ultimately let your little one decide HOW MUCH they actually eat in one sitting.

“Responsively feeding your infant or toddler is about recognizing and following their hunger and fullness cues.

“The objective of this is to help the little ones learn to follow their own appetites and support them in learning to eat healthy independently.

“It takes time to learn skills like walking and talking, and learning to eat and respond to our own hunger and fullness is the same thing.”

The nutrition expert noted that encouraging children to finish their meal can actually seem like a lot of pressure, and can often do more harm than good.

She continued: “We often see a lot of ‘encouragement’ for children to eat at mealtimes, but this can be interpreted by children as pressure.

“Finish your peas” or “just one more spoonful” are common and quite natural reactions when children eat.

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“However, these gentle pressures can actually PREVENT them from responding to and listening to their own body’s signals, prevent them from enjoying their food, and can even teach them to overeat.

“Pressure (in any form) to eat is rarely helpful in the long run and this too is supported by a lot of research.

“It is VERY important to not just look at what your child eats for ONE meal or even a couple of meals.

“Rather, looking at what your child eats over a few days or a week is a better indicator of children’s eating behaviors and how much they are consuming.”