Your Worth Isn’t Measured in What Your Kids Eat with Megan McNamee (E55)

Ep 2

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[00:00:00] If you've ever spent an hour cutting fruit into stars or bribing your toddler to take just one bite, only to watch that lovingly made lunch, hit the floor. You're in good company. In this episode, Megan McNamee from Feeding Littles joins me to talk about what feeding our kids really looks like and how to let go of the pressure, perfection, and Pinterest level expectations we're all drowning in

Feeding our kids was supposed to be simple, right? We imagined tiny hands reaching for tiny sandwiches and happy family meals like the stock photos promised.

Instead, it's goldfish in the car, tears over broccoli and the gnawing mom guilt over every drive through dinner. That's why I am so grateful to bring back Meghan McNamee. She's a mom of [00:01:00] two, a registered dietician and the co-founder of Feeding Littles, where she helps parents raise intuitive, adventurous eaters. She's also a number one New York Times bestselling co-author of Feeding Little's Lunches and Feeding Littles and Beyond.

She's the genius behind the Feeding Little's Instagram account and the Feeding Littles busy bag, which might save your sanity the next time you attempt dinner out with your toddlers.

But what I love most is how Megan strips away the shame and shows us how food can be joyful again, for our kids and for us.

Krissy: Megan, thank you so much for being back with us today.

Megan McNamee: you for having me again.

Krissy: Episode.

We shared all about your personal story, about how you ended up into this feeding littles universe that you're a part of right now that you've started. And now I really wanna hear it's about, what you're teaching, what you're sharing.

What do you wish more moms knew about feeding their kids? That has nothing to do with food.

Megan McNamee: That if you want your child to want to come to the table and eat, [00:02:00] it's so important to make that experience something they look forward to,

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: something that's positive. Um, a lot of us feel like our job is to get our, make our kids eat, get our kids to eat. But really our job is to let our kids eat.

Krissy: Mm-hmm.

Megan McNamee: if we view dinnertime like a battleground, like it is my job to put, you know, make you eat,

Krissy: Mm.

Megan McNamee: your kid is going to sense that, right?

And it's going to feel stressful and it's gonna feel like something they don't look forward to, they don't wanna come to. And it kind of gets to be cyclical, right? The more we force and push and have control over what goes in their mouth, the more they push back on us and don't wanna come to the table.

And then you get all these behaviors of, you know, never wanting to sit, you know, running away when it's time for meals. Saying they're full after they had one bite and then going and eating snacks, all that kind of stuff. And um, some of that behavior is just normal toddler behavior anyway. But we want our kids to think about food and mealtime [00:03:00] as an opportunity of connection first and foremost, and a time for them to listen to their body and listen to what their body is telling them.

And that they're in charge of what goes in their body.

Krissy: I am in definitely a relatable phase where what

Megan McNamee: Yep.

Krissy: of they can run back and forth and

Megan McNamee: Mm-hmm.

Krissy: and I try to do that the best I can of just saying like, okay, if you wanna come meet with us, great. Otherwise go play. And that way, but like, you know, with boundaries, like toys aren't gonna come to the table with you

Megan McNamee: right,

Krissy: isn't gonna go to the toys, like,

Megan McNamee: right, right.

Krissy: part of the activity. but it, it's definitely a tricky balance, especially with little kids because you're

Megan McNamee: It's so hard.

Krissy: how much is gonna stick

Megan McNamee: Right.

Krissy: I do the

Megan McNamee: Yeah. And it's really like, there's, there's days that you're like, this sucks. And they didn't eat anything and I put all this time into it, but they had like four cartons of strawberries right before this. And, uh, I'm just gonna try again tomorrow. Like, and that's kind of what I always [00:04:00] say is like, you have another opportunity.

They have to eat often. You get to try again in the morning, you know, you get to try again at lunchtime. Um, it feels really thankless in this stage that, you know, many of your listeners are in. It feels like, oh my God, I put all this money and time into making something I thought that they would like, and they're not even considering it.

They're not even, you know, it, it feels almost disrespectful because as adults we assume we associate eating and enjoyment of that food with like respect for the chef.

Krissy: right, right.

Megan McNamee: And kids have no awareness of that whatsoever. And they're not doing it to be disrespectful. They're usually struggling with the flavor, the texture, you know, what it looks like.

