Hi Dr. Jordan,
My almost 8yo son is very skinny, lowest decile by weight. I’m not worried (he just doesn’t have a big appetite, I think), but it’s on my mind and I want to gently encourage him to eat, without making it “a thing”.
I think we generally do the right things: having dinner together as a family, offering a diverse diet of whole foods, but letting our kids choose what to eat and in what amounts. No bargaining or tricks (“eat veggies, then you get dessert,…”). He often tries veggies, sometimes likes them. Sometimes has meat. (But pasta, rice, bread are his staples, ngl, but feels normal.)
My current approach: I make an effort to (casually) offer him food whenever I can. We always pack more than enough food for school. Increasingly aiming for quantity over quality: I’d rather he eat fruit again or a granola bar than nothing.
My questions:
– Quantity over quality snacks okay in this scenario (as long as we have high quality meals for dinner)?
– Be more liberal with ice cream, pastries etc.?
– He wants to have protein shakes whenever he sees me have some. I feel weird about him having them, but probably better than a lot of the alternatives?
– Any other suggestions?
As always, thank you for the great content and specifically for answering so many questions! This forum is awesome, and I love the templates.