Teaching your child to eat is also a skill. Just the way babies learn to sit, stand, walk and run, they also learn to eat recognizing different flavors and textures of food. Making your child an eater who loves to eat just about everything is an art in its own way. Picky eaters can sure give mothers a really tough time. It is believed that solid foods that babies eat when they just begin eating can go a long way in formulating what they like and dislike. It is far better to instill healthy eating habits in toddlers and babies than fighting your way through a fussy and picky 7 year old.
Here are some of the things you can do to make child eat a variety of different foods without fussing:
- Offer him a wide array of tastes
The first two years are a stepping stone towards healthy eating habits and anti-picky habits. Many mothers have a habit of giving their child what they personally like. That is where they make the biggest mistake and nurture food-picky children for life. Make it a point to offer a variety of different flavors and foods to your child in the first two years. When the child is about 2, he begins to say no to the foods he might not like. If you expose your child to a wide variety of foods from the very beginning, he is less likely to be a picky and fussy eater.
- Don’t give in to the yucks
There are so many times when your child will make negative expressions and faces while eating something. That’s okay. Remember if he doesn’t like the flavor right now, it certainly doesn’t mean he will never develop a taste for it. This is the reason you will see children frowning yet eating the food. Toddlers who know how to speak might tell you that they don’t LIKE the food. Most of the time that means they don’t KNOW the food. They are still in a process of developing a taste for that food. If he does not like the food right now, you can quietly set it aside but then don’t forget to offer him again after few days or weeks. However, don’t make the mistake of never giving him that food ever again. He will then probably never like to eat it again in life because you never tried to develop his taste for it.
- Begin the tasting venture.
Don’t you want your child (even later in life) to at least want to try eating new foods served to him? Then allow him to taste different foods. Tasting just means letting the food touch his tongue so that he gets the hint of flavor. You don’t have to make him actually eat it. Chewing and swallowing isn’t going to be a part of this tasting venture. If you give your child just three to four bites of some new food items, he will certainly NOT grow up to be a choosy eater. Whether he like the food or not, he will at least try it and eat it.
- Be patient
How many times has it ever happened that you tried making your child eat something about four times but then you gave up? Happens! The reason is you are being impatient. Teaching your child to love new foods requires patience just like teaching him to walk does. Your child learning new flavors and foods is a whole process. Did you know you will eat more of a certain vegetable or fruit after he has tried it at least eight times? Most of the times, parents just believe the child will not eat it ever after trying four or five times. Before concluding your child as a choosy little kid, remind yourself that he is still in a learning, developing and discovering phase in the world of food and taste.
- Let the baby mess with food
Don’t we all just get irked when the child plays with food creating a huge mess around him? Let him do it. Children have a built-in mechanism of exploring everything using their mouth and hands. Let them smear, squish, press and crush their meal. This way they grow familiar with food and most importantly learn about different food textures. Let all their senses learn about food. So make sure next time you see your child creating a mess while she eats, don’t quickly just clean the mess and scold your child. Let him play. Playing is how they learn.
- Diversify categories of food
Don’t you just get fed up when your child just wants one kind of cheese or bread? Take a step in the beginning itself. Just offer him different shapes, sizes, flavors and variety of each food you give him so that he doesn’t get hooked to just one type of a certain food like rice. When you give him rice, offer him vegetable rice, white rice, brown rice and even fried rice. He might not want to eat every form of one thing but at least he will eat it rather than saying a plain no.
- Regular exposure of fruits and vegetables
We all get tired of running after our children and trying to convince them to eat fruits and vegetables. Why not take some action when they are young rather than when they turn 6 or 8? Make it a point to offer your child fruits or vegetable at the time of meal and even snacks. The more you make them familiar with it, the more easily and willingly they will eat. Doing this will also help them learn the fact that vegetables are not just meant for lunch or dinner. They can be eaten at any point of the day. Don’t feel demotivated if he just takes few bites initially. After regular exposure, he will eventually take it using his own will.
