Simple Strategies for Picky Eaters

By: Mandy Glasener, Lead Preschool Teacher and Danni Drake, Teacher Assistant

As pre-school teachers, we are all too familiar with this battle. How do you get a 3-year-old to try something new or eat their vegetables? We will share with you some of our tried and true secrets!

The key is to disguise it!

We managed to get a whole classroom of preschoolers to eat their peas and want more! Crazy! Right?

We made pea pancakes.  A savory treat full of fiber, protein and fun!

Focusing on the aesthetics makes it fun for all kids to eat. Can you eat the nose? Who will eat his eyeballs first?

Not only are you making it a learning experience, you are eating healthy right along with your child.

Also, we LOVE Pinterest. We have found many easy recipes that are quick and healthy that the children love and ask for us to make together. Some of our favorites are below!

1. The rice cake face.  You can change it up and use fruit and yogurt too! The possibilities are endless!
2. A favorite pre-school activity is mixing and making zucchini bread is a winner to make for snack time every time!
3. Dips are popular too! This ranch hummus dip is a winner!

We use the hummus as “glue” and go fishing for goldfish with our veggie stick rods! Not only are you eating an amazing, fiber, protein packed snack, you are also having fun playing a game!

Growing a garden (even a few small containers) is a rewarding experience even for the youngest of gardeners. Everything is more delicious when you grow it all by yourself!

We grow our own vegetables here at “The Lily Garden” and harvesting is always a very exciting time. We have tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchini and broccoli  growing this year. In the past we have done rainbow carrots, kale and potatoes too!

Involve your kids in the food preparation and it will make them want to try it too. Research shows that if your child is involved with the meal prep they are much more likely to eat it. Also be a role model and show them that you like to eat your fruits and veggies too!

Please share your favorite healthy snacks in the comments.

Happy snacking!

The Lily Garden Child Development Center incorporates a play-based program philosophy. We understand that children learn best when provided with experiences in an environment that is positive, nurturing and developmentally appropriate. Learn more about the Lily Garden Child Development Center here.

 

 

Preventing illness through clean hands, food and home

By: Cindy Baranoski MS, RDN, LDN

Bacteria and viruses are everywhere, all around us. They live in our bodies and on our bodies. Even our digestive and immune systems depend upon their presence to provide us with optimal health. While viruses create illnesses we all remember, bacteria are the culprits more often, bringing us foodborne illness or that nasty ‘stomach flu’. With bacteria the obvious places, such as the kitchen sink, bathroom, garbage can, are usually associated with ‘germs’ and the potential for some sort of illness.  But bacteria are an invisible society living among us. Bacteria’s numbers are in the millions, and the types of bacteria we are exposed to can bring illness and health.

Wash your hands!

One of the easiest ways to prevent illness is to keep clean. Our hands, foods, kitchens, bathroom, anything we come into contact with in our world. If we simply wash our hands regularly, and not touch our eyes, noses, mouths, our chances of becoming infected by bacteria are significantly lessened.

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a dedicated web page to washing hands, with clear instructions and tips such as:

• Wash hands before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick

Keep your food and kitchen clean!

In kitchens, we have a ton of opportunities to come into contact with bacteria that can bring on an illness.  With millions of bacteria found in the tiniest of places, imagine the size of your kitchen and just how many places are teeming with the little critters.

The Partnership for Food Safety Education at www.fightbac.org has a wonderful website loaded with helpful information on food safety. If you visit their site, you can find answers to many questions about the food you buy, prepare, eat, store, throw away and reheat. One of the most helpful sections of their site is The Core Four Practices. These are simple practices for food safety.

CLEAN – Wash hands and surfaces often

1. Wash your hands with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food, using the bathroom, changing a diaper, or handling your pets. (Check out the hand washing guide from the CDC).
2. Wash items in the kitchen – dishes, utensils, counter tops, cutting boards with hot soapy water, after you use an item and before you use it on something else.
3. Use paper towels for clean up, or if you use cloth towels be sure to wash them on hot.
4. Rinse all fruits and veggies under water. For those with firm skins, use a vegetable brush.

SEPARATE – Don’t cross-contaminate

1. Separate raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs from other foods in shopping cart and bags, as well as your refrigerator.
2. Do not use the same cutting board for meat and fresh produce.
3. Do not place cooked food on a plate that had raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs on it.

