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The many faces of pressure
Can you spot ‘pressure’ to eat? "Come on, eat now." "Have your broccoli." "Are you going to have your broccoli?" "If you have your broccoli, you’ll get ice cream." "Good boy for eating your meat." "If you have 3 bites of the veggies, you get a sticker on your chart!"...
Tomato sauce… an excellent bridging food
The pros and cons of the red stuff... A question that I'm sure millions of parents around the world ask every night... "Should I be letting my child drown everything in sauce?" For some reason tomato sauce (or ketchup if you live in the northern hemisphere) is one of...
In your child’s shoes at mealtimes
The day I didn't eat my mushrooms... One day my partner cooked me breakfast which should have been all kinds of wonderful, except it wasn't. I wasn't hungry. I was tired and grumpy. And I didn't like the mushrooms. Me: "Did you cook these on a low heat?" Partner:...
Why won’t my child eat?
Do you worry that your child does not eat enough? Have you heard people say that a child will eat if they’re hungry enough? That surely, they won’t starve themselves? But what happens when a child does ‘starve’ themselves to the point that growth becomes affected?...
A Body Positive Dietitian’s open Lletter to Educators
Dear Educators, What would you say if I told you that you hold the power to nurture a child’s relationship with food or to damage it? Amongst all the other amazing things you do, you may not have realised that when it’s time to eat, your teaching skills are in most...
To eat or not to eat… or to eat someone else’s. That is the question!
As a childcare educator, spending so much time with little people is an opportunity to observe eating behaviours close-up. Most centres will have regular timing for meals and snacks or perhaps a more relaxed eating schedule. Either way, during these times you’ve...
A letter to childhood educators: How I taught 20 kinder kids to be food explorers (without bribing them) and how you can too
Something amazing happened in the Kindergarten room three weeks ago. It wasn’t entirely unexpected, but amazing just the same. The kind of amazing that gives you a warm feeling in your belly and a spring in your step. I walked into the room which was alive with...
The Truth About Super Foods and Wonder Diets
Quite commonly I find myself frustrated by stories in the media by health “experts” selling the idea that any particular food or style of eating has miraculous health benefits. The hairs on the back of my neck also tend to stand on end when I hear people talk about...
Great Expectations
Are family meal times being spoiled by unrealistic expectations? The more families I join with to create happier and more peaceful feeding relationships, the more I realise how unrealistic expectations can derail the best-intentioned family mealtime. Here are 5 common...
Have you become the food police?
This article was first published in the ACAQ Early Edition, Autumn magazine 2017 and is written for early childhood educators who are caring for young children. Isabelle’s mum, Melissa rushes into the toddler’s room at 5:30pm. “Did Isabelle eat all her food today?”...
5 reality checks before starting solids with your baby
If your baby is approaching 6 months old, then get ready to pack your bags for a wondrous food journey. It’s going to be a wild ride! Take a deep breath, keep it simple and read on to find out what you need to know and what you can filter to the wind… Is baby ready?...
Is Your Child a Grazer?
Do you have an open pantry policy? If your kids are constantly raiding the fridge for snacks or begging for food between meals then this blog is for you. Feeding kids outside of planned meal and snack times is an easy habit to fall into. Perhaps you can relate to one...
Why you don’t need a New Year Resolution to feed your family better
I’m done with resolutions It’s January and most of the world is well into resolution making mode. We think the key to a better life is to make grand commitments to [get fit] [lose weight] [stop binge-watching Game of Thrones to catch up] ... yeah that one may have...
Why I love cooking with kids
We asked Jessi Bruns, consultant Dietitian with Kids Dig Food to tell us a little about why she loves delivering workshops for Kids Dig Food... “There are so many reasons why I love delivering Kids Dig Food workshops” says Jessi. They are so much fun! I always have a...
Keeping the joy of food alive in childhood & beyond: 5 food myths to banish
Food is, for most adults, a loaded subject. The language we use to talk about food and our bodies has such great power to influence whether children grow to be confident and competent eaters. I have written this piece for early childhood educators, but it is 100%...
Baby’s First Foods across the Globe – a snapshot
What is the first food you gave your baby, or that you plan to give your baby? Do you have traditions in your family about the first food a baby eats? An infant’s first taste of solid food is an exciting and special experience. For many families it is an important...
Eating together – making family meals happen
Have family meals become part of history rather than your routine? The research is clear that there are benefits associated with eating together as a family. The major obstacle of sharing a meal together is lack of time as families experience an increasing load of...
An Aussie Dietitian’s take on Halloween
Love or hate it, Halloween is upon us again. For some, Halloween may seem to be an unnecessary celebration here in Australia. A night where kids load up on as many sweets and lollies as they can possibly manage whilst they really have no idea what Halloween is about....
Help! I Think my Child is Too Big!
Every week I see more and more children referred by doctors, health professionals and parents with concern about their child’s weight. When I first started my private practice a few years ago, I drew away from seeing these kids & families, mainly because I felt...
My Lunchbox Strategy
Lunchboxes — are they a source of frustration or inspiration for you? It’s lunchbox time again! No matter if you love or hate your kitchen, there is always a time when packing lunchboxes feels like a chore. When Miss 9 first started at child care many years ago, I was...
NEWS FLASH: Kids don’t eat food because it’s healthy
Kids eat food for different reasons than adults do. Kids eat food for very immediate reasons: because they are hungry because the food looks, smells and or tastes good to them because the food is familiar or favourite because it is easy to eat As much as we’d like...
Food skills our kids are missing out on
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to send our children back in time? What would they do if they were expected to wash their own clothes, go outside to the “out-house” toilet, grow and pick food to eat and help make dinner? What’s changed in our food...
Seeing the Dietitian: What to Expect
If you’re like many of our new clients, you probably have NO idea what to expect at your first consultation. Finding the right Dietitian for your child and family is like finding the right family doctor or hairdresser. It’s not a “one size fits all” kinda thing. Even...
A meaty question – Why won’t my child eat meat?
How do we help kids learn to eat meat? I’ve been asked this question over and over by many a frustrated parent, carer and early childhood educator. Meat is one of the most difficult foods to learn how to chew and eat. It is a “hard mechanical” food that requires a...
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