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New research from Queensland University of Technology into the management of young children's feeding has indicated a need to better educate parents and carers about positive eating behaviours.
Research details
During 2007, Queensland University of Technology researcher Lynne Daniels surveyed 361 mothers of children aged 12–36 months about their management of early feeding.
The research found that many parents were not aware of, or not reinforcing, positive eating behaviours. According to Daniels, this poses a major threat to children, as their food preferences are usually well developed by the age of five. If babies are regularly exposed to even small amounts of sweet, fatty or salty foods it may lead them to preferring unhealthy foods over more nutritious ones.
The findings
Daniels' research into parents' management of feeding found that many mothers offer food to influence their baby's moods or behaviours, or as a way to encourage them to continue eating after they have indicated they are full. Daniels commented on the harm caused by such approaches to feeding:
'This emotional use of food is not related to hunger and satiety. In fact it is undermining a child's ability to self-regulate and know to eat when they are hungry and not to eat when they're not.'
'If a child refuses food they're familiar with and usually eat or does not finish their meal, the appropriate response is to accept they are no longer hungry and take the food away, but only a third of mothers were doing that regularly.'
Daniels has said these feeding practices are a 'major threat to child and nutritional health' and that Australia needs 'a new approach to early feeding'.
In 2008, Daniels will collaborate with Flinders University on a new study, 'Feed well; Grow well', funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, which will work with 830 mothers in South Australia to promote nutritional feeding practices.
Read Queensland University of Technology's 'Small window to influence kids' nutrition'.
Further reading
View these related items on the Early Childhood Australia website:
Related resources on the Early Childhood Australia website:
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