The fact that they just got pulled away from their red truck that they were really into, and they don't really wanna eat right now because they're actually not that hungry. 'cause they had a lot of food earlier in the day. And you know, we just, we assume like, well, can't you tell how much this means to me that I've made this for you?

They, they're [00:05:00] not there at all. They're, they, they're not thinking about that at all. So, um. If you can try to make the mealtime like a guideline to keep in your head is like, it is my job to offer the food. It's my job to, to have the dinner time at like a regular meal and snacks, schedule a routine and at a regular place, oftentimes the dinner table, sometimes the counter, sometimes the floor, sometimes you know, at the picnic, whatever.

But if we're trying to keep a routine with this and I offer food, I know that they like at least one thing on this plate. Their job is to eat it or not. That's not my job. That's their job. And if with, you know, most typically developing kids who don't have any oral motor or sensory issues,

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: they will get their needs met.

Over the course of say, a week, they might eat only oranges in this meal and then they eat some pasta [00:06:00] and meatballs or whatever and the next one. And then for breakfast the next day suddenly they're ravenous and they eat like a bear. And you're like, what is happening? They normalize their intake over the course of a week and we have some interesting evidence to show this.

Um, and it's wild 'cause parents will say all the time, they're growing totally fine. Like, their doctor's completely happy with their growth. How is it possible they don't eat? And I'm like, well, they probably do eat, they just don't eat consistently.

Krissy: Yes, yes. I noticed that too, where like my kids will like not eat for an entire day, and then

Megan McNamee: Yep.

Krissy: day is like an eating day.

Megan McNamee: Yeah.

Krissy: that's

Megan McNamee: Yes. And it's so annoying because, you know, you, they ate one thing when you were at Costco, the sample, and you're like, I'm gonna buy all this, or they ate it yesterday. So you assume I, they'll, they'll eat it. They love it. I'll make it again. And the rules don't apply. The second you buy something in bulk.

That's almost guaranteed that they're not gonna eat it.

Krissy: I'm glad that that's a scientific fact as

Megan McNamee: Yes, it's a fact. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Krissy: just.

Megan McNamee: I don't know how [00:07:00] much science research we have on it, but I feel like most parents would concur. And when it comes to that, actually the interesting thing about it is oftentimes it's not really about the food itself, it's the delivery method. Like they ate it because it was in a cute little cup with a toothpick,

Krissy: Mm.

Megan McNamee: and that's novelty.

And kids love novelty. They love mastering new, new skills. So if you were to come, if you were to bring them to the table and have little cups that you put their dinner in and put toothpicks in it, obviously age dependent, you might notice that they're more likely to eat it. It wasn't really about the food to begin with.

Krissy: right. It's just how you're presenting it, how you're bringing it.

Megan McNamee: Right?

Krissy: we are entering a very busy time of year with this, with back to school, whether your kids are going to school or not. It feels like a reset. It feels like a new time, and it

Megan McNamee: Yep.

Krissy: and

Megan McNamee: Yes.

Krissy: the busy holiday season coming up. So what are the, some of the things that people are in your dms in a panic about during this time of year?[00:08:00]

Megan McNamee: I think a lot of people feel this pressure to put together these really elaborate lunches or, or that they think like, my kid's going to school and they just, they don't eat that well at home, and I kind of have to make them eat and I have to do all these things to, to make meals work, and I'm scared that they're not gonna do that at school.

Krissy: mm.

Megan McNamee: The, and, and I kind of reassure everyone, and, and when I say school, I also mean daycare, preschool, whatever. You know, if they're in a setting away from you, or even in a nanny, share with like another kid in somebody's house,

Krissy: Mm-hmm.

Megan McNamee: eating with other children completely changes the game for kids. They in, in multiple ways.

The lunchroom environment, cafeteria environment, preschool, classroom environment is very different than eating with you at home. And oftentimes, I. It might take a little bit of practice, but oftentimes kids figure it out. They get into the groove, they see that their other peers are eating. Sometimes at preschools or even elementary [00:09:00] schools, they'll all eat the same food because that's kind of the, the format of what they, they do there.

So they're all served the same thing. A lot of preschools even, they'll serve the same snack and then everyone brings their own lunch.

Krissy: Right.

Megan McNamee: the first, you know, few days kids are like, I'm not familiar with this. I don't know what this is, but a few weeks in everyone's eating and everyone's enjoying it.

Part of that is just the, the inherent like subtle social pressure of, oh, they're doing it. I, I could do it too. I wanna participate in this. You know, we're more likely to eat with others and eat more with others.

