The average parent has a whopping 190 “parenting wins” and 218 “cave-ins” a year, new research suggests.
Parents’ top three “wins” are when their kid takes care of their hygiene (16%), gets dressed in time for school (15%), and eats fruits and vegetables (14%). The top three “cave-ins” include letting their kid eat the foods and snacks they want (21%), letting them have dessert before dinner (18%) and giving them a device during mealtime (17%).
This is according to a survey of 2,000 parents with school-age kids that looked at how parents celebrate small successes, especially with eating healthy foods and using digital devices, with their young ones.
To get children to eat healthily, parents set up a reward system (17%), add dressing, sauce, dip, whipped cream or ice cream to their kid’s food (14%), and use utensils or dinnerware with characters (11%).
Conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by OmniActive Health Technologies for its “Lutein for Every Age” initiative, an education program focused on children’s eye health and the importance of incorporating key nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin into diets, results also found some parents chose the stealthy route, hiding veggies in other dishes their kids enjoy.
Mac n’ cheese and cupcakes tied for the No. 1 easiest food to sneak vegetables into (16% each), followed by muffins (14%) and pureed soups (10%).
At the same time, nine in 10 catch themselves caving into their kids’ requests, and most parents cave after only three asks; ironically, 61% say it’s “easy” to say no to their child’s request.
As it relates to vision check-ups, nearly one in five parents (17%) said their kid’s vision has gone unchecked for three or more years. The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends eye exams for asymptomatic children once between 6–12 months of age, at least once between ages 3–5, then before first grade and annually thereafter.
Interestingly though, according to the data, six in 10 parents regularly worry about their child’s eye health, more than other aspects of their well-being, but are unfamiliar with ways they can support it.
In fact, only 21% give them vitamins and supplements to protect their vision and 23% give them fruits and vegetables that contain vitamins/minerals for eye health. And the top foods/beverages that parents serve their kids to support eye function are milk, apples, and salmon.
Drilling down into more food specifics, while carrots rank in the top spot in fruits or vegetables that parents think support eye health (15%), according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), dark leafy greens such as kale are better, because of their high concentration of lutein and zeaxanthin. In the survey, kale ranked last among foods parents think help support vision, suggesting knowledge gaps in nutritional needs for eye health.
