Almost every child goes through a phase where they don’t want to eat what’s offered to them. Unfortunately it is usually the food that they need to eat the most that ends up on the floor.
Here are a few tips on how to deal with your picky eater:
Even though they are not eating well rounded meals, as long as they are growing, they should be okay.- You can consider giving your child a daily vitamin if you think he/she is not eating well, although they probably don’t need it.
- While you should provide three well-balanced meals each day, it is important to keep in mind that most younger children will only eat one or two full meals each day. If you toddler has had a good breakfast and lunch, then it is okay that he doesn’t want to eat much at dinner.
- If your child chooses to skip a meal or a snack, he or she can wait until the next scheduled time in a couple of hours. If your child refuses to eat, have him or her sit at the table until the majority of the family is finished eating, within reason.
- You should also not prepare more than one meal for your child. If he doesn’t want to eat what was prepared for the rest of the family, then he should not be forced to, but you should also not give him something else to eat. He will not starve after missing a single meal, and providing alternatives to the prepared meal will just cause more problems later.
- Make sure that your child isn’t eating a big snack after school or filling up on juice, soda, or even milk before dinner.
- Always offer vegetables to your child. They may not eat them. Children can be offered a food up to 15 times before they will try it. If all else fails, children will usually eat bread or pasta.
- Be a positive role model. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Get your child involved:
* Let your child choose a fruit or vegetable that looks appealing at the grocery store.
* Involve your child in preparing meals so that he or she can become familiar with the foods.
* Have a raw and cooked vegetable option so that your child can choose the one he likes best. Some children like the crunch in raw vegetables, while others like vegetables to be soft and mushy.