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: And then part of it's also the fact that it's a new environment and they might not feel the same kind of pressure that they feel at home, or maybe their teacher's really fun and funny and they're, you know, singing songs as they eat at.

You know, it's a lot of factors, but, um, kids tend to figure it out.

Krissy: Right.

Megan McNamee: They tend to figure it out and they tend to eat. Oh, they eat enough at school. And, and I, I think parents just get so worried about what that process is going to be like for them. But you know, [00:10:00] they, they get through it. And one thing that also, I always tell parents, no matter what time you pick them up, they will be hungry.

They might have just had lunch, they might have just had a snack. It, this is another law of parenting. I don't know why. I mean, I kind of, I have some guesses, but they will be hungry. And you can even remember this as a teenager yourself. Potentially. Or like when we were in, you know, middle school, I would come home and eat like three bowls of cereal.

I was starving.

Krissy: Same. I, you know, right. I would eat like double, triple stack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,

Megan McNamee: Yes.

Krissy: yeah.

Megan McNamee: Like a, after eating like a big lunch at school. I

Krissy: Yep,

Megan McNamee: don't know. We're just hungry. And kids are, that's just normal for kids. When you pick them up, just make sure you have something ready for them, you know, quickly.

Um, because they will be hungry. It's a guarantee. And so

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: if we're ever going somewhere after school that's not home, like snack is required, like it is non-negotiable, I always, always have a snack or we have to stop and get something.

Krissy: I think that's the rule. Anytime I leave

Megan McNamee: [00:11:00] Anytime

Krissy: have

Megan McNamee: you that Always snacks. Always

Krissy: Snacks

Megan McNamee: snacks always. It gets a little better as I get older.

Like, I don't actually travel with snacks anymore in my bag like I did when they were little, which is so nice, right? Because normally now we're kind of more on a routine, so it's not gonna be this like panic at the grocery store, you know, meltdown, I'm starving, kind of thing you would deal with with like preschoolers.

It's actually very nice. That's another thing to look forward to. You don't necessarily have to have snacks in your bag at all times,

Krissy: right.

Megan McNamee: you're picking them up from school. Yes.

Krissy: Regardless of how old they are. Right. You

Megan McNamee: Yes.

Krissy: senior from high school for

Megan McNamee: Yeah,

Krissy: should

Megan McNamee: yeah, they're, yeah, exactly. And they actually get more, that's a thing that's kind of funny too.

Krissy: Yep.

Megan McNamee: We struggle so much when they're young.

Like they don't eat, they're not eating. I'm making all the food. They're not eating. But then the, the opposite starts to happen once we become preteens and teenagers. Now they're hungry all the time. Now they're eating everything now. You can't keep enough food in the house. And it's ironic. It's like, could we just spread this out a little bit better?

Does it have to be this extreme [00:12:00] on either end? But yeah, that's how it is when they get older. We now, we can't, now leftovers are not a thing. They just get destroyed. So,

Krissy: So that's a really interesting topic that we should touch on is could we, I think about this a lot. What kind of long-term damage am I doing with any of the choices that I'm making? Like if I have a picky eater or if, if my kid doesn't like is a grazer, let's say,

Megan McNamee: right.

Krissy: a lot, what kinds of habits are they going to grow out of?

Just because that's the nature of it versus which things should I really put my thumb on and really take a closer look at.

Megan McNamee: That's a really difficult question to answer only because I think it depends on the severity and what's happening with the kid, right? There's a certain level of expected picky eating, and then when we get to a point where it's like, it could be more than just picky eating, like it could be a pediatric feeding disorder, that's where it's like they're probably not gonna grow out of that without support.

So, um, if your child is eliminating entire food groups, [00:13:00] um, consistently will not well keeps dropping foods eats less than 20 total foods, and by 20 total, I mean, one brand of chicken nuggets would be one. Another brand of chicken nuggets would be two.

Krissy: Okay.

Megan McNamee: you know, when, when we talk about that, a lot of people say, oh no, they'll eat at least 20 different foods.

Krissy: Hmm.

Megan McNamee: if, if you feel like. This is getting worse. As they get older, they are, um, very anxious around food. They, they start, they start having issues where they don't wanna touch food. They, they're spitting food out after having been, you know, successfully eating and swallowing for a while.

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: they are having a lot of anxiety at the table.