COOK – Cook foods to a safe internal temperature

1. Use a thermometer to measure internal temperature when cooking meat, poultry and egg dishes.
2. Cook roasts and steaks to no less than 145°F. Poultry to 165°F. Ground meat to 160 °F. Fish to 145 °F.
3. Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm.
4. Be sure there are no cold spots when cooking foods.
5. Heat leftovers thoroughly to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

CHILL – Chill foods immediately

1. Refrigerate foods quickly to 40°F or below. Use an appliance thermometer to be sure of the temperature. Freezers should be 0°F or below.
2. Refrigerate foods as soon as you get home from the store.
3. Never allow raw meat, poultry, eggs, cooked food or fresh fruits or veggies to sit at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. If the room is warm, then less than 1 hour sitting out. Do not defrost food at room temperature. Allow foods to thaw in the refrigerator. In a pinch you can use cold water or microwave for thawing, but these foods need to be cooked immediately.
4. Marinate food in a refrigerator – and do not use marinate from raw meat, fish, poultry as a dipping sauce.
5. Divide large quantities of foods into shallow containers to allow for faster cooling when storing foods, such as leftovers.

Your Refrigerator

Watch this video from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) on keeping your refrigerator clean. Wiping the inside and outside down, cleaning the shelves and the front grill are as important as the counter tops you use to prepare foods. Going through your refrigerator often to toss outdated foods is something you should do on a regular basis. Know that foods have ‘use by’ dates which refers to food quality, and ‘expiration’ dates to know when to throw something away that is no longer consumable.

You can access more Home Food Safety resources at the AND website including:

• Apps like Is My Food Safe?
• Videos on how to wash fruits and vegetables
• Safety tips on Holiday cooking to raw milk or keeping lunch boxes clean,
• Food safety with hiking and camping, as well as keeping fruits fresh and reducing food waste are at this site as well.

Be Aware

Use common sense with foods and have respect for the fact that much of what we consume comes through a process where many people have been in contact with our food before we even purchase it.  Who has picked the apple from the tree?  Where did the chicken egg even come from? Who prepackaged your deli meats? Was the tomato you purchased ever rolling around the grocery store floor before you picked it off the shelf?

Photo by Rich Howe

Certainly we don’t want to become so focused on cleanliness that we bring more harm than good to our bodies. Remember that millions of bacteria depend on our bodies for their home. When these bacteria are living in a symbiotic relationship with us, we have health. And when they have a good life, we do as well. But when the good bacteria are outnumbered by the bad bacteria, we have illness. An awareness to clean hands, foods and areas that support our mealtimes is great place to start.

For more information on Nutritional Therapy and scheduling an evaluation at Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley, visit our website: http://www.easterseals.com/dfv/our-programs/medical-rehabilitation/nutritional-therapy.html.

Everyone Sitting at the Table: The Power of Family Meals

By: Emily Mitchell, Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley and Northern Illinois University Dietetic Intern & Candidate for Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics

When was the last time your entire family sat down for a meal together? You are an extremely influential role model for your child, and your actions and emotions are essential for your child’s growth and development. Your child learns through experiences and modeling behaviors, so try using meal time as a chance to work towards developmental milestones!

Family Style Meal Service

The environment in which meals are served can impact a toddler’s willingness to try new foods and develop healthy dietary patterns. Family style meals have been shown to be an effective approach in creating an environment conducive to establishing healthy behaviors in the home, as well as in schools and daycare facilities. Most importantly, family style meal service approaches mealtime as a learning experience.

The objectives of family style meal service include:

• Helping children develop positive attitudes towards nutritious foods
• Learning to engage in social eating situations
• Developing healthy eating patterns

Child involvement is integral to the concept of family style meal service, and can be done by allowing children to do the following things:

• Be the “produce picker” at the store
• Assist with meal preparation
• Set the table places
• Engage in conversation during the meal
• Assist with clean up

Involvement in meal time may look different for each child based on their developmental abilities. When establishing family meals, it is important that children are not only provided guidance through physical assistance and engaging in appropriate social exchanges, such as taking turns, but are also given age appropriate serving utensils and dishware to establish age appropriate portions.

