Struggling with a child who won’t eat what you want them to?
If you’re worried about your child’s nutrition, try these 8 tips for better eating:
1. Copy Cats
Children are likely to mimic the eating habits of their parents or older siblings,
so make sure you all set a good example. Eat healthy foods – and look like you
enjoy them!
If you don’t like a particular food, try not to complain about it. If your child
knows you don’t like a particular food, they will be less likely to eat it
themselves.
2. Small Serve Success
Little children have little bellies. Rather than trying to make them eat a large
meal, offer up small serves for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with healthy
between meal snacks. Piling food onto the plates of fussy eaters will only make
them dread meal times – and add to your frustration over wasted food.
3. Regular Routines
Kids love routine, so don’t worry if you find just a few meal choices they love
and you end up serving up the same menu several times each week. As long as
it has a few of the food groups represented and they’re enjoying it, you’re
winning!
4. Mimimise Surgery Drinks
Most drinks, including juice and other sugary drinks like cordial etc. provide
minimal nutrition and re often full of sugar, thereby they fill up little tummies
for zero benefit.
5. Help Them Help Themselves
Kids love being independent, so choose meals that enable them to serve
themselves – salads, fried rice they can spoon on to their plate, stir fry they can
serve up with tongs, tacos they spoon fillings and toppings into, home-made
burgers they can assemble on their plate.
6. Give Them a Chore
Children can be involved in meal preparation by helping them set the table –
and clear away the dishes afterwards. For little ones, that might be as simple
as putting serviettes on the table, or arranging the cutlery.
Tearing up the lettuce in the salad, or even just calling everyone else to the
table is another way to help them feel part of putting the meal together –
something that creates a happy association with meal times.
7. Creating the Shopping List
If food magically appears in your fridge or pantry each week, your child will be
less connected to it. Involving them in the choice and sourcing of the food that
feeds your family is an easy way to help them understand the connection
between the food you buy and the nutrition they need. Make writing the
shopping list a family affair and get them to write it out for you, or, if they are
very little, ask them to suggest things you can write on it – including their
favourite fruits and vegetables or other ingredients to make snacks and meals
they love.
8. Slow Down – and Smile!
If you have a dawdler in the family, making them speed up can be a source of
constant nagging that puts them off their food. If your child eats too slowly, try
not to stress. If you’ve got other things to do or places to be, simply clear the
table and cover their unfinished food in the fridge. Do not offer dessert and if
they are looking for a snack within half an hour afterwards, offer them their
plate of food again. Be consistent. They’ll soon learn to speed up if they want
something different after dinner, like the rest of them family!
If you’re worried about your child’s nutrition, as a snack or even as a
replacement meal, try Oz Farm Kid's Care.
Oz Farm Kid’s Care is a nutritious shake that kid’s love; better still its packed
with 25 vitamins and minerals and essential micro and macro nutrients.
Kid’s Care is specially formulated to promote healthy growth and
development, particularly children who are picky eaters, have lost their
appetite, or have increased energy needs.
Kid’s Care is a complete nutrition formula and is suitable as a meal support,
particularly at times when your child is unwell or needs additional nutrition.