Do you worry that your child is eating the same foods again and again and is not getting enough nutrition from all those 5 food groups? Up to half of all toddlers refuse to eat a new food at least half of the time.
Doesn’t it make sense for a child to be worried about putting unknown things in month?
May be your child is worried about eating unfamiliar things, we must let our children get themselves familiarized with the new food, from looking at it to slowly touching it, playing with it, licking it or trying out a bite and spitting in out before actually eating it.
Think about eating Sushi, do you remember how you felt eating it for the first time? Oh, you have never tried Sushi? Well, why not? May be because the idea of eating raw fish with rice wrapped in sea weeds seems weird? Your child might have that bizarre and scary feeling to try out new foods.
Fussy eating can be normal toddler behavior for most children who are healthy, active and growing well, there is no need to worry. Always remember that healthy children will not starve themselves.
Let’s walk through some strategies that will be helpful if you have a picky eater at home.
1. What and how much should you offer?
Children have a small stomach, don’t put too much on plate and offer nutritious foods about 5-6 times a day. Offer same food for all family members. Respect that everyone has likes or dislikes. Offer finger foods and limit options to two. For example, let them decide between two types of vegetables or two sandwich fillings.
Avoid giving soft drinks, juices, sugary drink or snacks one hour before meal. Limit milk to 2 serve each day (500ml).
Do not delay lumpy food such as small soft vegetables or mashed foods because in many studies researchers found that one in five children who were not introduced with lumpy food in ages six to nine months were fussy eaters by the age of 15 months.
2. Meal Environment and time frames
Eat together, be a role model. Your child is more like to follow your act rather than following your words. Keep meal times happy, punishing during meals associate meal-times with stress and negativity. Avoid distractions and give your child some independence. You are in charge of providing food and deciding timings, your children are responsible for how much they want to eat, or even they want to eat or not.
Keep meal time consistent by setting a routine, giving 20-30-minute for meal and 10-20 minutes for snack. Even if the food is not finished, remove plate quietly and allow your child to leave
3. Exploring Food and praising good behavior.
Make meal fun, let your child help you in cooking, let them serve themselves and involve them while shopping. For example, today we are going to buy some grapes, which color of grapes do you want to pick up and eat? Try different foods, you may need to offer a food more than 10 times before you decide that they don’t like it.
Give positive encouragement like cuddles and smiles and avoid focusing on unwanted behaviors like spitting out food.
4. Never Force it.
Never force feed your child, avoid bribing, avoid substituting favorite foods for uneaten meals. Offer rewards like a trip to the park or stickers for their collection.
If they refuse, think want is the case? question yourself, did they have a recent snack? Are they tired? Is there too much food on plate?
Other factors for fussy eating may be illness, tiredness or emotional upset. Deal with it accordingly.
Every personality is different from the other. As your child is not going to eat everything you have served, like and dislikes should be respected. Maximizing variety should be the goal and making meal time as relaxed as possible is the key to avoid fussy eating behavior.
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