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Table 2 Rules and routines

From: Caregiver experiences, attitudes and perceptions about feeding toddlers and preschool children in Switzerland: a qualitative study

Emerging theme:

Quote

Fruit and vegetable consumption

“I always try to make sure they have at least one type of vegetable at every meal.”

“He needs to have at least one vegetable per day anyway, that’s for sure.”

Balanced meals

“I try to make it varied every day. Every time I’ll include protein, vegetables and carbohydrates.”

Consumption of/access to sweet foods

Strict

“They don’t have candy…I don’t buy it, when they do have candy, it’s because somebody gave them a bag. So I hide it.”

Flexible

“Desserts? Yes, yes. It can be chocolate, it can be fruit, a little cake. We have limits, too, of course they eat chocolate, but in moderation.”

No fizzy drinks

“I won't encourage fizzy drinks at all. Fruit juice. I think, that's all.”

“First I don’t think it’s good because it’s fizzy…fizzy drinks are not really superb for our stomachs.”

Finish (or not) the meal

Strict

“It turns into a fight and she screams because she doesn’t want to accept the rules… I try to make her eat. I tell her off, I am severe and I bang my fist on the table so that she finishes her plate.”

Flexible

“If they’re hungry they eat, if not, it doesn’t matter. I always have a hard time pushing her because my parents pushed me”.

We don’t snack

Participant: “There is no snacking.”

Interviewer: “But are they ever hungry sometimes between meals?”

Participant: “It can happen but they must wait for the four o’clock.”