Mrs Mehra looked very upset over her son’s poor eating habit. She shared her concern with her friend “My child loves to eat bread butter and Maggie only. He can eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner. I am tired of explaining him the importance of balanced diet but he fails to understand. He is very head strong and does not even taste new food items”.
There are many parents who face a similar problem and share the same concern. Most parents reason, argue, threaten, bribe but are still faced with a tear streamed face or a defiant glare. Children just say “I don’t like it”
It is very important to understand what may be a worry to the parent may be a normal behavior of the child. Never try to turn the issue into a power struggle of Parent vs. Child.
Parents should not resort to forceful eating procedures like, “you have to complete every bit of food served on your plate or you will not move from here” the child most often sits with his plate for hours and these strategies build resentment which could worsen and often lead to developing psychological issues about food.
There are ways to deal with children who are fussy eater while leaving everyone’s dignity intact:
It is important that parents remain relaxed and not lay emphasis on their child not eating their meals. If he is provided with healthy options, he will definitely eat when he his hungry. When the parents are tensed, children learn to take advantage of their situation and always fuss for unhealthy variety of food
At the very sign of finicky behavior, you need to become alert and serve good variety of food at meals. Children form habits which make them a picky eater so it is important to start early and take control over the situation as once the habits are formed they are hard to break.
Children love to eat food which involves their participation. You can take them while shopping and help you select food. You can offer choices like “Do you want to eat cauliflower or cabbage today?” Involving your children in making decision reinforces that you respect their decision”
Meal times should be family times where all of them have their meal together and enjoy. Meal times should be fixed and do not offer snacks to children just before meal time. It is important to keep away family conflicts and distraction such as TV. Let the environment be positive and relaxed.
It is important to offer healthy food options to your child. Always make the food as colorful and attractive as possible. You can be creative and use your own imagination. You can make chapattis in different shapes and color.
Eg: you can add blanched spinach paste to wheat flour so that it becomes green and serve your child green chapattis, you can also roll them in shapes of Star ,Triangle, Rectangle etc ( different from the regular round shape ) to make it more appealing.
If your child loves to eat ketchup with sandwich, you can make a sandwich with paneer and capsicum or green peas and potato mixture or any healthy combination and serve them with a smiley as a topping made with ketchup. It will look appealing and you have also included their favorite ketchup which will keep them asking for more.
There are chances that your child may be a slow eater. Encourage him and offer him plenty of time to eat. Do not rush meals let him enjoy his meals.
