
← Redwood Wellbeing21 nov 2025 · 19 min
Why We Shouldn't Give Food Rewards to Kids
Why We Shouldn't Give Food Rewards to Kids
Hello and Welcome to the Redwood Wellbeing Podcast, where each week I am dedicated to supporting parents on the journey of nurturing their child's healthy relationship with food and their body image.
Through practical, everyday strategies and tips, I help you to become empowered to make a lasting difference in your child's wellbeing journey.
In this mini episode I discuss;
Food rewards being unhelpful because they;
-Encourage extrinsic motivation
-Are a form of Operant Conditioning
-Create a food hierachy instead of neutrality
-Build an emotional link to eating
-Create mixed messages
-Can decrease interest in reward-free activities
-Can undermine internal appetite cues
-Set up patterns that increase cravings