Tummy Talk

Children come into the world seeming helpless, yet they are able to communicate their basic needs even at a very early age. Did you ever wonder how children know what they need and when they need it? Simply speaking, signals from all parts of the body are sent to the brain where they are translated. The brain then sends other signals back through the body to trigger actions.

Besides air and water, energy to fuel the body food is a basic human need. The major body signal for hunger is low blood sugar. When you eat, the blood sugar level rises until it signals your brain to tell you to stop eating.

From birth, children must be able to communicate the need to eat and the need to stop eating in order to survive. This article follows Bobby and Tanya (Bobby's caregiver) as he communicates his signs of hunger and fullness and she responds.

Newborns

As a newborn, Bobby was very good at sending subtle signals that he was hungry, even before he started to cry. In fact, he was born with several reflexes that helped him in this task. His head bobbed up and down with his mouth wide open (this is called the rooting reflex). He sucked on anything that came near his mouth--his hand, his sheet, even someone's neck (this is the sucking reflex). If Bobby were not able to catch someone's attention with these signals, he began to fuss, making noises to alert Tanya. If she did not respond quickly, he began to cry. If his crying did not bring food immediately, he started to scream.

As Bobby was fed, his body began to send signals to his brain to let him know that he was full. Then, Bobby gave Tanya another set of cues to communicate. He often fell asleep or just pulled away from the bottle (he was fed expressed breast milk at the childcare center). If Tanya tried to put the nipple back into his mouth, he clamped his lips shut. Sometimes, he turned his head away or pushed the nipple out with his tongue. He was done and Tanya knew it.

As Bobby got older (but still could not talk), he communicated his hunger in different ways. By the time he was fed cereal and other baby foods, he had control of his upper body, head, and neck. He could lean forward and open his mouth when he was hungry. When he saw food, he often got very excited, and he ate most foods served to him. When he was hungry, nothing could distract him from his food! When he was full, he turned his head away, pushed food out of his mouth with his tongue, started playing with or throwing the food, clamped his mouth shut, or became easily distracted. Clearly, when he was full, he did not want any more to eat. Sometimes Tanya thought he was eating too much and sometimes not enough, but she respected his signals and followed his lead.

Toddlers

As Bobby entered his toddler years, the way he communicated his hunger and fullness changed. He was entering a time of slowed growth where his need for food decreased. He was not as hungry or even as excited about food as he was when he was younger. As a toddler, he was often vocal about telling Tanya he did not want to eat by saying "No!" It was often difficult for Tanya to know if Bobby was truly not hungry or simply exerting his independence. He even seemed to get picky about what he would eat. Tanya was quick to realize that Bobby really knew how much he needed to eat, and she followed his leads.

Preschoolers

As Bobby got older, he was able to tell Tanya what he needed. But now Bobby was part of a larger group of children and his world became more structured. Mealtimes were not necessarily scheduled when he was hungry. He became more interested in talking to his friends than in eating. Thankfully, snack times were scheduled so that if Bobby did not eat much at lunch, he would get food to fuel his energy needs later on. Other days, Bobby would tell Tanya he was starved and could not wait to eat. Some days he would eat lots at lunch and nothing for a snack; on other days, it was reversed. If Tanya tried to coax Bobby into eating at a meal or snack, Bobby would tell her he was not hungry.

Tanya became curious about how Bobby "knew" when he was hungry and when he was full. When she asked him about this, he told her his tummy talked to him. When he was hungry, his tummy began to rumble and make growling noises. As he ate, he knew he was not hungry when his tummy would become quiet. Sometimes when he was eating, his tummy would begin to feel big. These signs told him when to stop eating. And sometimes when Bobby ate too much, his tummy felt very big and even hurt a little. Bobby ate too much! (This is because it takes time for the signal telling Bobby to stop eating to travel from his body to his brain).

Following this simple scenario, you can see how Bobby's ability to communicate with his caregiver developed. Many children are not taught to listen to their bodies' signs of hunger and fullness because many adults are not aware of these signs in their own bodies. Adults often ignore these signs, especially signs of fullness. If people are not taught to listen, they will eat more than their bodies need. Over time, ignoring signs of fullness can lead to excessive weight gain.

Learning About Body Signals

As caregivers, you help to teach children to become aware of and responsible for their bodies. They learn to wash their hands before eating and to brush their teeth after eating. If they say they are tired, you let them rest. If they are hurting, you help them relieve the pain. You teach them how to cross a street and ride a bicycle safely. Once children begin to master these difficult tasks, you become comfortable in allowing them to do these things without your help. The same can be said for teaching children to listen to their bodies' signs of hunger and fullness. Once you have taught them, you will begin to feel comfortable in allowing them to decide how much to eat.

Child nutritionists encourage teaching children to learn their own hunger and fullness cues. By teaching this to children, you as caregivers will become comfortable in accepting when children tell you they are full or hungry. If you teach children to master this skill, they will be better prepared to decide how much they need to eat and may reduce their risk of becoming overweight. You even might relearn how to listen to your own body's cues. Playing the Tummy Talks game might be a helpful teaching tool.

Helping children learn their own signals of hunger and fullness will enable them to manage the amount of food they eat by themselves. This is an invaluable skill that will continue for a lifetime. Make "Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full" a mealtime mantra for your childcare program. You also may want to create a song or rhyme with the children to reinforce this behavior.

Madeline Seigman-Grant, PhD, RD
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Las Vegas, NV

TUMMY TALKS GAME

• About 30 minutes before a meal, have children stop what they are doing and tell them you are going to play the Tummy Talks game.
• Ask them to place their hands on their tummy and feel it. Ask them to tell you what an empty tummy feels like. Children may use words such as "noisy" or "it hurts." Ask them to tell you what a full tummy feels like. They may describe it as "big" or "fat."
• Then have them "listen" to see if their tummy is saying anything to them. Use terms like "growling; rumbling; noisy; quiet; silent."
• About 15 minutes before lunch, repeat the Tummy Talks game.
• While they are washing their hands before the food is served, play the game again.
• Serve the meal. While the children are eating, ask them if they are hungry or full. Help them describe how their tummies feel as they are getting full, using terms like "big" or "puffy."
• Tell them that when they begin to feel this way, it is time to slow down and stop eating.
• At the end of the meal, ask them again what their tummies are saying.

RESOURCES

Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor, 1100 Bates St., Houston, Texas 77030; 713-798-6782; www.bcm.tmc.edu/cnrc/

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