Meal Time- It’s Not Just About Food and Nutrition!

Again, meal time is not solely about food and nutrition; it also provides parents the opportunity to model social, communication and motor skills. Approach mealtime as a learning experience and remember that meal time serves not only to help children develop positive attitudes towards nutritious foods, but also learn to engage in social eating situations, and develop motor skills.

In order to hone in on social, communication and motor skills, involving your child in meal time is key! Conversations during meal time provide an opportunity to enhance family connection and establish relationships among all members of the family. It is a chance to share information or news about your day.

Benefits and Barriers to Family Meals

Family meals have been shown to foster happy, well- adjusted kids. Research has shown that family meals have many benefits, including:

• Opportunities for modeling healthy behaviors
• Increase autonomy in children
• Enhance communication and social skills
• Heighten family connectedness
• Develop motor skills
• Encourage nutritious meals

Despite the many benefits of family meals, it can be trouble to do because of, child behavior problems, scheduling difficulties, and lack of self-efficacy in meal preparation.

What About My Child on Tube Feedings?

How do you involve everyone in the meal? Just as children consume food orally, your child on a tube feeding can use family meal time to socialize, interact, and learn. Have meal time conversations that are about more than the food. Look beyond the calorie nourishment of meal times and include your child receiving tube feedings in meal time, so they can receive the many qualities of meal times.

What is So Powerful About Meal Time?

The real power of meal time is the interpersonal quality. Kids like eating with their families, so allow for some fun! It is understandable that meal time may be frustrating at times, but try to make it as positive of an experience as possible. Dinner may be the one time during the day that a parent and child can share a positive experience—a yummy meal, a joke, or a story. Many children strive for autonomy, so as discussed previously, involve your kids in meal time and allow for learning and laughter! These special moments created at the table help gain momentum for your child’s development away from the table.

Your challenge–schedule time spent at the table with your family into your day!

If you find your child has nutrition problems including failure to thrive, obesity, poor feeding skills, sensory disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders or others schedule a nutritional evaluation with Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley today. Learn more at eastersealsdfvr.org/nutrition.

Help children receive the nutritional therapy they need!

By: Cindy Baranoski, MS, RDN, LDN – Pediatric Nutrition Therapist

Excellent nutrition is one of the most basic requirements for a child to grow and thrive. A study published by Pediatrics found that diagnosis-specific, structured approaches to nutrition issues among children with developmental disabilities significantly improved energy consumption and nutritional status. Yet, nutrition disorders and compromised nutritional status are very frequent among children with developmental disabilities.

Research shows that as many as 90% of children with a developmental disorder have at least one nutrition risk indicator. Nutrition problems can include failure to thrive, obesity, poor feeding skills, sensory disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders, to name only a few. Individuals with special needs are also more likely to develop co-existing medical conditions that require nutrition interventions.

Thanks to two significant grants from Hanover Township Mental Health Board and Special Kids Foundation, Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley can now offer nutrition services for children, regardless of insurance, in areas currently underserved immediately north and west of DuPage County. This includes full financial support for those uninsured, underinsured or on Medicaid; and partial support for those in Early Intervention or with insurance. Children who qualify will receive a nutrition evaluation and follow up nutrition therapy as needed.

Qualifications for children (birth to 21 years of age) to receive this service include:

• Eligible medical diagnosis or identified eating concern  AND

• Resides in one of the selected areas (Zip codes detailed in link)

Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley Nutrition Therapy provides care that is difficult to find elsewhere in a community or medical setting. Training and specialties include assisting children with improved oral and digestive tolerance, modifications to help improve growth,  adjusting diet for improved variety, volume and complexity of foods and fluids, balancing the diet of those with food allergies or sensitivities, help with transitioning (off of or onto) a tube feeding, and homemade blenderized formula and diet modifications.

Evaluations are performed at the Center, in the family’s home or community setting. Our goal is to provide optimal nutrition care to children with developmental disabilities through an inter-disciplinary approach, addressing their nutrition risks and disorders and helping them to lead healthier lives.

Please refer parents, other specialists or anyone else with questions about the program to our Nutrition Therapy intake coordinator, Christy Stringini, who can be reached at 630-261-6126 and cstringini@EasterSealsDFVR.org.

