The parents of a toddler are worried that the child is not eating enough because food is always left on the child's plate. What should the nurse encourage the parents to do?

Question

A) Place smaller amount on the child's plate.
B) Reinforce that the child is to eat everything on the plate.
C) Discipline the child for not eating by removing a toy from play.
D) Feed the child if refusing to eat the food on the plate independently.

Answer 1

A
Feedback:
Because the actual amount of food eaten daily varies, the parents should be instructed to place a small amount of food on a plate and allow their child to eat it and ask for more rather than serve a large portion the child cannot finish. Cleaning a plate gives a child a feeling of independent functioning, whereas leaving food uneaten suggests parents expected something more. Allowing self-feeding is a major way to both strengthen independence in a toddler and improve the amount of food consumed. Most toddlers insist on feeding themselves and generally will resist eating if a parent insists on feeding them. An individual child may react to repeated attempts at being fed by refusing to eat at all. The child does not need discipline.