Roanoke Rapids daily herald., 1948-10-29
HOME.
Cure For
An Eutinq
Problem
By GARRY CLEVELAND MYERS, PAD.


By GARRY CLEVELAND MYERS, PAD.
PERHAPS I have sometimes
failed to make clear some Of the
advice have given on preventing
and correcting eating problems. Re-
peatedly I have said: "At the be-
ginning Of the meal, place before
the youngster the most essential
food first, very small portion Of it,
nothing more. II he does not choose
to eat it, end his meal then and there
and take him away from the table
and let him have no other food till
the next regular mealtime.
Some months ago l observed a
young mother trying to carry out
this advice with a child 10 months
Of age, who wanted to eat only =
few foods, refusing many others he
needed for good nutrition. At the
meal ! observed, for instance, she
gave him some carrots in 4 quantity
not much larger than q lima bean.
He ate it avidly. Then she gave him
. very small portion Of tomato and
he ate that. Next she gave him some
baked potato, his favorits food. He
yelled for more Of it but she gave
him another small portion Of carrot
and as he refused it she ended his
meal. he yelled and cried and coaxed
but he got no more food till the next
regular mealtime when he was so
hungry he ate quickly every food
offered him. Nevertheless the mother
offered him ut this meal small por-
tion Of each Of two essential foods
she knew he had not chosen readily
before.
Not Offered Again
At my suggestion, the mother at
the third meal merely had him run
the gauntlet Of eating each very
small bit Of food offered, two of
them, one at = time, before he got
his favorite. But she did not at this
meal offer him again any more of
the first two foods. After several
days he was eating practically
everything offered, begging for
more Of the foods he used to refuse.
OF course, if this mother had held
out over enough days with her hard
er way she also might have won. But
it would have taken more days and
have been more costly to him and
her.
Can Understand
The child nearly three or older
can understand when told, "You can
have that after you have eaten this"
The child younger may get this
through his head much more slowly.
But 1t any age the rule, One food at
. time and in very, very small por-
tion, is very important. No end Of
trouble arises over the insistance
that the child eat "all Of it, when the
portion is as much as 3 teaspoonful
or Of two or more foods together.
Suppose the child eight, nine or
ten refuses to taste an unfamiliar
food or another food he strongly
dislikes, which is meant for the
whole family. If you have good con-
troll Of him and yourself you can
merely tell him he must eat a bit,
however small, Of the certain food
before he may have other food. Well
to let him serve himself, taking as
small portion as hs wishes 50 long as
the amount is visible to you. Proper
control Of this child means that he
must have no other food till the
next inesltime in case he refused
the particular food in question. my
bulletin, Eating Problems: Their
Prevention and Correction" may
b had in . stamped envelope).
Answering Parents Questions
@. You often urge us parents to
encourage the child At telling jokes.
Why?
A. As = good medium Of verbal
expression, Of companionship in the
family, and for general social &C.
complishments, not to mention the
value to mental health and person.
ality.
Q. Should children hear parents
describe before guests, "My aches
and pains and operations
A. OF course not; nor anything
else so silly and childish.
@. II Dad thinks it a good thing
for his son 10 60 to church, what is
good procedure!
A. To 20 regularly with his son
to church, having also cultivated
happy eompanionship with him in
many other ways.