Nov. Discussion Summary

November’s journal club discussion focused on feeding practices during early childhood. Most of the journal club respondents had some impression of controlling feeding practices (CFP) before reading the article. The common thread in these initial impressions was the “clean plate club.” Along with this “clean plate” feeding practice came concerns that children’s caregivers may prevent children from recognizing hunger/satiety cues by being enticing them into eating all the food they are served. CFP were believed to have some significant long-lasting effects on children’s personal feeding practices, since ages 2-5 years old are very influential ages in development. The consensus about a more desirable approach caregivers could take to children’s feeding practices, was a need for a shift to teaching children mindful eating instead of emphasizing eating all food served. The role of the RD in training childcare providers on avoiding CFP was also discussed. RD-created training sessions generally were recommended to focus on identifying CFP, strategies for replacing CFP with healthful feeding practices (HFP), modeling trying new foods, age-appropriate portion sizes, and use of role playing to practice using HFP. Finally, the importance of consistency of feeding practices between parents and childcare providers was emphasized. It was suggested that childcare providers and parents participate in periodic collaborative conferences about feeding practices and mealtime behaviors of children. A common theme relating to this topic was the desire to continue replacing CFP with HFP into elementary school and beyond. Overall, a cooperative, consistent, and long-lasting focus on avoiding CFP use with young children was the clear recommendation from the journal club respondents.