Learn more about Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley nutritional therapy and feeding clinic at www.eastersealsdfvr.org.

Go Ahead, Play with Your Food!

By: Maureen Karwowski, OT

In my house growing up, meals were serious business.  My parents had rules around “dawdling”, and playing with food was an absolute “no no”.  Now, in my work as a pediatric occupational therapist, I advise the families that I work with to break these rules (and for good reasons).

Many of the children that I work with have sensory processing difficulties.  Sensory processing challenges occur when a child has difficulty interpreting and responding to the sensory experiences in daily life. It is estimated that 1 of 20 children are impacted by a sensory processing deficit (Ahn, Miller, Milberger, McIntosh, 2004).

For some children with sensory processing difficulties, they have heightened sensitivity to textures, smells and tastes. These sensory over-reactions negatively impact a child’s ability to tolerate diets with a wide variety of textures, looks, smells and tastes.  I have clients who eat foods that are similar in color, for instance all shades of white (crackers and chips).  Other children eat foods that are munchable in texture, so graham crackers, chicken nuggets, and macaroni and cheese.  One little boy that I worked with could not even be in the kitchen while his mother was cooking because the smells were so offensive to him.    I remember clearly that he told me “food is not fun for me like it is for you”.  That was a profound statement from a child of 5 years of age.

Photo by Steven Van Dyke

The good news is that I have seen great results in helping a child to expand their diet with work in therapy, and with the parents’ work at home.  Many children do well with an individual while others do their best in a group with other children.  I always start with a thorough occupational therapy evaluation, and assess the child’s sensory processing skills, motor coordination and fine motor skills.  I work closely with speech therapists and a dietitian who specialize in working with children with feeding challenges. I want to rule out any oral motor and medical concerns before starting any kind of therapy with feeding.

The goal of my therapy sessions is to explore foods in a fun and low pressure manner. So dawdling and playing with food are an integral part of the work with my clients.  Picture making towers of cucumber slices, while my client knocks them over repeatedly.  Picture using those cucumber slices as goggles to look through.  How about blowing peas off the table and into a bowl?  I love making shapes and letters with cooked spaghetti noodles.  These types of games provide my clients with the sensory experience of the food, but in a way that is very low pressure.  The goal is not to eat the food initially, but to explore the foods in any way that the child can tolerate it.  As the child is more comfortable with the touch, smell, look and taste of a food, the more likely they would be to eat the food.

For parents at home, I do suggest a time where the parent and child are having fun with exploring food, in any way that they can.  I encourage families to have the child help with carrying food to the table, or pick out the vegetables at the market.  Can the child mash potatoes?  How about toss a salad?  A child is much more likely to explore a food if they know that their parent is not expecting them to taste it.

Consult your child’s therapist to determine if your child would benefit from a sensory approach to feeding or contact Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley for information about our summer feeding groups.

If you are interested in learning more about sensory feeding work, join us for our upcoming continuing education course on September 12-15, 2019. When Children Won’t Eat: Using the SOS Approach to Feeding

header photos by Amanda Grabenhofer

Underlying Issues of Constipation

By: Cindy Baranoski MS, RDN, LDN

Poop. Pooping. Pooped. A word that is usually reserved for little babies, and usually not for anyone older. Though we all do it, discussion after infancy wanes and it is just assumed we do. Terms like ‘bowel movement’, ‘stool’, and ‘number 2’ replace the cute and friendlier term of ‘poop’.  However, one of the most common challenges seen in all people, and especially our children, is the ability to produce a stool that is soft, formed, easy to pass, and on a regular basis. Otherwise known as constipation, this quirk in the gastrointestinal system is connected to a myriad of more problems that need to be addressed. Often the underlying root problem of constipation is overlooked, as parents, doctors, therapists all aim to solve the other problems. As a wise doctor once said, “You have to be able to make the package and deliver it”. So let’s look at what contributes to constipation, how this creates further problems, and some ways to make a package and deliver it.