Suddenly social experiences are really difficult. That's when you would wanna seek help. And people say, well, you know, it's a personal failing if my kid doesn't eat. But if your child was sick, you'd bring 'em to the doctor. If they couldn't walk, you'd bring him to a physical therapist. If they couldn't [00:14:00] seed, you'd bring 'em to an eye doctor.

If they don't eat, there are people that do this for their job. And feeding therapists specifically, uh, speech pathologists or occupational therapists that specialize in feeding, they can evaluate what's going on in your child's mouth. What's happening with their sensory and oral motor systems. Are they.

Able to feel food accurately in their mouth, or does it feel like they're chewing glass? Because like with a sensory processing disorder, that's what it could feel like.

Krissy: Sure.

Megan McNamee: So of course they're not gonna wanna eat because it doesn't feel right.

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: they have to work on retraining the sensory system to feel things appropriately.

Krissy: Right.

Megan McNamee: that is not something that you did wrong or that you could fix at home.

Krissy: Right.

Megan McNamee: I think, I think there's kind of, it's a, it's a spectrum of, you know, picky eating. There's kind of normal picky eating into more problematic picky eating. And if you are feeling like this, if you just have in your gut like, this isn't getting better, I need some help, ask [00:15:00] for help, that's when you would start working on it.

Um, I tell people if you can focus on, like, I'll give you just a few just high level things to work on. Eating with your kid whenever you can, does not have to be perfect, does not have to be all or nothing. It's not like if I can't do this every day, so I'm never gonna do it.

Krissy: Sure.

Megan McNamee: you can do it for a snack, if you can do it for going out to ice cream, anytime you can eat together, it's an opportunity for connection.

They can model what they're supposed to be doing with food. They can see, oh, you ate the vegetable, maybe I'll consider the vegetable. Um, eating together whenever you can is great. And for a lot of families it just means breakfast, 'cause things are chaos and that's great. Whatever works for you is what you can do right now.

Um, continuing to serve the foods that you don't know they'll eat or pretty certain they won't eat without pressure or force to make them eat it. So the reason we do this is because it can take 10, 15, 20 exposures of a given food for a child to eat it. So if we give up after the, [00:16:00] the first time, they're not gonna see it again.

They're not gonna have a chance to learn about it, right?

Krissy: Right,

Megan McNamee: So the more they see it on the plate, the more familiar they become with it. But it has to come with the caveat that we can't force them to eat it

Krissy: right, right.

Megan McNamee: because.

Krissy: I.

Megan McNamee: So much. There's only so much your child can control in their world. One of the few things, I mean, if you think about it, right, we're they're at, you know, it's our schedule.

We tell them we have, they, we have to go brush their teeth. They have to this, but, you know, they can't control that much, but they can control what goes in their mouth. And sometimes it's kind of one of the only things they end up push, like they can really have some pushback on. And if we cross that line of what our job is versus their job, um, oftentimes, I mean, sometimes it might work, it could make them eat it now, but it won't necessarily help them love that food forever.

Krissy: Yeah. If

Megan McNamee: And a lot of us have,

Krissy: with it.

Megan McNamee: yeah, like this su like I was for like, I'm being forced to eat something I don't want to eat. I'm never going to eat that [00:17:00] again.

Krissy: Right, right.

Megan McNamee: That's obviously more dramatic, you know, potential. But my grandma forced me to eat carrot raisin salad. I haven't touched that or or raisins since. And I think if I had a chance to maybe warm up to them on my own terms, maybe I would like it more.

But a lot of people have experiences like that when they were younger. You know, with Brussels sprouts you should have vegetables and they don't want to, they don't wanna go back to that. So if your kid seems anxious because they have a food on their plate, they don't want to eat, kind of self evaluate.

Am I pressuring them to eat it?

Krissy: Right?

Megan McNamee: can co consistently remind them, I'm putting this on your plate. You don't have to eat it if you don't want to,

Krissy: Hmm.

Megan McNamee: okay. You don't have to eat it if you don't want to, because the first step to eating something is actually. Being okay with it being on the plate.

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: So we, we don't wanna take it off the plate if we don't have to.

We want it to be there if possible. And then another thing besides eating together and being consistent with, um, keep, you know, offering those foods that you want your child to [00:18:00] eventually eat, um, is remembering that kids can get visually overwhelmed. So if we put a ton of food on their plate, especially if something that's not their favorite yet, we can make it worse.

Krissy: Hmm.

