It is important to set healthy habits when your child is young so that they can grow up to eat well. The way you offer food to your child is just as important as what food you offer. Promoting positive experiences at eating times will help your child feel good about eating.

Division of Responsibility in Feeding

The ‘Division of Responsibility’ in feeding is a guide that your child tune into their hunger and know what foods they enjoy.

As a parent or carer, your role is to decide:

• WHAT food is offered
• WHEN food is offered
• WHERE food is offered.

Your child decides:

• WHETHER to eat food that is offered.
• HOW MUCH to eat.

Responsive Feeding

‘Responsive Feeding’ helps create a positive eating environment, builds a trusting bond between you and child and supports your child in developing a positive relationship with food.

What does Responsive feeding look like:

• calm and pleasant eating times
• a regular eating routine each day
• eating together with your child
• let your child to practice their feeding skills and to decide how much to eat
• no expectations around what your child does or does not eat
• no expectations around how much your child eats.

Allow your child to decide when to finish eating and when they have eaten enough. Children know how hungry they are and how much food they need to grow in a way that is for them.

Fussy eating is typical in young children aged 1 to 5 years. Fussy eating can look like:

• Your child may refuse foods
• Your child’s hunger may vary from meal to meal.

Try not to worry as this can be a typical stage of development and may change over time.

Tips to support your child to eat well:

• No pressure.
• Plan ahead so that you and your child can enjoy mealtimes together.
• Make mealtimes pleasant, avoid using bribes or rewards to encourage your child to eat. Use positive and loving words during mealtimes.
• Let your child decide when they have eaten enough. Trust that your child knows how much to eat from foods you have offered. It is normal for the amount a child eats to vary from meal to meal and from day to day.

If your child is growing well, is happy and has plenty of energy they most likely are eating enough.

Offer a variety of foods

Offer a variety of foods from all food groups each day. Try not to offer the same foods at the same time every day as your child may tire of these foods.

Offer your child the same meal as everyone else and include a food they enjoy eating for example rice or bread. Try a buffet style meal and allow your child to choose foods to put on their plate.

Offer new foods

Offer new foods with foods your child already knows and likes so they can get familiar with that food. It may take up to 10 times (or more) before your child may learn to accept a new food. Make sure each meal has at least 1 food your child likes so they can feel good about feeding themselves.

Limit distractions

At mealtimes turn off distractions like TV and phones and remove toys and books so that your child can focus on their eating and learning about new foods.

Set a schedule

Children have small stomachs and high energy needs, so they need to eat regularly during the day. Plan meals and snacks every 2 to 3 hours and only offer water in between. Include 3 main meals and 2 to 3 snacks each day.
Example meal and snack times:

• 7:30am- Breakfast
• 10am- Morning snack
• 12:30pm- Lunch
• 3:30pm- Afternoon snack
• 6pm- Dinner
• 7:30pm- Evening snack (optional)

Note: Adjust time according to your child and your routine.

Sit down and eat together

Create a space to sit to eat meals and snacks. For example, set a table with placemats to show it is time for eating. Sit and eat with your child as this can be a great time for bonding. Talk about topics or hobbies your child enjoys.

Set an example

You can show your child how to eat well. Let your child see that you are eating different foods from all five food groups (breads and cereals, meats and alternatives, fruit, vegetables, dairy and alternatives). Children learn what to eat and how to eat by watching others. You are your child’s best role model.

Where can I get more information?

• Talk to your Maternal and Child Health Nurse or General Practitioner (GP).
• Make an appointment with a Canberra Health Services (CHS) Community Dietitian by phoning (02) 5124 9977.

• Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services: https://winnunga.org.au/
• See Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility in Feeding: https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/