How we eat is just as important as what we eat. Here are some important things to consider:

Help your child learn to listen to their body

• Help your child recognise the feelings of hunger, fullness, thirst, constipation, etc
• Show your child how to respond to those feelings
• Allow your child to stop eating the food on their plate if they think they have had enough already
• Trust your child to continue eating when hungry and to stop when full
• Remember sometimes children say they are hungry when they are actually feeling sad, lonely or bored. Try to avoid using food to make them feel better – there might be other ways you can do this

Encourage health eating patterns

• Try to have regular meals
• Base snacks mostly on everyday foods
• Instead of “good” and “bad” foods, talk to your child about “everyday” and “sometimes” foods
• Ensure most of the foods available at home are everyday foods
• Involve your child in shopping for and preparing food. This can help them develop curiosity and confidence in new foods

Avoid mixed messages

• Try to use rewards and incentives that are not related to food
• Model the eating of sometimes foods without talking about feeling bad or guilty.
• Keep track of screen time and ensure your child is getting enough physical activity, and limit exposure to adverts etc promoting “sometimes foods” or ideal body shapes