The Gastrointestinal System

In simpler terms, the GI system is a long tube that starts at our mouth and ends at our anus. The process starts when we eat and drink, whatever that might be. Digestion begins in our mouth using our jaw, teeth, lips, cheeks and tongue, and then saliva is released into our mouths to help break the food down. We swallow this food down our throat, through our esophagus and into our stomach. In the stomach churning begins, pushing the food around and breaking it down further, as more secretions from the stomach are released to help water it all down as it makes its way to the end of the stomach, and in a timely fashion, is released into the beginning of the small intestines. At this point more chemicals are released out into the body, sending a message to the brain that nourishment is coming in, and beginning to decrease our hunger, while also telling the GI system to move things along.

In the intestines, more secretions, from the gall bladder and pancreas, are received by the newly arrived stomach contents, which further breaks the particles of food down in this very fluid environment. Muscular contractions, known as peristaltic waves, move the contents along the small intestines, and these minute particles of food and fluid are pulled into our system in the small intestines to provide the nutrition needed for our bodies to function. About two hours after eating, chemicals are released into the body again, telling the brain that it might be getting hungry. Back in the intestines, the peristaltic waves continue to push the mix out of the small intestines and into the large intestines. There a spectrum of bacteria are found to further help the digestive process by feasting on any fiber in the diet creating a small amount of gas, and water begins to be pulled back into the body, thus creating what will become flatulence (gas) and poop. As the formed mass sits in the rectum near the anus, nervous tissue senses the presence and helps further push the contents out of the body.

What causes constipation?

Unfortunately so many things can mess this finely tuned process up, and contribute to constipation. With children, abnormal anatomy function is one, and includes low and high muscle tone, neurologic disorders, Hirschprungs disease, anal atresia or stenosis, lack of activity and immobility. Medications can also mess up the process, and a few known include analgesics, anticholinergics, anticonvulsants, antidepressants or antipsychotics, chemotherapeutics, and long term use of laxatives. Factors such as fatigue, anxiety, changes in routine or lifestyle, lack of routine, negative associations with eating/stooling, improper positioning, behavioral withholding, encopresis and inability of a child to let a parent or caregiver know they need to use a toilet. Diet is most often deemed the culprit, and lack of fiber or fluid is the go to blame. Although these two areas do contribute to constipation, other associated areas of diet include, poorly chewed foods (oral motor delays, low strength and endurance with eating), difficulty swallowing liquids (thickened liquid diet, dysphagia, nipple size, breathing coordination), excessive fluid losses (drooling, vomiting, fevers, renal conditions), and dairy or soy protein sensitivity (IgG, IgE testing, improvement when removed from diet).

Read Cindy’s Tips for Constipation here.

What is normal?

No specific ‘normal’ has been defined, as every individual can have their own normal when it comes to stooling. Some children may have a bowel movement every two or three days, while others may have two to three daily. In general it has been documented that a child may be at risk if they have a bowel movement less than three times in a week, and if this occurs over the course of more than 2 weeks. The goal is to have a soft, formed, easy to pass stool on a regular basis. Remember – make the package, and deliver it.

What might give one cause to consider if a child has constipation? Frequency of stooling is a clear identifier. But when a parent describes challenges with stools using terms such as rabbit pellets, Snickers bar, little smears, dry rocks, marbles, can pick it off of his diaper, goes into the corner and cries, paces the room first, we know when he’s pooping, and grunts loud and long an intervention should be considered. Other signs that a child is constipated can be very poor eating, small little portions of food or drink, behavioral challenges, vomiting, GE reflux, spit up, aversion to eating, and enlarged abdomen.

Solutions

Causes of constipation are so many, and the resolution to this is not as simple as giving a child more fluid or fiber. In fact, more fiber with not enough fluid can compound the problem by increasing constipation. So when trying to help find the right solution, a multidisciplinary approach may be the best. Speaking to the child’s pediatrician is the first place to start, and sometimes the solution. Asking to consult with a

Choose My Plate

gastroenterologist may be the next step, or seeking the help of a registered pediatric dietitian/nutritionist to review the diet and make adjustments where needed. If the child is seen by any therapist, physical, occupational or speech, inquiring about tone, breathing, oral motor skills with eating and drinking can be helpful.

Physicians are often needed initially to help with the immediate concerns of constipation and alleviating the situation. Use of lubricants, bulk producers, stimulants and stool softeners can be very helpful. These include laxatives such as enemas, Senokot, Ex-Lax, Metamucil, Mineral oil, Colace, Miralax, and Lactulose.

