• You decide WHAT, WHEN and WHERE food is served. Kids decide WHETHER and HOW MUCH to eat. Kids who help prepare food are more likely to taste it and eat it. For more feeding tips, click here. 

• Set up regular times for meals and snacks to ensure kids are hungry and ready to eat when it is time for meals.

• Serve food family-style. Let children serve themselves as much as they want. Research shows that kids who serve themselves eat fewer calories than kids who are served food on the plate. That is because they are able to self-regulate and listen to their internal hunger and satiety cues.

• Wait until everyone is seated before starting to eat.

• Turn off the TV and phones.

• Keep the experience pleasant by talking about fun topics that kids can participate in. If your family is looking for mealtime conversation starters, click here.

• Be patient when offering new foods to kids. Research shows that kids need about 8-10 exposures to a food before they are willing to taste it. Forcing kids to try new foods can backfire. Research also shows that kids who are pressured to taste food are less likely to try it again on their own later.

• Allow your child to decide how much is enough to eat. Kids have a natural ability to self-regulate. Forcing them to finish their plate interferes with this critical self-regulatory skill. If you let your children serve themselves, food leftovers are less likely to be an issue.

• It is best not to offer foods such as chocolate and desserts as rewards for eating meals. Be relaxed and treat all foods equally. It helps develop healthy attitudes towards foods.

• Have wipes handy. It is normal for kids, especially preschoolers, to spill some foods as they feed themselves. Things will improve as their motor skills improve.