Game Play – in this case games are used inappropriately, in an attempt to get the child to consume the amount of food the adult wishes
As a result, mealtimes become “battle zones”, reducing the pleasure of eating and bringing feelings of repulsion. In this situation, the adult is transmitting to the child the message that his/her internal sensation of being full is not relevant, which ent of adequate self-control (8,27) . As a result the child may start to depend on external commands to start, continue and finish his/her meals.
This practice is harmful because it causes the child to lose the sensation of being full, making him/her believe that the ideal amount of food is what is imposed by the adult. It should be emphasized, however, that play activities are appropriate if properly used.
“Camouflage” – masking food so that the child does not recognize it. This can makes the child unable to face challenges. Besides, it is not correct to offer only food that children like and accept. In the long term, it leads to boredom and the child becomes indifferent.
However, the use of appropriate strategies were was also reported by some mothers (two out of sixteen mothers): encouraging the child to use the touch and smell; using kitchen gardening so that the child feels valuable when planting and collecting the foodstuffs; encouraging the child to prepare and appreciate the refused food, and the use of melodramatic language (pretend and make-believe) so that the child can recognize characteristics and functions of the different food types.