Food as reward or comfort

Q: Food as reward or comfort: what are the options?

There are 3 main approaches: Never; Occasionally (potty-training treats); Routinely.

Q: Food as reward or comfort: what does the evidence say?

Evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational. A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies found that parents using food as a reward predicted more emotional eating in children afterward, but the effect was small (β = 0.09) and the relationship runs both ways, since parents also reach for food when a child already tends to eat when upset. A Norwegian cohort of 797 children found the same direction over two years. Satter-style guidance also advises against rewards and soothing with food, but the strongest evidence is correlational

Whether food is ever used to reward good behavior, soothe upset or motivate, such as a treat for using the potty.

Should we use food as a reward or for comfort?

In short: Parents choose between 3 main approaches: Never; Occasionally (potty-training treats); Routinely. Evidence: evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational. Best settled: toddler.

Evidence: Evidence leans one way
Best settled: Toddler
Part of: Raising the child

Food as reward or comfort: what are the options?

Parents usually land on one of these 3 approaches.

1. Never
Food is never used to reward or soothe.
2. Occasionally (potty-training treats)
A treat is sometimes used, for example during potty training.
3. Routinely
Food is often used as a reward or comfort.

Food as reward or comfort: what does the evidence say?

Evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational. (Leans against)

A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies found that parents using food as a reward predicted more emotional eating in children afterward, but the effect was small (β = 0.09) and the relationship runs both ways, since parents also reach for food when a child already tends to eat when upset. A Norwegian cohort of 797 children found the same direction over two years. Satter-style guidance also advises against rewards and soothing with food, but the strongest evidence is correlational

Sources

What else is worth knowing?

Using food to reward or soothe links eating with emotion rather than hunger. Research finds a small association with later emotional eating. It is easy to do without noticing, especially with treats.

Questions to ask each other

Did we get food as a reward or comfort growing up, and how did that feel?
Would we ever promise a treat to get through something hard?
What else could we use to comfort or reward?

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First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.