In anticipation of her upcoming event with the Chicago Feeding Group, Marsha Dunn Klein, OTR/L, MEd, FAOTA sat down with one of CFG’s own team members to discuss how supporting parents is just as important as supporting children at the table. Summarized in a brief letter, read on to hear their discussion on showing yourself kindness, finding what helps you stay calm, and making room for lots of celebrations along the way in your journey with pediatric feeding disorder.

Dear Parent, 

Please give yourself grace. Parenting is hard. All parents come up with significant surges of strong positive as well as negative feelings with parenting. Just remember, YOU are doing the best you can! Mealtimes may be stressful for the whole family, including yourself. We want you to know you also deserve to be acknowledged throughout this process as you, the parent, play an important role in the relationship you have with your child.

Some ideas to keep mealtimes positive for the entire family:

• Involve your child in meal prep and clean up
  • Interacting with foods in enjoyable ways helps children increase comfort and confidence around foods and actively participate in family mealtimes. It may get messy but that is okay! Try to remain calm. Consider placing a tarp/shower curtain on the floor around your child’s seat at the table or have a washcloth handy for messy hands!
• Establish clear, realistic mealtime expectations
  • Routines can help mealtimes be more predictable and enjoyable for your child. For instance, Does your child know that they can eat when they can of what is offered and stop when they are full? Is the expectation that the family will be sitting together at the table and eat with your child?
• Enjoy family discussions that do not revolve around food
  • Chat about the fun parts of the day! 
• Allow your child to have control
  • Be sure the mealtimes has at least 1 or 2 foods that are familiar to you child and respect if your child says “no”. 
• Foster positive interactions with food
  • Find interesting and enjoyable ways to interact with food that are appropriate for your child and sparks your child’s interest. For instance, could they help you make fruit kabobs and interesting shaped sandwiches?

One of the most important tips we encourage parents to remember during stressful moments is to try to remain CALM. This can be difficult especially during heightened emotional times. There will be many times where your patience is tested and it may help to practice your own emotional regulation techniques. Some strategy suggestions that might help you include: 

• Mindfulness
  • Let your mind step away for a brief moment. Take a few deep, long inhales and exhales. This allows time to bring your heart rate down and recognize your emotions before acting. 
• Pauses  
  • Take a deep, slow breath before reacting. Pause and respond to your child and the situation.
• Give yourself credit
  • Be kind to your inner parent self. Keep learning from each experience with your child. Each experience is a bonding moment with your child as well. 

Another important reminder is to CELEBRATE your child! Your child is learning and exploring the world with you! We want to acknowledge the positive things your children are doing around mealtimes. Just remember, you are doing a great job! And so are your kids! You are learning about your child as much as your child is learning about the world. We are cheering you on!

Sincerely,

The Chicago Feeding Group and Marsha

Written by: Nicole Bing, OTD-S

In collaboration with Marsha Dunn Klein, OTR/L, MEd, FAOTA

References 

Marsha Dunn Klein Interview. 5 Nov 2021. 

Black, M. M., & Hurley, K. M. (2017). Responsive feeding: Strategies to promote healthy mealtime interactions. In Complementary feeding: building the foundations for a healthy life (Vol. 87, pp. 153-165). Karger Publishers.