The starting point for Stress-Free Feeding is deciding whose job is whose.
Parents and children have their own special jobs to do to make feeding a positive experience. You should respect your child's ability to take care of his part of feeding. You also need to make sure that you are doing your part.
You Provide and They Decide — Feeding Babies
The jobs for parents and babies are very easy to divide:
- You provide breast milk or infant formula
- They decide when and how much
The 3Ps and the 3Cs — Feeding Toddlers and Older Children
The jobs for parents are harder with older children, but following these rules will make the feeding experience easier for you and your child:
| 3 Ps — Parent's jobs |
3 Cs — Child's jobs |
- Plan for positives
- Prepare and put food on the table
- Provide with patience
|
- Choose to eat
- Choose what to eat
- Choose how much to eat
|
Imagine you are invited to a meal at a friend's home. The friend plans a menu, prepares the food and provides a nice setting for you. You go to your friend's home, and you are invited to sit at the table where an attractive meal is set out for you. You see some delicious familiar foods and some strange-looking foods. You choose if you want to eat, you choose what you want to eat and you choose how much you want to eat from what is on the table. The choices are all up to you, the guest.
Allow your child to be a guest at meals and snacks. It will be a win-win situation for all involved. You and your child will be satisfied and feel good about the experience.