Megan McNamee: We can make it really, like if we put a lot of broccoli on their plate and they don't like broccoli, that's probably an automatic no. But if we put one tiny piece of broccoli on their plate, that's a little bit more approachable to them, and if they don't eat it, you're not mad. 'cause they didn't just waste a whole bunch of broccoli.

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: Now it's like, oh, maybe they picked it up, licked it, and they're like, that's not for me. But now it's just one tiny piece of broccoli, not an entire bunch of broccoli that you're like, oh, this is so much food being wasted.

Krissy: And at my kids' ages, it's now a projectile when there's too much of it

Megan McNamee: Right. Well, and that's the thing, it gets visually overwhelming to them, right? So then they, that's when they sh they swipe, that's when they throw. So, you know, we just forget that their tiny, their tummies are tiny. Their needs are a [00:19:00] lot less than ours. A vegetable serving size is about a, a tablespoon per year of age.

So a 2-year-old would be two tablespoons. They can always have more. It's not like we're putting them on a diet and limiting their vegetable intake of any food. If you have more, if they're hungry for more, always give them more.

Krissy: Yeah,

Megan McNamee: putting small portions on the plate makes it less frustrating for you and more likely for them to actually eat it.

Krissy: Yes. That's a great point. Now, what do you think about the different kinds of um, input that they could get in encouraging that? So like, just touch it or just lick

Megan McNamee: Yeah.

Krissy: it, those kinds of

Megan McNamee: Yep. Any kind that, any time that, um, they're willing to interact with the food is a win. Touch it to their nose, touch it to their cheek even. We do a lot of, um, in our toddler course, we do a lot of food play and, and part of the feeding therapy section because interaction and comfort level with that food is key for kids especially who are dealing with really picky eating.

So [00:20:00] if they want to, like with broccoli for example, my girls thought it was so funny to dip it in ranch or another dressing and then use it as a lipstick.

Krissy: Oh, cute.

Megan McNamee: They thought that was so funny. Or a chapstick, they'd do it and they would, they would pretend to be Ursula from The Little Mermaid do this. And then I would say, do you wanna bite the lipstick?

And a lot of times they'd be like, Nope. But as they got older, sometimes they'd be like, yeah, I'll bite the lipstick. And I'm like, I'm eating lipstick. That's funny because, you know, toddlers in preschool, they're weird. They love weird stuff. They love, you know, if you pretend something's a butterfly and they're like, I'm gonna eat the butterfly, you know, they're into that kind of thing.

So, food play and pretend with them is how they learn about the world and how things become comfortable to them. So we were told, don't play with your food. You know, don't touch it like that. It's for eating only, but like play is actually the cornerstone of feeding therapy. It's how kids get, get to be more comfortable with food.

Krissy: That's such a great point. I love also that you brought up what kinds of supports to reach out to if you feel like you need help. Because going [00:21:00] to your pediatrician, sometimes they don't know, they're not necessarily, some of these are fairly new, I mean, relatively new therapies and or, or at least in the common what we're talking about.

Megan McNamee: Right?

Krissy: so for our listeners, just knowing who you can reach out to, if

Megan McNamee: Yep.

Krissy: know is, is a big, big point. If you have like two lunches that your kid is into eating

Megan McNamee: Mm-hmm.

Krissy: that there wins, is it okay just to go back and forth between those two? Or should, especially when you're sending 'em to school, or should you really try to mix in the third or a fourth option in there?

Megan McNamee: So this, I think it depends on you knowing your kid, right? And, um, what feels comfortable to you. If your, if your kid is really anxious about food or really struggling with picky eating and they're just not gonna eat at all, if they see something new, then stick with your two lunches for now. However, if you started to incorporate more variety at home and you know that they don't have a lot of anxiety around the food and, and seeing something new is not necessarily gonna send them into a tailspin, [00:22:00] um, you can consider adding more variety.

And the way I would do that though is, is kind of starting small. So if you're always sending grapes like quartered, if they're young, but if you're sending grapes, maybe instead of green grapes, you try red grapes. And or if you're sending, um, like if you do cucumbers, can you cut them a different way?

Krissy: Oh,

Megan McNamee: by making a small change to their appearance

Krissy: Yeah,

Megan McNamee: that can, that's variety.

That's your child becoming comfortable with things, not looking the same every time. And that's actually something I would say to people. If you're sending the same lunches over and over again, just play around with how they look,

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: with how you cut things. Play around with like the compartment that you put the food in.

