TNC 114: When Grandparents Feed Your Child Sweets & Treats

When other relatives take care of your kids, your food choices for them and feeding routines can swerve off track. One of the questions I get from parents is around grandparents feeding their grandkids. Parents complain or are distressed by their own parents or in-laws feeding their kids unhealthy food. Grandparents may give their grandchildren too many sweets. Or let them off the hook at mealtime and give them what they really want to eat, like pizza or chicken nuggets. Or, perhaps they blatantly violate nutrition values that have been expressed to them by the child’s parents. Sometimes the dynamic around relatives feeding children, especially grandparents, can put parents in a quandary. I tapped Dina Rose for this episode. Dina’s a sociologist and feeding expert who teaches parents, educators, and nutritionists about helping kids develop healthy, sustainable eating habits. Over the summer, kids may see their grandparents a bit more, so I hope this episode will give you some guidance in this area. I’ll be back in September with a lineup of new guests and episodes. In the meantime, Enjoy!