Diet changes, assisted by a registered dietitian/nutritionist can include increasing sources of fiber in the diet through grains, fruit and vegetables. Increasing fluid intake through drinkable fluids, or higher watery foods such as fruits and vetetables, or pureed versions of these foods. Trialing off of dairy products, but incorporating other foods to help replace these nutrients. A physical therapist can help if the contributing factor is poor tone, and use of an abdominal binder, SPIO suit, abdominal massage, positioning, breathing coordination have been shown to help in some children. Occupational therapists can help children become more aware of their body, and learn to know when they need to stool if their awareness is poor, or help with managing behaviors that persist once the constipation has been resolved. Speech language pathologists trained in feeding can also ensure the child is managing their eating and drinking well, check respiration as well, and give solid points on positioning with feeding. Bowel management programs do exist, and these programs can help with management of stooling in a broader manner that includes much of what has been listed above, as well as management of timing through the day.

Conclusion

The bottom line (no pun here) is that everyone should be able to stool comfortably and easily on a regular basis. Food and fluid need to go in continually to help with growth and development of all children, and what goes in will ultimately have leftovers that need to come out. With little babies, management is much more controlled, as a parent has access to seeing what has come out in the diaper. But as children age, parents have less access to their child’s bodily functions, children are less vocal about what may or may not be happening, and challenges with pooping can go unnoticed and unresolved. The screaming, crying, pulling, difficulties with eating in infancy are clear signs of constipation that are not going to be seen as children age. But do know that older children who have constipation are going to demonstrate their discomfort somehow. Ensuring an older child is pooping comfortably on a regular basis is a must, and involves a bit more, uncomfortable at times, conversation. But in the end (again, no pun) it can solve a load (really?) of problems.

For more information about Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley please visit EasterSealsDFVR.org.

 

 

7 Tips for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters

By: Jessica Drake-Simmons, M.S. CCC-SLP

Eating can be a daily struggle and constant stressor for many families. The eating battles can be a point of looming contention at any given moment in a day.

It is important to keep the ultimate objective in the forefronts of our minds when it comes to feeding our little friends. Our goal is not to get kids to swallow vegetables through teary eyes during dinner tonight. Our goal is to develop children who like a variety of healthy food. We want to raise children who will grow up enjoying nutritious foods, not just viewing them as an obligation.

Photo by Nancy Kerner

There are not quick fixes to turning a selective eater into an adventurous eater overnight. However, with consistent implementation of the following strategies, you will be on your way there!

1. Encourage Food Exploration! Join your child in exploring new or non-preferred foods and make it fun! This may help decrease anxiety caused by new foods. We experience food through our eyes, nose, mouth, and skin prior to tasting a food. Having a hesitant eater experience the temperature and texture of foods smushed between their fingers can be a beneficial step before expecting the child to smush that food between their teeth. Expose your children to foods by letting them touch, smell, kiss, lick and bite the presented foods. Let your child PLAY with their food! Don’t worry about the mess! Food should be a joyful experience. Talk about the food and describe what it looks like how it feels, how it smells and how it tastes. Let your child help you prepare meals. The Kitchn provides ideas for the many simple steps in cooking that even young children can help with!  Learn about food!  Plant a garden.  Visit the farmers market and the grocery store.
2. Make the meal time about being together as a family. Meal time should be a pleasurable experience for everyone and an opportunity to spend quality time with the family. If a child is a part of a joyful low-stress meal experience, he will be more likely to independently consume more of the presented foods.
3. Be positive and supportive but… Beware of rewarding your child by paying a great deal of attention to what the child is NOT doing. When we constantly cheer for our children, we can be reinforcing the pursed lips that are rejecting the airplane spoon. Rather, make a single statement about the action you would like to see occur (e.g.. “Maybe you would like to try giving your apple slice a kiss?” “It would be awesome to see you knock the corn kernels on your teeth!”) and praise the desired behavior after it occurs. Pay little or no attention to the negative behaviors.
4. Don’t force a child to eat! Policing a selective eater’s food consumption fosters negative feelings with the nutritious foods we want them to eat! We want positive and happy feelings associated with meals in order to support healthy eating habits! Letting children be in control of the foods you provide helps them feel calm and promotes a positive experience with the foods. It also allows them to learn to listen to their bodies and be in control of nutritious choices.
5. Offer small portions. If someone put a plate of eel in front of me and told me that this was dinner and I had to eat it or else… AHHH!! No way! I would probably gag at the site. But, if I was encouraged to try just one tiny bite? Well, I could probably do that. Putting a small portion of a new food on your child’s plate will present an obtainable expectation. It may even provide the child with an opportunity to request more!
6. Rotate and repeat! Regardless of whether your child liked the food, repeating the food will build familiarity. Repeated positive exposures to a food can be essential in learning to eat the food. Don’t think of uneaten food as wasted. A small portion of uneaten food on a plate is a valuable learning experience for a hesitant eater.
7. Pair foods together. Present dips and spreads like hummus, peanut butter, ketchup or salad dressing to make non-preferred foods more pleasurable. Pair mealtime favorites like chicken nuggets with a small serving of a new vegetable.

