Feeding Kids in the Age of Social Media

Jan 31, 2022

Anna Lutz, Elizabeth Davenport and Anna Mackay, have a conversation inspired by Virginia Sole-Smith’s essay “What Instagram Gets Wrong About Feeding Your Kids” (see link below to read the essay) about how Instagram’s portrayal of The Division of Responsibility in Feeding (DOR) can warp perceptions of how parents and caregivers are doing with feeding kids, fueling feelings of shame and failure. DOR, created by Ellyn Satter, is a framework designed to help adults eliminate power struggles over meals, and empower kids to feel that they have a say in what happens at mealtimes, and to tune into their internal hunger and fullness signals.

 We discuss: 

• The difference between DOR and Responsive Feeding
• The specific ways that Instagram makes it seem like there is are very specific ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ ways to implement DOR
• Obstacles parents or caregivers can face when trying to implement DOR too rigidly or too permissively
• Ideas on how to deal with tricky mealtime situations that arise, while taking into account the fact that all families and kids are different and have different needs

Links: 

• What Instagram Gets Wrong About Feeding Your Kids
• Virginia Sole-Smith
• Sunny Side Up Nutrition Podcast Episode 44 with Katja Rowell
• Responsive Feeding Pro
• Responsive Feeding White Paper
• The Ellyn Satter Institute
• Sunny Side Up Nutrition Podcast 
• Lutz, Alexander & Associates Nutrition Therapy
• Pinney Davenport Nutrition