Krissy: Yep.

Megan McNamee: going to start, it's a small way they call this food chaining. It's a small way for kids to become comfortable with bigger changes down the road. Instead of making a big leap though, you, you, you take tiny steps.

Krissy: Yep.

Megan McNamee: So, um, you know, then if they're, they start to start to become more comfortable with like a different color grape.

Ma, maybe now you [00:23:00] try strawberries or raspberries instead of the grapes with their lunch. Maybe you change the bread on their sandwich. Maybe you offer a different type of dip or a different type of dessert with their food. Um, it doesn't have to be grand, big changes, but anytime you can mix up what you're offering, they're getting different nutrients and they're also learning to expect variety.

Krissy: Yes.

Megan McNamee: So if

Krissy: variety. I love how you're

Megan McNamee: Yeah,

Krissy: so clearly of it could be just a different kind of bread with

Megan McNamee: it could, yeah, it literally could be a different brand of peanut butter.

Krissy: A DA different brand. Yeah. Di and how you said earlier, different branded chicken nuggets is a,

Megan McNamee: Yeah,

Krissy: of food. Like, that's huge. That's such

Megan McNamee: it's,

Krissy: blowing experience for me as a mom.

Megan McNamee: well, and I think people just, we put so much pressure on ourselves to, you know, serve our babies X amount of foods before they're one. Like, I don't, I've never prescribed that because I think that's so overwhelming for people. Um, see, my kids get a lot of variety because they've, from the beginning,

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: they've done this and they're not problem [00:24:00] problematic feeders.

They've always had a really adventurous palette. So like, they expect variety when they open up their lunchbox. But if I was, if I, if either of them had any of that going on, if we'd kind of been in a rut with the same things.

Krissy: Mm-hmm.

Megan McNamee: And they, I mean, even like, I serve them probably five different lunches or breakfasts throughout the, the week.

If I change one of those breakfasts a little bit, which I sometimes do, they're sometimes like, mom, you didn't, that wasn't, you know, you did guacamole instead of the avocado. And, you know, we get used to the same things over and over again, and we like our routine and we like stuff how it tastes. And if you're frustrated that your kid's picky u usually smaller changes go way, go over way, way, way better than big ones.

And we just, we just feel like we've got this pressure. It's like all on us. Usually as a mom, we take on that, that pressure. It's my responsibility to make them eat and to get them to eat a lot of variety. But if we were to take smaller steps and instead of, you know, [00:25:00] if you, if you make huge strides or if you, if you try to do really big changes and none of them work, you're just gonna go back to your old trustees, right?

But if you make small changes and you're starting to build confidence in yourself and in your child, then you're gonna keep doing it. So that's why like a different brand of Chicken nugget is still a win because that's different than what they were eating before.

Krissy: That's amazing. Now the last thing I wanna touch on is the mom guilt behind what you are choosing. So the chicken nuggets,

Megan McNamee: Right,

Krissy: lunch meat, the

Megan McNamee: right,

Krissy: crackers. Like we want to give them these organic, wonderful, you know, whole food experiences all the time. But so much easier to pack a ham sandwich

Megan McNamee: right.

Krissy: off somewhere to school.

So, can you talk about what kinds of things, where should we be placing or what should we be giving ourselves grace for?

Megan McNamee: Uh, well, I hope that everyone's giving themself grace for just getting food on the table because that is [00:26:00] expensive and difficult.

Krissy: Mm.

Megan McNamee: sometimes I think people lose the forest. You know, they lose the, they can't see the forest of the trees. Right. They lose the big picture that like we are very blessed to have enough food to feed our kids.

Krissy: Yes.

Megan McNamee: And it's really easy when you have very little kids and you have full control over what they're eating. To think like, why on earth are these people giving their kids these foods? Like I would never, I, you know, there's a lot of elitism in food in food and eating, but your kid's not gonna be under your control and like under your care all the time.

And they're going to learn about all of these other types of foods. And not everyone values nutrition and eating the same way.

Krissy: right.

Megan McNamee: So a lot of people are very health conscious and very into what they eat. And a lot of people just, they don't, they're not for a variety of reasons and it's not a moral failing.

And my kids are surrounded by kids at school that are getting, you know, three candy bars and chips and that's their lunch.[00:27:00]

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: if I don't expose them to all types of foods and allow them to be comfortable with a variety of things, they're going to hyper fixate on those foods.

