The Confident Eater

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You can make a difference

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You can make a difference Judith Yeabsley|Fussy Eating NZ, #TheConfidentEater, #FussyEatingNZ, #TryNewFoods #HelpForFussyEating, #HelpForFussyEaters, #FussyEater, #FussyEating, #PickyEater, #PickyEating, #SupportForFussyEaters, #SupportForPickyEaters, #CreatingConfidentEaters, #TryNewFood #PickyEatingNZ #HelpForPickyEaters, #HelpForPickyEating, #Wellington, #NZ, #JudithYeabsley

What if you could make a difference?

You have the world’s most ‘stubborn’ and challenged child when it comes to food. They refuse anything new and only seem happy when they get an endless list of favourite foods.

Sound familiar?

If so, you are in great company. Even if you feel that your child is different from everyone else’s, many other parents feel the same way. 

A child who doesn’t eat all the lovely, nutritious foods we are told they must have can be a real stress. It can make a parent feel like they are failing in one of their core responsibilities.

But do not fear, there are solutions.

How you can make a difference 

Living with a picky eater can be like seeing rain every day,
but it doesn’t have to be that way, so let’s go looking for that rainbow.

There is a reason I am ‘The Confident Eater’. It was obvious to me, once I began working with families, that one of the core issues preventing parents supporting their child to eat more widely, was that they did not believe their child could eat new foods and add them to the menu.

Experience had showed them that most things they tried to do to improve the eating did not work, and their child was not taking steps forwards or was even going backwards in the eating sphere.

How to make a difference for your fussy eater, Judith Yeabsley|Fussy Eating NZ, Happy Mum, #HowToMakeADifferenceForYourFussyEater, #HowToMakeADifferenceForYourPickyEater, #TryNewFoods, #TheConfidentEater, #FussyEatingNZ, #HelpForFussyEating, #HelpForFussyEaters, #FussyEater, #FussyEating, #PickyEater, #PickyEating, #SupportForFussyEaters, #SupportForPickyEaters, #CreatingConfidentEaters, #TryNewFood #PickyEatingNZ #HelpForPickyEaters, #HelpForPickyEating, #Wellington, #NZ, #JudithYeabsley

At the end of one of the first parent workshops I ran, a mother came up to me and said “I thought my son’s fussy eating was all him. Now I realise it’s 70% me”.

Which does NOT mean I am suggesting fussy eating is your ‘fault’. However, as a parent you can inadvertently stop progress without even realising it and it is something I see a lot.

You don’t know what you don’t know. You are also perhaps working from inappropriate advice, mixing and matching between different strategies or just a bit lost as to what to do.

This is absolutely not about blame or making you feel bad either. In fact, it’s the opposite, it’s showing how you can help, how valuable you are in the eating journey, and what a difference you really can make once you have the tools.

How to make a difference for your fussy eater, Judith Yeabsley|Fussy Eating NZ, Happy family, #HowToMakeADifferenceForYourFussyEater, #HowToMakeADifferenceForYourPickyEater, #TryNewFoods, #TheConfidentEater, #FussyEatingNZ, #HelpForFussyEating, #HelpForFussyEaters, #FussyEater, #FussyEating, #PickyEater, #PickyEating, #SupportForFussyEaters, #SupportForPickyEaters, #CreatingConfidentEaters, #TryNewFood #PickyEatingNZ #HelpForPickyEaters, #HelpForPickyEating, #Wellington, #NZ, #JudithYeabsley

In the vast majority of cases parents are the ones best placed to work with their children to resolve fussy eating. My PhD intervention demonstrated that parents can work miracles when given the tools.

So, if that is true, what are you able to do to make a difference for your fussy eater? The answer is lots!

Ways you can make a difference for your fussy eater

1. Believe. Have the belief you can make a difference because in most cases you CAN! Who is more invested, spends more time or knows a child as well as you, the caregiver? You are the key to making this work.

2. Confident. Absolutely be confident that your child is able to do new things even if all evidence points to the opposite. I have seen time and again, children who were not even willing to contemplate a new food, learn to do so.
Part of this may absolutely be ‘fake it until you make it’. Think about how positive you are about your child’s swimming and reading. However, often when it comes to eating, you do not feel confident in their abilities.

How to make a difference for your fussy eater, Judith Yeabsley|Fussy Eating NZ, Children swimming, #HowToMakeADifferenceForYourFussyEater, #HowToMakeADifferenceForYourPickyEater, #TryNewFoods, #TheConfidentEater, #FussyEatingNZ, #HelpForFussyEating, #HelpForFussyEaters, #FussyEater, #FussyEating, #PickyEater, #PickyEating, #SupportForFussyEaters, #SupportForPickyEaters, #CreatingConfidentEaters, #TryNewFood #PickyEatingNZ #HelpForPickyEaters, #HelpForPickyEating, #Wellington, #NZ, #JudithYeabsley

Think about how we, as a society, even talk about children’s eating if it is not going well, calling someone a picky eater or a fussy eater really says, “you aren’t very good at eating”.

