PARENTS — You just want to get them to eat, anything anytime. You may wonder, are they eating enough? Can the survive on snacks? Why won’t they sit with us to eat?

Grazing does not help to support mealtime routines, attention at the table for meals, and full disclosure -- grazing can be dangerous and is a choking hazard depending on the child’s age and current skill level. So, this is important to address.

Sometimes, kids can get stuck in what are called “food-jags.” A food-jag may look like a kid only wanting yogurt and waffles for breakfast, every morning. Or, refusing to eat anything but chicken nuggets and mac and cheese for dinner.Food-jags set parents up to be personal chefs for their children and they set up children to have potential issues with nutritional intake and growth.

The effects of co-regulation (or co-dysregulation) impact everything that happens between parent and child. Co-regulation occurs when a caregiver and child are helping one another to regulate, or to help their nervous systems find a calm and oriented state.

Research has found the many benefits of getting your kids outside, no matter the weather! In fact, getting outside during all seasons helps to boost immune systems rather than put them at risk. Here are some of the details: