For any parent, one of the most pertinent questions that comes to their mind about their child is that what they can do to make their kid’s mealtime interesting rather than a dreadful experience.

This is because children are so valiant, adamant and determined during mealtimes and the parents indulge in all sorts of pranks to make them eat. Now a days, children are coaxed or bribed to eat such as giving a mobile, shown their favourite cartoon etc. for eating their meals.

If children’s nutrition is a sore topic in your household, then you’re not alone as many parents are worried.

Children’s nutrition should not be frustrating. There are some strategies to avoid power struggles for taking their meals.

Parenting Tips: 7 Easy Ways to Deal with a Fussy Eater are:

  1. Limit mealtime distractions: Allowing child to use mobiles or watching TV during mealtimes can cause a kid to lose all interest in eating.
    • It is better to restrict the use of electronic devices and other distractions while eating.
    • You can become a role model for your child while keeping your mobile phones away while eating.
    • The focus should be on the food, conversation with family members which might be easier for the child to eat.
  2. Serve appropriate food portions: Children don’t need as much food as adults. So, if you put too much food on their plates, they might not finish.
    • This is not because they are being difficult but because they’re full.
    • So, child must be served with smaller portions.
  3. Eliminate mealtime stress: Forcing the child to eat doesn’t help.
    • Once they become upset or start crying, any chance of them eating goes out of the window.
    • So, if you want to encourage eating, do not put too much pressure on them.
  4. Don’t schedule mealtime too close to the bedtime: It is not possible to make the sleepy child to sit down and eat
    • So, it is not advisable to schedule meals too close to the bedtime or too soon before or after an activity..
  5. Understand your child’s eating style: In order to make the child to eat meals at time, it is important to understand the child’s eating style.
    • They may require more or less food at different time intervals.
  6. Reduce non-mealtime foods and drinks: Some children refuse to eat when they’ve had too many snacks or drinks during the day.
    • So, non-meal time foods and drinks should be avoided.
    • Be a role model for your child and eat healthy foods yourself. Choose nutritious foods and don’t skip meals.
  7. Plan special food occasionally: Occasional sweets are fine but don’t turn dessert into the main reason for eating dinner. This is because when desserts are the prize for eating dinner, kids naturally give more value to the desserts rather than the meals.

So, here we are going to discuss some easy ways to deal with a fussy eater. These are:

  1. Things that should not be done by the parents during the kid’s mealtime are:
    • It is not good to bribe the child if he/she is not taking his/her meals.
    • Do not show your child his/her favorite cartoon to distract him/her while eating.
    • Always avoid over-indulgence. Do not pay excessive attention to the child’s food.
    • It is not advisable to forcefully push the food in child’s mouth by screaming or shouting in anger or frustration.
  2. Things that should be inculcated to develop better eating habits in kids by the parents are:
    • Serve small portions to the kid.
    • Make meals interesting by cutting fresh fruits or vegetables into different sizes and shapes.
    • Try to adopt a relaxed attitude and let the child enjoy the meal.
    • Ignore the kids when they spill or waste their meal as the kids are likely to create mess while eating.
    • Show excitement when they eat the meals own their own.
    • Give them ample time to finish their meal.

Remember that there are no appetizers or tonics to make your kids to eat. A relaxed and common- sense approach should be adopted to deal with fussy eating habits of the child.

Disclaimer:-

This article is not a substitute to the standard Medical Diagnosis or personalized Ayurvedic Treatment! It is intended only for Information!

For experts consultation, please write us at care@blessayurveda.com.

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