Author’s practical guidance
They will not eat without it
Source named in the book: the division of responsibility in feeding (Satter)
You took the screen off the table and they stopped eating.
Say this now
“Food is at the table. You decide how much.”
Their half of it, handed back in one sentence.
“All done? All right.”
No negotiation. The meal ends when they say.
Do this
- Give it two weeks of eating less without comment from you about it.
- Keep offering the same food at the same times rather than making tempting substitutes.
- Watch energy and mood rather than counting mouthfuls at each meal.
- Weigh them at the start.
- Ask sooner rather than later if eating was already difficult before the screen came in.
Avoid this
- Putting it back because they ate less for a week. A week is inside the normal dip.
- Chasing them with a spoon instead. You have replaced one override with another.
- Waiting months while weight drops. The dip should be weeks, not months.
TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR IF
- Eating has not recovered after three weeks.
- They are losing weight, or growth has flattened.
- The list of foods they accept is shrinking.
- They gag, choke or vomit on ordinary textures.
- They were already a difficult feeder before the screen.
Why the book suggests this
You took the screen off the table and they stopped eating. A fortnight of eating less is the expected version of this and it passes, because appetite comes back once the child is the one noticing it again.
What is not the expected version is a child whose eating was already narrow, difficult or slow before the screen arrived. In that case the screen was covering something rather than causing it, and removing it uncovers a feeding problem that was there all along. That is worth proper attention rather than another fortnight of waiting.
Related prepared situations
What happened next?
From this collection
Same Words: Every Screen
45 prepared situations in this family area.