Food/Eating,
Post-Adoption,
Transitions,
Nutrition
Good nutrition is key to a healthy and happy child, so intuition might tell parents that a highly structured diet or limited snacking must be enforced from the beginning. These techniques, however, don’t reflect the food needs of children coming from institutionalized environments. For most children living in orphanages, meal time is very structured. Usually, only one helping of food is offered. Most children eat every last morsel, but they may never walk away from the table full. In addition, orphanages offer little variety, so children are not exposed to many new tastes, smells or textures.
Because of this highly structured interaction with food, adopted children often do not understand the concept of plenty or of satiation. Often this manifests itself in gobbling food, eating large quantities, snacking, and even sneaking food. These children’s entire life experiences have told them that food is scarce and that it is only available at certain times. In the family environment, they must learn about a variety of new foods, and their brains must learn to interpret the messages their stomachs send when they are full.
Never fear; your child’s “overeating” is her way of learning about food and about abundance. For the adopted child, most food issues are related to control and learned behaviors. Offer a variety of healthy foods, teach her about good nutrition, model healthy attitudes toward food, and let your child’s body learn to respond to the messages it sends her when she’s full.
For more information on healthy eating for adopted children, read:
Adoption Nutrition, SPOON Foundation
Beyond Growth Charts, Adoptive Families
Love Me, Feed Me, Adoptive Families
Realistic Expectations: Food Issues, LWB Community
Solutions for Picky Eaters, Adoptive Families
Agape Adoptions
Washington Based
1192 Waiting Children
6 Adoption Programs
Call 253-987-5804
15605 Main Street E Washington
https://agapeadoptions.org/
What our clients say: "I researched adoption options and agencies for nine months before we selected Agape Adoptions. Looking back, I can truly say that I had a wonderful experience with Agape. The communication was great. I loved that they handled all of the details for us. I always knew what was coming next and how long to expect to wait through each step." - R family, China program 2017
What to expect: At Agape Adoptions we believe that unwavering advocacy for waiting children and highly personalized services for adoptive families are necessary for a successful adoption - and we are dedicated to both. Our staff is devoted to ensuring waiting children are placed with a family that is committed to them and their needs. Simultaneously, we provide adoptive families with highly personalized care from our team of experienced professionals and in-depth parent training and education programs. We are a trusted partner for families across the U.S. who are embarking on the life changing journey of adoption. If you're ready to get started, or you just need someone to answer your questions and help you understand your international adoption options, we are ready to help.
The Details: Agape Adoptions is a licensed, fully Hague accredited child placing agency based in Washington state. We work with adoptive families across the U.S., and offer homestudy and post placement services to families in Alaska, Washington and Oregon. Agape currently has programs in China, Bulgaria, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Hong Kong, Romania, and Sri Lanka.
Connect with us: We hold virtual information meetings monthly, ususally on a Monday early in the month, at 6 pm pacific. To see when the next meeting is being held and register, click
here. To request our general information packet, click
here. To speak with one of our staff directly call
(253) 987-5804 or email
agape@agapeadoptions.org . Our website is also a treasure trove of information,
agapeadoptions.org