Selective eating can stem from GI issues, food allergies or food intolerance and therefore will require medical attention. If your child is particularly resistant or consumes a limited diet, don’t hesitate to seek guidance from an occupational therapist or speech-language pathologist.

Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley offers a feeding clinic which provides an interdisciplinary team consisting of a gastroenterologist, speech-language pathologist, registered dietitian and parent liaison to assess and provide recommendations related to feeding challenges. Contact our Intake Coordinator at 630.261.6287 to ask questions or schedule an appointment.

Here are some great resources to make happy and healthy eating obtainable in your home:

• Learn more about nutritious eating from our expert dietitian.
• Sign up for weekly meal plans with easy recipes and shopping lists for school lunches and family meals using wholesome ingredients at 100 Days of Real Food  and Momables.
• Follow Healthy Kids, Easter Seals DuPage Speech Department and My Munch Bug  on Pinterest for fun food ideas and additional education on healthy eating.
• Feeding My Kid is dedicated to helping parents impact their child’s life-long eating habits through tips, videos and recipes.
• The mission of The Doctor Yum Project is to transform the lives of families and communities by providing an understanding of the connection between food and overall health, as well as empowering them with the tools to live a healthy life.

For more information about Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley please visit EasterSealsDFVR.org.

Beyond the Nutrition Basics

By, Cindy Baranoski, MS, RDN, LDN

Earlier this month, I provided some introductory nutrition resources and tips for infants to children. Now as we continue to celebrate National Nutrition Month, we will look at the next steps to aid our children’s nutrition needs.

Photo by Nancy Kerner

Seeking the help of a dietitian can be invaluable in helping to determine so many particulars about nutrition, especially if your child has specific needs. A dietitian can help with determining how much nutrition your child actually needs. Typically based on their age, weight, length or stature, sex, and activity, no two children need the same amount of nutrients.

Calories change with weight gain and length growth. They continue to change over time, and what your child needs today will not be the same in a month. Monitoring growth and diet is helpful, especially when your child is not gaining enough weight, or possibly gaining too much. It’s not necessary to count calories, so tools such as SuperTracker are not always necessary.

Using MyPlate Daily Food Plans are an easy way to ensure children are not over or under eating. When in doubt, asking a dietitian for some help can give you the basics on calories so you can monitor them on your own over time.

Protein is similar to calories, and will change with growth and age as well. Most every food contains some protein, and the amount needed is much less than most people would think. If your child is not the best eater, they may be getting enough protein, regardless. A dietitian can help you determine how much is needed, and how much is actually in your child’s diet now. They can also give suggestion on food sources that work for your child.

The government provides guidelines on vitamins and minerals, as well as essential fatty acids, but many conditions can change needs. Some medications interfere with absorption of certain vitamins, while vitamins can interact with some medications. Knowing this information, a dietitian can better guide with changes to help limit the interactions, and allow medications and vitamins do what they do best. Use of a supplement may be needed, and this can be a discussion with the dietitian, about which kind, brand, gummy, liquid, chewable, single nutrient, or multivitamin mineral supplements would be best.

