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Handling lunchbox policing at school or daycare
Manage episode 472547062 series 3604318
Hello and Welcome to the Redwood Wellbeing Podcast, where each week I am dedicated to supporting parents on the journey of nurturing their child's healthy relationship with food and their body image.
Through practical, everyday strategies and tips, I help you to become empowered to make a lasting difference in your child's wellbeing journey.
In this mini episode I discuss;
- Lunchbox Policing in Schools: Schools often have food policies, but this can sometimes lead to harmful practices like telling kids what to eat or what order to eat in.
- Impact on Children’s Relationship with Food: Over-policing can create guilt, shame, or fear around eating. It may encourage kids to sneak food, hide what they eat, or develop disordered eating habits.
- Role of Parents and Teachers: Parents should decide what goes into the lunchbox but allow their child to choose how much and what to eat. Teachers should respect children’s food choices and avoid commenting on or policing what they eat.
- Food Labeling Issues: Labels like "good," "bad," or "junk" can harm a child’s food relationship, leading to binary thinking about food.
- Encouraging Positive Eating Habits: Teachers can support kids by focusing on mindful eating, not making judgements about the food. Encouraging variety and balance without labelling foods helps build a neutral perspective on food.
- What Parents Can Do: Advocate for their child’s right to eat freely by speaking respectfully to schools about the harms of food policing, and provide a range of foods but let the child decide how much to eat to help them build trust in their body’s cues.
- Script for Parents: A respectful letter template is provided for parents to use when advocating for their child’s food choices in school.
If you'd like to be a part of the Redwood Wellbeing community, you can subscribe to my podcast, and follow me on Instagram @redwoodwellbeing
You can also book in a free 1:1 consult for your own or your child's body image/intuitive eating on my website www.redwoodwellbeing.com.au
To get in touch, please email [email protected]
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Happy listening!
Lyss :)
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