  • Believe. However, if you believe your child can eat something, they are far more likely to believe it too.

• Creating a growth mindset.
Think about the future and what you can make happen over time. For example, your child eating spinach may be too much of a challenge at the moment, but you can definitely get there and have your child eating it. Believing they can learn to eat spinach and then communicating it is important.

• Positive body language. You may be saying “I know you can do this” but if
your expression shouts defeat then your child will know this. So how can you present a positive image? If you are nervously offering a new food then again, that vibe is what your child is seeing. Show no fear, 😊 think swimming and the brave face you show despite a toddler’s tears.

How to make a difference for your fussy eater, Judith Yeabsley|Fussy Eating NZ, Father & son eating croissants, #HowToMakeADifferenceForYourFussyEater, #HowToMakeADifferenceForYourPickyEater, #TryNewFoods, #TheConfidentEater, #FussyEatingNZ, #HelpForFussyEating, #HelpForFussyEaters, #FussyEater, #FussyEating, #PickyEater, #PickyEating, #SupportForFussyEaters, #SupportForPickyEaters, #CreatingConfidentEaters, #TryNewFood #PickyEatingNZ #HelpForPickyEaters, #HelpForPickyEating, #Wellington, #NZ, #JudithYeabsley

3. Opportunity. It is important to give your child the chance to take that step forwards. You can self-sabotage easily, and often not even realise you are doing so.

If you offer a new nugget but say “Oh, this is not one of your favourite ones” or “don’t bother putting the nuggets on his plate, he won’t eat it”,
you are inadvertently stopping your child from making potential progress.

Serving the food with a smile and then stepping back is part of an effective strategy.

Eating is one of the most complex physiological actions we perform. It is also social, emotional, and psychological. Much of what happens around food is habit. Much relies on layers of beliefs built up over the years. And just as importantly, it is dependent on what is happening with those around you.

Resolving fussy eating is a whole series of steps that create a bigger picture. Some of the changes that truly make a difference are really subtle.

If you are convinced there is no solution, then you are stamping failure on the process from the beginning. I have seen so many near miraculous turn-arounds that I am always confident that there is a way to make progress.

How to make a difference for your fussy eater, Judith Yeabsley|Fussy Eating NZ, Mum & children, #HowToMakeADifferenceForYourFussyEater, #HowToMakeADifferenceForYourPickyEater, #TryNewFoods, #TheConfidentEater, #FussyEatingNZ, #HelpForFussyEating, #HelpForFussyEaters, #FussyEater, #FussyEating, #PickyEater, #PickyEating, #SupportForFussyEaters, #SupportForPickyEaters, #CreatingConfidentEaters, #TryNewFood #PickyEatingNZ #HelpForPickyEaters, #HelpForPickyEating, #Wellington, #NZ, #JudithYeabsley

You believing that you can make a difference for your child is a key starting point in this becoming a reality for your family. Use the following for success:

1. Be a parent who is committed to making a difference.

2. Grab the tools so you are confident you can make changes.

3. Get support so this becomes a reality.

If you would like some help or some tools, please get in touch. You absolutely are the key to making a difference for your fussy eater.

In fact, let’s find not just the rainbow, but the pot of gold too!!

How to make a difference for your fussy eater, Judith Yeabsley|Fussy Eating NZ, Rainbow, #HowToMakeADifferenceForYourFussyEater, #HowToMakeADifferenceForYourPickyEater, #TryNewFoods, #TheConfidentEater, #FussyEatingNZ, #HelpForFussyEating, #HelpForFussyEaters, #FussyEater, #FussyEating, #PickyEater, #PickyEating, #SupportForFussyEaters, #SupportForPickyEaters, #CreatingConfidentEaters, #TryNewFood #PickyEatingNZ #HelpForPickyEaters, #HelpForPickyEating, #Wellington, #NZ, #JudithYeabsley

Judith, MA Cantab (Cambridge University), MSc Psychology (first-class honours), is working on a PhD, is an AOTA accredited picky eating advisor and internationally certified nutritional therapist. She works with 100+ families every year resolving fussy eating and returning pleasure and joy to the meal table.

She is also mum to two boys and the author of Creating Confident Eaters and Winner Winner I Eat Dinner. Her dream is that every child can approach food from a place of safety and joy, not fear.

Learn more about Judith here: https://theconfidenteater.com/about/

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