3 Reasons to Let Go of Mom Guilt When Seeking Help with Your Child’s Nutrition
As parents we try to give our kids what we think is best for them—the most educational toys, chores to learn responsibility, and good food so they can grow healthy and strong.
All of this and many others are limited by what we know. So we read as much as we can, observe our friends and ask questions to those we see as wise.
Below are three reasons you should not feel shame or "mom guilt" when seeking guidance in nutrition for your child.
1. You probably weren’t offered a child nutrition class
If you are like me, you were offered an infant care class and a breastfeeding class. I was incredibly grateful for the infant care class! Everything I needed to know to keep my baby alive and me sane for the first year of life.
And while the breastfeeding class may have helped some in feeding their child from the beginning, when your babe was 6 months old you found yourself on our own with a ton of questions. What foods should I give my baby first? What foods pose a choking risk? How much should my baby eat? How often?
Maybe your pediatrician stepped in with some wise counsel and those questions were not hard to answer.
Whether you were blessed with a child that eats everything or one that you need to convince the food won't hurt him/her, most parents have never received education. A class regarding how to prevent “picky eating,” prevent food allergies and role of parent and child in feeding are just a few topics that would be so useful to many.
Don't you think something we do multiple times a day (feed our family) that also has lifelong impact on well-being deserves some quality resources and time?
There is a major need for child nutrition classes in hospitals and in our communities. Therefore, you are off the hook, maybe someday in the future you will be offered or see widespread opportunities for learning how to feed our children well.
2. There’s a lot of conflicting information
Quick exercise... is fruit good for you? What about all the sugar in fruit? Is brown rice really good for you? It has the same amount of carbs as white rice. Have you asked any of these questions or similar ones? You are not alone.
There is unfortunately tons of misinformation about nutrition on the internet that even dietitian nutritionists have difficulty sifting through. New research constantly changes our perspective, therefore you see trends such as low fat, low carb etc. Lastly, nutrition is not always one size fits all. Nutritional needs change based on age, gender, activity level, any disease present etc.
You should not feel ashamed or embarrassed if you feel confused about nutrition. It is more than “Eat more veggies!”
Maybe you feel confident on what to feed your family, but have your children grasped the concept? Do they follow you, understanding that you know what is best for them? Or do you experience push back daily which becomes exhausting? If so, keep reading…
3. It’s not always easy to apply what we know
If it was easy to apply what we know there would be less obesity and more routine exercisers. Even when we know what is good for us, many factors influence follow-through.
We increase the degree of difficulty when we try to apply what we know for someone else. In feeding our children, developmental maturity and parenting styles need to be considered. "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink." Therefore, you should not feel guilty if you know what your family needs to eat to stay healthy but it is just not happening.
Let It Go
So, friends, now is the time to let go of any feelings of failure you might have.
In an ideal world, you would have been offered a nutrition and child development class, as well as ongoing support for questions and application. But that’s rarely the case.
A dietitian nutritionist can help guide you on what your child needs at different stages of growth, as well as help navigate other factors (i.e. specific diet considerations, power struggle over food, etc.) and questions you may have.
As always, if we can help, don’t hesitate to CONTACT US.
