Navigating the festive season and social events

Christmas and social events with family and friends can seem like such a struggle when you are a parent – trying to maintain a conversation with others whilst still keeping an eye on your little one, figuring out how best to structure the day with naps, what food you need to prepare and pack, and unfortunately, dealing with the inevitable comments and behaviours around your little one and food. In this resource, I thought I would touch on a few aspects of social events that parents tend to struggle with…

·      What can my little one eat?

·      How do I navigate family and friends trying to feed my little one?

What can my little one eat?

This is a really common question I get asked around the festive season and other family events. We all know, that the ultimate goal is for our little ones to be sitting at the table with us, eating the same food. But does this extend to events where there is a wide range of foods, not always prepared correctly and an increased risk of food poisoning with foods left to sit on the table longer than we usually would allow for?

The first thing I would like to say, is that Christmas and other social events are not every day and if your little one eats something you normally wouldn’t serve, or would prefer they didn’t, don’t stress. Another thing to consider, is that if you are really concerned about the increased salt and sugar intake and are going to a family member or friends house, there is no harm in preparing and bringing along a lunch box of food for your little one instead.

Another note I would like to make, is that whilst we want to do this on a daily basis, it is really important to ensure we are never referring to foods as good and bad around our children – food is just food.  Whilst some foods do better things for our body than others, at the end of the day, a healthy relationship with food is really important. So, I would encourage you not to make a fuss around those foods we as adults, typically associate as sometimes foods, treats or unhealthy foods, instead, ensure your little one is eating some nutrient dense foods on these days, and avoid making comment around those other foods – particularly if you have older children. Ultimately, the focus isn’t the food, rather the day itself.

A really good rule to keep in the back of your mind around food safety and family events is the 2-hour/4-hour rule. This is a scientifically backed rule based around how quickly microorganisms grow in food, that is not refrigerated. The time below is cumulative and time out of the fridge needs to be added up (preparation, storage, transport, display). For our little ones, who have less robust digestive systems, I would err on the side of caution and ensure they don’t eat food that has been out of the fridge for longer than two hours.

·      Food left on the table for less than 2 hours, can be eaten, or put back in the fridge for later

·      Food left on the table for 2-4 hours can be eaten, but cannot be put back in the fridge

·      Food left on the table for greater than 4 hours, must be thrown away

Some other tips around food on Christmas day and special events

·      Ensure what you are offering is prepared appropriately for your child – shape and texture

·      Avoid offering any of the top 9 allergens you are yet to offer – remember, we need 2-3 successful exposures

·      Ensure you are serving appropriately cooked foods – no rare meats, raw meat or eggs etc.

·      Social events bring with them lots of distraction, so ensure your little one is seated and supervised when eating

·      Ensure you’ve got water readily available and/or offering milk feeds as you usually would to keep your little one hydrated

·      Try to offer a mixture of food available – wholefoods such as meat, veg and fruit and those foods you typically serve less of. If you have older children, creating a little platter or picky plate is a great way to do this

How do I navigate family and friends trying to feed my little one?

This is such a common issue that many parents face, particularly early on in their feeding journey with their children. I find it so odd that others find it exciting etc to feed others children, but nevertheless, they do, and it can be really stressful for parents. This is often made more difficult if you have a little one that is self-feeding – it can be novel to others (particularly older adults) and we need to be particularly mindful of ensuring food is prepared and offered safely. Knowing how to navigate these situations can help make these days a little easier.

I find that the best way to approach the day, is to let others know that you don’t mind if they get involved, but that you have a few things that are important to you from a safety perspective (maybe this will be enough to take away the fun, and they'll leave the feeding up to you!!!)

1. I would ensure that you and your partner are on the same page – it is really important that others get a consistent message from you both

2. You can pre-prepare and bring along a range of food for your little one, making it clear that this is the food your little one will be eating on the day

3. Similar to above, creating a plate of foods that you plan to offer your little one can be really great way to make it clear to others that they are welcome to offer food to your little one and get involved, but only to offer food you have selected to ensure that it is served safely

4. Make it clear to others, that from a safety perspective it is really important that your little one is seated in their highchair/chair or on a lap, to ensure that they don’t choke, and food is not to be offered unless this is the case

5. Most people, particularly older adults, aren’t particularly well educated when it comes to babies and food. So, another way to potentially navigate this is to say “oh, they haven’t had that food before, so I’d rather not offer it on Christmas day, just in case they have a reaction – we don’t want to end up at the hospital and miss out on the day”

6. If your little one is still quite young and learning how to self-feed different foods (particularly under the age of two), reiterate to others that it is essential that food is prepared correctly to reduce the risk of choking

7. Make it clear to others if you haven’t offered all of the top 9 allergens, ensuring that they are aware not to serve those foods to your little one

I hope this helps you to navigate the festive season and other social events with greater ease. Feel free to jump into the Facebook group to share any strategies you have found to be effective with your family and friends.