Krissy: Mm-hmm.

Megan McNamee: going to see that kid and be like, can I trade you?

Can I get that? Can I ab bite of that?

Krissy: Mm-hmm.

Megan McNamee: I think we assume that parents, like if you have, it's really easy to just, when your, when your kids are young, if, if you look at older kids and like, why did they even let them, why did they even bring those into their house? Why did they even allow them to eat those foods?

Well, they're convenient. They're less expensive oftentimes, and our kids actually really like to eat them.

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: And, and they're seeing them out at their friends. They're going to a friend's house and they're eating them there, and they wanna come home and eat 'em at our house. So to me, learning to eat well is a balance.

It's not all or nothing. It's not only unprocessed whole Foods all the time

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: because we, we need to trust that when our kids go out into the world without us, they're gonna be able to handle themselves around processed foods and not binge on them and not go [00:28:00] crazy. I see this in action on one of our sports teams.

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: binge.

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: They binge. So, um, and it's, it's really, it's sad and,

Krissy: Right.

Megan McNamee: you know, so when our kids are able to, learn that all foods can be part of a, you know, our, our diet and that you have control over. Yes. What you bring into your home and you know, if you feel more comfortable serving less processed food and you know, making more homemade foods at home, that's something you have the capacity and

Krissy: Hmm.

Megan McNamee: for.

Awesome.

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: And that's kind of how I do that. Like at home we eat a lot of, like, stuff that I make and stuff that is, you know, more whole foods driven. But I also bring home some, you know, processed stuff and packaged stuff. And we have chips and we have a pantry full of all types of food in my house. And because of that, my, it's not that exciting to my kids, it's just the food that they always have around, they're not sitting in there.

Opening every bag. 'cause like, Ugh, I've seen it, it's here. And then when we go out to [00:29:00] dinner, I let them choose what to eat. Oftentimes I'll say like, let's get a veggie with whatever. You know, they're ordering a burger. They're used to ordering it with like lettuce, tomato, and avocado on it because that's just how they've always kind of done it.

But to me it's balance. Like if we're too crazy about food, our kids are crazy about food too. If we keep telling ourselves, no, I can't have this. It's the only thing we fixate on.

Krissy: Yeah,

Megan McNamee: And eating is so much more than just like the, the nutrients in food. It's actually the emotional experience. And if we feel hyper fixated on what we, we perceive we can't have, that's the food we're gonna go crazy for.

So we need to allow all foods to fit. So, I don't know, A lot of people are surprised that I'll get people to be like, how dare you promote eating cookies? You know, you're a dietician. I'm like, because

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: there's joy in eating cookies. And sometimes we just eat for joy.

Krissy: Right,

Megan McNamee: And I don't wanna live in a world where there's no cookies.

Krissy: Absolutely right. I mean,

Megan McNamee: Yeah.

Krissy: I almost wish I [00:30:00] binge on cookies when, you know, when you get that Girl Scout cookie box and you're like, I'm gonna eat so many of them, because they're only around so often. I get it. And like the, the guilt you feel it's, it's so misplaced because we, we're just, we're feeding our kids.

You're right. Like

Megan McNamee: Yeah.

Krissy: them what they need. Like, my kids love liver worst.

Megan McNamee: Oh,

Krissy: it's like vile. I, I can't even look at it. But they love it. And like, if

Megan McNamee: awesome.

Krissy: of me that are like. this like came, who knows what's in it. There's so many fillers. It's so gross. But like they're getting their calories met, they're getting joy out of eating.

Like

Megan McNamee: Right,

Krissy: pro a lot of protein in there

Megan McNamee: right,

Krissy: the fill, like we are so full of things that you can't control all

Megan McNamee: right.

Krissy: that we're taking in and all

Megan McNamee: We can't. And I just think it's, you know, there's, there's so many like alternatives for things. If people really want to get the, like organic cheese puffs and the this and the that and whatever, and if they feel more comfortable with that. But I just wanna remind people [00:31:00] that like, there is such a privilege associated with that.

Krissy: yeah,

Megan McNamee: forget all the time that like, being able to acquire high quality food and make it, and have the place to store it and have the capacity to put all that energy into that is a privilege.

Krissy: yeah. I.

Megan McNamee: And a lot of people are barely holding on and it's like, okay, we're getting fast food again tonight, because that's all I have capacity for.

