Children everywhere will have their ‘moments’ when it comes to eating. Most will grow out of it or become more accepting of a wider range of foods over time. But sometimes, kids can be so stubborn! As a parent, it is easy to worry about how much nutrition a child is getting. It’s natural, but often no cause for concern. However, if your child is determined to be a picky eater, there are plenty of ideas out there to help:
Familiarity
One of the best ways to get kids to eat their dinner is to keep offering the same foods over and again. Let your kids see you eating and enjoying those vegetables with each meal. Presenting the things they refuse to try will eventually wear them down. It may take twenty or more times of seeing it on their plate before they give it a go, so don’t give up.
Understanding more about the foods they fear can help them become more familiar. Humanizing vegetables and fruits help to give them friendly characters that kids can grow to like. Show them pictures, TV shows, movies and books that feature the foods they’re fussy about. Coloring in pictures, or making stuffed toys in vegetable shapes can help too!
Hidden Gems
Sometimes parents feel very strongly that a child should be eating a particular type of food. They may even endeavor to hide it in their child’s favorite dishes. This can be a great way to make sure they’re eating a wide range of foods. Pureed fruit and veggies can make lovely sauces over pasta, for example.
The excitement of eating out can be a great way to encourage more rounded eating. The crew at La Vera Pizza say that Italian pizzas can cater for lots of different tastes. And what child doesn’t like the idea of eating pizza? Whether you make your own at home, or head to an award winning restaurant, pizza can be a great way to enjoy veggie toppings.
Food Combos And Good Trades
Other techniques for helping a child to enjoy a wholesome meal is to try combining the different flavors on the plate. One vegetable with a piece of meat will taste different to another vegetable combined with a french fry. You could ask your child to describe the textures using words like squishy, chewy, crunchy, or juicy. Combos can be made with colors, textures, food types, or anything else your child might happily explore.
Good trades can help your child find reward in eating something that he doesn’t like the taste of. A spoon of peas for a spoon of pudding when he’s finished. Or maybe a spoon of carrots for a spoon of jello. You don’t need to provide more sweets or treats than you were already prepared to serve. But a measurable reward for effort can sometimes be a great motivator.
Kids are fussy at times. So are some adults! But if we keep eating something, we might soon grow to love it. Enjoy your meal.