Photo by Lauren Vitiello

Hydration is the last of the overlooked nutrients in the diet, and although most of us think we drink an adequate amount of fluid in a day, most often this is not the case. With infants most of their hydration comes from breast milk or formula, so no added fluid is necessary. With introduction of baby foods, hydration is still achieved as most baby foods are very watery. But as children reduce and eliminate these primary sources of nutrition, they are replaced with solids. Nearly all foods provide fluid, so we do get fluid from foods, but the body has to work to remove the fluid from the molecules it is bound to when the food is more solid in form. Drinking water is the best way to hydrate a body, and as a rule of thumb, drinking half your body weight in water is an achievable goal.

Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley offers exceptional Nutritional Therapy for anyone who feels their child is struggling with nutritional development. Our registered Dietitian/Nutritionist will first asses your child’s nutrition and then provided a individualized plan specific to your child’s needs.

Click here to learn more about this great service, or to schedule an appointment, call our intake coordinator at 630.261.6287.

For more information about Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley please visit EasterSealsDFVR.org.

Nutrition for Your Children

By, Cindy Baranoski, MS, RDN, LDN

Although March is National Nutrition Month, and March 11 is Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day, every day of the year is a nutrition celebration.

We eat, drink, or are fed every day, throughout the day, in order for us to survive, grow and thrive. As adults we tend for forget just how important nutrition is for us, unless we are diagnosed with a nutrition related disease, such as diabetes, heart disease or cancer. For children, however, nutrition is the key ingredient in helping them grow and develop into the best they can be.

At Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley, parents are learning more and more just how important nutrition is to their child at a very young age, and these parents are becoming very proactive in this area, to the benefit of everyone involved in their child’s world.

Most people have a difficult time even knowing where to begin. Nutrition is a degree that can be earned at all levels, including doctorate degrees. Although the detail and level of understanding to receive a degree is pretty huge, it doesn’t’ take a degree to provide good nutrition for yourself or your child.

How can you even begin to delve into this science of nutrition? Start by keeping it simple. The government has done a lot of research, and MyPlate is one of the easiest websites to find daily food plans, menus, recipes, tips for nutrition, videos, games and more.

MyPlate is the easiest way to know how much food to eat in a day for optimal nutrition. It’s divided into food groups, and one of the easiest tools on this site is the Daily Food Plan. Depending on your child’s age, or if you know a calorie level you are trying to aim for, it will give guidelines on how much to eat from each food group to achieve this goal.

Another resource on MyPlate, is SuperTracker. This resource is easy to use and you can put information into it for analysis of nutrition for you or anyone in your family. It’s not completely accurate, but it is helpful to determine how many calories, protein, vitamins and minerals were included in that diet.

Infants and Toddlers

If your child is an infant, there are limited tools available that tell you what they are supposed to eat or drink every day. However, if you go to Gerber you have an opportunity to access general information or create menus specific for your child.

Based on your child’s developmental level, they may need to only drink formula or breast milk, or they might be ready to start solid foods. Gerber’s website tools are helpful because they are based on development, and not necessarily ages. The website is geared for Gerber products, but the menu system can really be helpful to see 7 days of what your child could be eating or drinking, how many times in the day and how to keep their diet balanced.

Top Ten List  For Nutrition for Children Over 1 Year of Age

1. Keep your child on a schedule as much as possible.
2. Do not allow your child to graze through the day. Most children eat 4-6 meals and snacks each day.
3. If not an infant, offer three meals and 2-3 snacks a day, with 2-3 hours of time separating each of these eating times.
4. Offer water between all meals and snacks.
5. Ensure supported seating with mealtimes; the body should be at 90 degrees at the ankles, knees and hips. Be sure they

   

   Photo by McKenzie Burbach

   don’t fall to the sides in a chair – it should provide support in all directions. The table or tray of their chair should be at a level their shoulders are not too high up and fatigue.

6. Offer a source of protein, vegetable, fruit, grain and dairy at each meal. If they are an infant, this is not a rule.
7. Meals are for nutrition, snacks are for extra food or drink, or an opportunity to practice more challenging foods.
8. Be sure your child is stooling each day. Stools should be soft, easy to pass. Urine should be clear or light in color and often through the day.
9. A good indication your child is receiving enough to eat and drink in the day is how well they sleep at night.
10. When in doubt, speak to your child’s doctor or consult with a dietitian with who has skills with children.

Find a Dietitian in your area at Eat Right.org.

For more information about Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley please visit EasterSealsDFVR.org.