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Proper nutrition is important for everyone, but especially for young kids as they grow and develop.
The big question, though, is what doeseating healthyreally look like?
For one dad onReddit, feeding his two children frequent, small meals throughout the day works just fine.
But his sister-in-law disagrees.
She believes that kids should eat three strict meals a day, no exceptions.
This difference of opinion has led to some fiery arguments between the two.
Read on to find out how theyre handling theirfamily feud.
Im (30M) a stay-at-home dad.
My wife (29F) and I have two kids together.
Our oldest is 4 and our youngest is 18 months.
I became the stay-at-home parent when our oldest was born.
SIL was stunned when I became the stay-at-home parent vs my wife.
Stunned and traditional are her choice of words, just so youre aware.
SIL believes in 3 meals a day no matter what the age and nothing more or less.
She believes that is the way it has been done for centuries and it works.
My wife and I approach it differently.
We feed the kids smaller, more frequent meals and snacks.
And at home my wife or I have stuff pre-made and ready to go.
This means my kids eat little meals or snacks every three-ish hours.
Not large quantities but smaller and more frequently than my nieces and nephews.
She brought it up out of nowhere because she saw the bag I keep the lunch boxes in.
She didnt even see them eat anything but needed to say something.
She stormed off outraged and there have been multiple texts from her and my brother since.
Hes mostly just telling me what shes saying but she is big mad.
As they grow older, their calorie requirements increase.
And since kids have smaller stomachs than adults, their portions dont need to be large.
This approach involves paying close attention to hunger cues.
If a child seems full, you might ask them, Are you full?
rather than Are you done?
This encourages them to reflect on their hunger rather than just finishing whats on their plate.
Setting a good example as an adult is also crucial.
Moreover, adults can make mealtime fun by offering a variety offoodsand using playful descriptions like crunchy or juicy.
When kids see this, theyre more open to giving new things a taste.
Children are naturally curious, and they want to explore, Dev adds.
Allowing them to explore new, healthy foods will expose them to different options and find what they like.
The goal is to make eating a joyful and rewarding experience, not something children forced to endure.
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