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: I just think there's so much judgment in this parenting world where we just look at other people, we look at what's in their cart, and we're like, Ugh, how could you feed that? You have no idea if the child has, you know, a, a feeding issue. Like, and these are all the foods that they'll eat. Or if there's like a budget.

It is just, I think that balance is going to look different. That's, I, I could never tell you what is right for you.

Krissy: Mm-hmm.

Megan McNamee: I could just say that. If we're on either extreme, it's probably like somewhere in the middle is probably healthier for all of us, but there's gonna be times when we only exist on packaged foods or [00:32:00] processed foods, and there's gonna be times when we're able to maybe make more foods at home ourselves, and that percentage is gonna look different for every family.

Krissy: Yeah. So if you're wondering at home, if you're doing it right, you probably are.

Megan McNamee: If you're thinking about it and you're worried about it and you're putting effort into learning about it, you're doing it right.

Krissy: That's great. Well, you have done a beautiful job in your social media, in your resources. I mean, you wrote this incredible book, feeding Little Lunches that shows real pictures of real lunches that include cookies and

Megan McNamee: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Krissy: all of those kinds of things.

And it's just, it's so refreshing to see that in a book that's written by an expert for little kids. And um, thank you so much for putting that out there into the world.

Megan McNamee: Yeah. Thank you. Yeah, it's been really a fun, um, it came out last at the kind of. The end of back to school season last year. So I'm excited for people now as they're kind of preparing for going back to school again. The best part of the book is that it's all visual so kids can look through it and [00:33:00] point it's, it's actually been helping a lot of really picky eaters try new things.

'cause kids are visual and they need to see what it's gonna look like to be comfortable with it. So it's kind of cool to hear how our clients are utilizing it in their home every week, looking through and picking out, you don't have to make every lunch or even make anything, everything from one lunch, but a lot of kids will say, I wanna try this, I wanna try this.

And that's, to me, joyful. It's like they're, they're getting out of their comfort zone a little bit in a safe way, and it's allowing them to have more foods in their repertoire. So that's, it's been a very, um, positive, you know, experience for us to see how well it's being received.

Krissy: Great. Well, tell us more about your course and where we can find you to get more of your gems of knowledge that you

Megan McNamee: Thank you. Yeah, so we're at feeding littles.com on Instagram at Feeding Littles. We have a course for infants and then a course for toddlers and kids. Um, they're very, you know, low cost courses that kind of give you access to expert advice and, um, everything you would know if you [00:34:00] came to see us privately, but just from the comfort of your own home.

That's at feeding littles.com. And then we have a cookbook called Feeding Littles, um, and beyond. And then our lunchbox book is Feeding Littles Lunches. And we also have a busy bag for like those long restaurant wait times. So we've got a lot of fun stuff. If you just had to feeding littles.com

Krissy: We didn't even get to talk about the busy bag.

Megan McNamee: that it's fun.

Krissy: to, to be able to get out and be a part of society again

Megan McNamee: Mm-hmm.

Krissy: worrying so much.

Megan McNamee: yeah, and it's great for like doctor's offices, but the intention was for parents that wanted a, like a screen free alternative. And again, like if you wanna use a screen, use a screen too. But if you wanna go to a restaurant and have a lot of people are bringing the whole, you know, kitchen sink with them.

This is a compact, you know, all in one bag place that we, we worked with, you know, educational experts and developmental experts to put together all these really fun

Krissy: Yeah.

Megan McNamee: things that can be used in tandem. And there's all these creativity cards that teach you how to [00:35:00] use 'em together. So that's been a really fun and rewarding project to work on, because families are really liking that too.

Krissy: Oh, that's amazing. Well, thank you for all of the breaths of fresh air that you've brought. I

Megan McNamee: Thank you.

Krissy: could take a sigh of relief that you're doing a great job and, um, I look forward to seeing what you come up with next.

Megan McNamee: Thank you so much.

In the next episode, we're talking about something most moms struggle with, but rarely say out loud. Why taking care of yourself is actually the best gift you can give to your kids.

We're going to ditch the guilt, bust the myth of selfless mom, and talk about real life ways to fill your cup without feeling like you're stealing from theirs. Spoiler alert, it's not selfish. It's essential. You won't wanna miss this one.

Make sure you're following the show so you don't miss an episode. Take a moment to leave a five star rating and a written review. It really helps other moms find the show so they can get on the path to finding themselves.

[00:36:00]