Picky Eaters?
Posted by Lizz on June 10th, 2008
Ah, picky eaters. Many kids go through this stage - the stage where they are unsure of new foods. A lot of times it has to do with the fact that the child may be sensitive to taste, texture and smell, or it could have to do with what the child’s parents eat. If Mom or Dad are picky eaters, well I don’t know if it’s nature or nurture, but the child will have a tendency to be a picky eater as well.
There are some some simple ways to deal with the picky eater in your family, and to help prevent this situation going from frustrating to a power struggle between you and your child.
Start by making meal-time fun. Have your child help you make meals (like helping to decorate pizzas) or serve the meal in fun shapes. Make a face out of fried eggs, or make letters out of pancake batter.
Set an Example. If your child sees you eating a particular food often, then they are more likely to try that food.
Don’t Spoil Meals. About an hour before mealtime, don’t give your son or daughter any snacks or too much to drink. This will diminish their appetite for lunch or dinner.
Only Make One Meal. Don’t make more than one meal for your child at lunch or supper time. If they won’t eat their meal, they won’t starve before the next mealtime or snack. Making more than one meal for your child at either of these times will show your child that they can get away with not eating what you made them originally.
Eat at the same time every day. This will help build a routine with your child, and if your child cannot eat whenever he or she wants, they will be more likely to eat at meal time.
Your child won’t eat as much as you. Young children don’t need to eat as much food as you. Their stomachs are smaller, so they can’t hold as much food at one time as you do.
Don’t threaten or bribe. Threatening your child to finish everything on his or her plate will only cause a battle of wills between you and your child. On the other hand, if your child isn’t hungry enough to finish their own meal, then they probably shouldn’t have dessert. Bribing your child with dessert can also give your child the wrong message - that sweets and dessert are better than any other food they could eat.
When trying to introduct your child to new foods, remember that it will take your child about 10-15 times of being served a food before they will actually eat it. This is perfectly normal. Also, when talking to your child about a new food, don’t talk about the taste of it - instead, talk about the colour, the smell or the texture.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 3:58 pm and is filed under General Parenting Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.