November 16, 2015
For Red Deer resident Jackie Tomalty, a free Alberta Health Services program proved her meal ticket to a truce at the table with her daughter Holly, almost two, and her four-year-old son, Joe. Goodbye Mealtime Struggles, a two-hour workshop, helped Tomalty find solutions to help address their picky eating habits and find new strategies to take to her table.
Story and Photo by Heather Marcoux
For Red Deer resident Jackie Tomalty, there’s often trouble around the dinner table, but thanks to a free workshop offered through Alberta Health Services, her family is looking forward to the end of to mealtime struggles.
“I always strive to be the best parent, but when it comes to food, I feel like I was losing control,” says Tomalty, mom to Joe, four, and Holly, almost two. “Both are very picky; Joe rarely tries new things. It got to the point that we were just feeding him whatever he would eat.”
In an effort to get Joe – a fan of greek yogurt, waffles, and chicken and fries – to eat a more balanced diet, his mom often hides vegetables or legumes in kid-friendly dishes, but sometimes Joe detects and rejects the extra nutrition.
“It’s like he can taste the health,” she says.
So when Tomalty spotted a poster for Goodbye Mealtime Struggles, a free introductory workshop for parents of kids from six months to five years, she signed up in the hopes of making mealtimes easier for the whole family. She found that, although it can be frustrating for parents, picky eating is normal and especially common during the toddler years.
“What I thought was great was the camaradarie around the workshop table,” says Tomalty. “Hearing another mom say their child only eats cheese and bread, and knowing I wasn’t the only one dealing with this was a big help.”
Through discussions led by a pediatric occupational therapist and a registered dietitian, parents who attend Goodbye Mealtime Struggles explore the reasons behind picky eating and decide which first-step strategies to take at their own dinner tables.
“It is important for parents to remember that meals are about more than food; they are a time to connect with your children, to support their development and build strong family relationships,” says registered dietitian Shelley Cooper, who adds that eating together as a family without distractions like TV, toys and games helps children listen to their internal hunger and fullness cues.
During the two-hour workshop, registered dietitians like Cooper help parents learn about setting a routine, and how to introduce healthy new foods and appropriate portion sizes.
“All children develop and accept new foods at different speeds. Allow your child to discover new foods – see, smell, touch, taste,” Cooper says. “Often it takes a child several steps before they will eat a food.”
According to Steve Tetz, Area Lead and Professional Practice Lead for Pediatric Occupational Therapy, one of the first steps parents learn during the workshop is to redefine perceptions about what “eating” and “mealtimes” mean, and how to focus on what’s going well with mealtimes as a place to build from.
“They gain insight into eating from the child’s perspective,” explains Tetz. “Parents see how to piece together development, routines, positive nutrition, and relationships.”
It’s the kind of information that is helping Tomalty with both of her children.
“I think that with Holly, if we can just be proactive we can avoid some of the struggles later on. It’s all about consistency and it’s hard, but I’m hopeful,” she says.
Goodbye Mealtime Struggles is suitable for parents of children who do not have complex medical or feeding concerns. The class is offered in Red Deer, Wetaskiwin and Camrose, and is coming to Olds, Vegreville and Stettler in the New Year.
