Children's nutrition: 10 tips for picky eaters

Children's nutrition doesn't have to be frustrating. Consider these strategies to avoid power struggles and help the picky eater in your family eat a balanced diet.

Has your preschooler refused to eat anything other than peanut butter sandwiches for the past two days? Or would your toddler rather play than eat anything at all?
If children's nutrition is a sore topic in your household, you're not alone. Many parents worry about what their children eat — and don't eat. However, most kids get plenty of variety and nutrition in their diets over the course of a week. Until your child's food preferences mature, consider these tips for preventing mealtime battles.

1. Respect your child's appetite — or lack of one

Young children tend to eat only when they're hungry. If your child isn't hungry, don't force a meal or snack. Likewise, don't bribe or force your child to clean his or her plate. This may only ignite — or reinforce — a power struggle over food.

2. Stick to the routine

Serve meals and snacks at about the same times every day. Nix juice, milk and snacks for at least one hour before meals. If your child comes to the table hungry, he or she may be more motivated to eat.

3. Be patient with new foods

Young children often touch or smell new foods, and may even put tiny bits in their mouths and then take them back out again. Your child may need repeated exposure to a new food before he or she takes the first bite. Encourage your child by talking about a food's color, shape, aroma and texture — not whether it tastes good.

4. Make it fun

Serve broccoli and other veggies with a favorite dip or sauce. Cut foods into various shapes with cookie cutters. Offer breakfast foods for dinner.

5. Recruit your child's help

At the grocery store, ask your child to help you select fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. Don't buy anything that you don't want your child to eat. At home, encourage your child to help you rinse veggies, stir batter or set the table.

6. Set a good example

If you eat a variety of healthy foods, your child is more likely to follow suit.

7. Be sneaky

Add chopped broccoli or green peppers to spaghetti sauce, top cereal with fruit slices, or mix grated zucchini and carrots into casseroles and soups.

8. Minimize distractions

Turn off the television during meals, and don't allow books or toys at the table.

9. Don't offer dessert as a reward

Withholding dessert sends the message that dessert is the best food, which may only increase your child's desire for sweets. You might select one or two nights a week as dessert nights, and skip dessert the rest of the week — or redefine dessert as fruit, yogurt or other healthy choices.

10. Don't be a short order cook

Preparing a separate meal for your child after he or she rejects the original meal may encourage your child's picky eating. Keep serving your child healthy choices until they become familiar and preferred.
If you're concerned that picky eating is compromising your child's growth and development or if certain foods make your child ill, consult your child's doctor. In the meantime, remember that your child's eating habits won't likely change overnight — but the small steps you take each day can help promote a lifetime of healthy eating.


Website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childrens-health/HQ01107

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Sher Li:

First of all, it is important that serving a good balancing nutritious food to the young ones. Recently, children are now mostly pampered by the parents and influenced by the environment. Based on my experiences, I have met one of my nieces who just like to eat selected food that she just likes. For example: when her mum brings her to a café/restaurant, her mum call a noodles that with vegetable and meat. She refuses to eat the vegetable and pick it out from the plate. This has showed that my niece have the habit with picky eater.  This has struggle her mum for some time. So, I feel that it is important for those parents who have the child/children with picky eater to know about some information against their child/children.

However, parents should now take action in preparing a suitable and interesting meal for their child/children after reading the article above. From that, their child/children may start to have healthy eating habits in order to live in a healthy lifestyle and environment.

                                                                                                                                    (Sher Li)

Ivy Yuen:

I do think that picky eater is the most headache parents facing when serving food to the little ones. Me, myself love some vegetables so much like broccoli, carrot, tomato, cabbage, long beans and others. Of course, I do have vegetables that I do not like as well. When I was young, I think my mum do not have problem with my eating habits. Haha! But now I look at to those little ones, their meals are all fast food which is not healthy to them. Their parents will just allow them to eat fast food whenever they want. This is bad to their health because they are young and need a balance diet in their growing. Previously, I saw a little girl that do not like vegetable, her mum will help her to pick the vegetable out from her meal and did not encourage her child to eat vegetable because of her child does not like. I very disagree to what the child’s mum did but I could not do anything because I worried that the child’s mum will think I am busybody.

Through this article, I hope that adults will encourage their little ones to eat more vegetable and not so much meat. Vegetable = Healthy. However, Meat = Fattening. Haha! Healthy balancing diet is very important to children; all the parents must keep this in mind.

                                                                                                                                    (Ivy Yuen)