The influence that a parent has over a child's food preferences starts as early as pregnancy. The amniotic fluid that surrounds the foetus has been shown to contain many flavours in the maternal diet. Once the child is born and the mother has started breastfeed, the milk she is giving her infant contains nutrients from her dietary intake. For young children their family is their primary influence on the development of their food habits.Parents and older siblings become the young Childs role model. Food attitudes of parents can directly influence like and dislike of children. Young children are completely dependent on their caregivers for the provision of food and it is those caregivers responsibility to provide these children with nutritious developmentally appropriate foods. The relationship with foods is shared with parents and their children. The parents decide safe nutritious food ,snack and fluid and the children decide how much , if any they will eat.
Meals that are rushed fraught with arguments and other emotional tension all create. a negative attitude to food. A positive environments with sufficient time set aside to eat , realistic expectations and conversation that includes all family members reinforces a positive relationship with foods and meals times.
Parenting styles can affect a Childs relationship with food. In general parental control of feeding practises especially restrictive feeding practices tends to be associated with overeating and poor self regulations of energy intake in preschool - age range children. The manner in which eating behaviour is affected depends on the nature of the command.
Using food as a reward for good behaviour increased preschool -age children's preferences for those food and because sweet, palatable foods are often used as rewards this practise can have the unintended consequence of promoting children's preference for energy dense palatable foods that are often unhealthy.
Excessive parental control and pressure to eat may also influence dietary intake and disrupt children's short term behavioural control of food intake. Thus pressuring children to eat their vegetables in order to leave the table or as a contingency to receiving dessert may ultimately lead to the dislike of those vegetables.
The balance of setting limits and clear expectations with consideration the child's need is thought to promote appropriate nutrition and growth.
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