Playing With Food Can Help Kids Who Tend To Gain Weight Slower

Parents worry about their child’s slow growth in weight and a reason could be that they are not enjoying their food. According to new guidelines by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) in the US, children should be allowed to play with food to help overcome this obstacle.

How Will This Work

“There should not be pressure on the child to eat and the child should not be forced/coerced into eating. Likewise, distractions should be avoided. During the meal, families should talk about something not related with food,” says the guideline. It further adds that parents should let their child eat themselves and avoid spoon feeding. “Allow messy play and encourage the child to feel the texture of the food.”

The guidelines also suggests that drinking too many fluids can also cause loss of appetite. Adding on, it says that parents should not force the child to eat and fix regular meal times. “Having a child with faltering growth can be distressing for parents and carers. However, simple things such as encouraging relaxed and enjoyable feeding and mealtimes, eating together as a family or even allowing young children to be ‘messy’ with their food can help encourage them to eat,” says Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care at Nice to the Guardian.