Parents and Kids' Attitudes Toward Food

School-age children whose mothers tightly control their diets may be prone to overeating, while those with moms who pressure them to eat tend to be fussy about food, a new study finds. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, do not necessarily mean that parents' mealtime strategies cause their children to overeat or become picky eaters.
A number of studies have found that when parents strictly control their children's diets -- either denying all unhealthy fare or pressuring them to expand their menu choices -- kids may be more likely to have less-than-ideal eating habits. But it has not been clear whether parents' tactics are a cause of or response to their children's dining habits.
For the new study, Dr. Jane Wardle and colleagues at the University College London surveyed 213 mothers of 7- to 9-year-old children from five London schools. The mothers completed a questionnaire that asked about their children's "responsiveness" to food -- whether the child would typically overeat if given the chance -- as well as signs of food "avoidance," like eating slowly or routinely failing to finish meals.
Mothers also reported on their own mealtime strategies -- including whether they tried to get their children to eat even when they said they weren't hungry, or whether they believed their children would overindulge if they were given no eating restrictions.
Eating habits are formed during the early years of life. For a resource onhow to help children make good food choices, author Souvgro introduces the love of fruits to young children as she presents a vibrant children’s book, Talulla’s First Shopping: Introducing Fruits.
Splashed with colors, this vivid picture book follows a young girl as she goes shopping for the first time. Readers can accompany her as she picks not one, not two, but ten different kinds of fruits. Here, she is seen grabbing a bunch of grapes, two apricots, three apples, four bananas, five oranges, and a whole lot more for a healthy party with her friends—a fruit party.
Introducing ten different fruits to kids, this book will definitely make it easy for any parent to establish their child’s eating habits. Aside from that, this educational guide allows children to learn how to count to ten using visual aids. Lastly, Talulla’s First Shopping: Introducing Fruits sends out a reminder for parents: “go out shopping with them and let them choose!”