You hear the horror stories of picky eaters all the time. While you think “my child will never be like that,” you need to do something that prevents it from happening. The pickiness is actually from your actions as a parent. It’s time to learn how to prevent your child from becoming a picky eater with these six top tips.
Add a Variety of Food From Day One
Avoid getting stuck in the trap of serving the same thing over and over again. The best thing you can do is serve a variety of food from the first day you’re on solids.
It will start with pureed food, like carrots, broccoli and mashed potatoes, but will eventually go onto solid food that she can munch on. The more variety you give, the less chance she will turn her nose up at the colour or smell.
Insist They Try More Than Once
It can take up to 12 times to determine whether a child actually does like the food or not, so insist that your child keeps trying a certain item.
Don’t judge her initial reaction as a yes or no, give her time to chew and really taste the food. The first time she’s likely to be apprehensive, but the more you encourage her the more she will like it.
Don’t Tell Her “You Won’t Like It”
Avoid the phrase “you won’t like it.” This is telling your children that it is okay to not like something without even trying it.
While you may think it’ll work the other way when you say “you’ll like it.” It really doesn’t. Let her try something new if she wants to, even if you think it doesn’t taste very nice. And don’t be surprised when she likes it.
Stop Catering to Their Preferences
Children do develop certain tastes that they prefer. It’s human, and understandable. However, your child needs to eat everything you put in front of her. Don’t give into her whims for the day.
The schools and nurseries definitely won’t! It’s important to get a healthy and balanced diet; not just the things she loves to eat.
Make It a Rule of Nothing Else
It’s best to have a rule that there is no other food except that on the plate.
Stick to this rule, and she’ll soon realise that she needs to eat anything you put in front of her or go hungry. She may decide to go hungry for the first couple of meals, but she’ll soon appreciate those vegetables that didn’t look so appetising at first.
Have Some Fun
Food can be boring if it’s just splashed on the plate. Why not have some fun with it? The bright colours are amazing, and you can make all sorts of patterns.
Take a look at Pinterest for fresh ideas to make the food fun, and get your children involved. If she gets involved with creating dishes, she is more likely to eat the aftermath.