How To Handle Fussy Eating In Kids??

Hello everyone. Welcome to my website. In this article, I will be discussing another parenting nightmare. Are you searching for articles on how to handle fussy eating in kids?? Then, this article can be helpful.

Many parents struggle with fussy eaters. Till 6 months, kids are fed only milk and then slowly they are introduced to solids. Then fussy eating phase begins.

Some kids give hard time to their parents. They might eat very less quantity of food or they might show dislike for many dishes. Some kids might have a limited range of food they prefer. They might love a dish today but won’t take a bite of that next time. All this is a part of their normal development. 

Some parents might feel their kids eat dirt, toys, and non-edible stuff but they won’t open their mouths for proper food. Relax, all this is normal and almost all babies do this.

So I will discuss a few tips on how to handle fussy eating in kids.

1. Role model: This is the case in all aspects, not only food-related. Parents need to be role models and eat the food they prepare. Day after day when the kid watches his/ her parents eat something, they will give it a try. If parents say food is yucky, the kid will learn that. So be careful of your reactions in front of kids.
2. Family time: Try having family time while eating. Show him/her how the food is eaten and they might follow you. I stopped giving special baby food to my kid at 14 months. If you are a family who eats spicy foods,  keep the spice levels low initially for your kid. 
3. Keep trying: It is researched that a kid needs to be offered food 10-15 times before he/she eats it. So, like all other things in parenting,  have patience and keep offering the new food repeatedly.
4. Rewards: Like kids are rewarded during potty training,  this phase also should be rewarding.  If your kid eats a new food, even if it’s just a bite, reward your kid. Rewards can be hugs, kisses, extra story time, etc…
5. Back up: This fussy eating can be exhausting for everyone. If you are trying out new food, please keep a backup of some favourite food. Else your kid might go hungry to bed. Be happy and praise your kid if they take even 1-2 bites.
6.  Engage your child in preparations: Try to involve your kid in shopping for groceries as well as food preparation. Grocery shopping can be a good time to teach your kid about various fruits & vegetables. I taught my kid the benefits of eating certain veggies/ fruits. My daughter loves helping me out by handing over ingredients and I feel she eats better when she is involved in the process.
7. Explain the benefits: Just telling the child to eat anything is not going to benefit in the long run. What I did with my child was explain what benefits she will get by eating that dish. For example,  if she was served eggs, then I taught her the benefits of eating eggs. I feel explaining with examples and proper reasons yield a positive and long-term impact.
8. The interval between meals: There should be proper time gaps between meals/ snacks. Snacking continuously will reduce the appetite for lunch or dinner. 
9. Activity: Try encouraging your kid to be physically active as this will make them tired and hungry. If your kid is in front of a gadget the whole day, the hunger level will be low.  
10. Balanced diet: Talking about a balanced diet is easy but implementing is a big task. Try including a healthy diet daily. I don’t keep many rules in my house. In my house, the day starts with fruit and ends with a healthy dinner. Evening snacks can be junk such as chips, biscuits, etc. in limited quantities. I feel if we cage and ban biscuits or cakes, then the kid will get out of control when they get an opportunity to eat those items. 
11. Don’t force-feed: To understand why your kid is refusing food, keep trying new recipes and something might interest your child. If there are some dishes that the child dislikes, don’t force feed.

One more thing I learnt from my parenting journey is that the food choices for kids will keep changing. There was a time when my daughter didn’t eat rice at all but now she enjoys eating rice. So just have patience and keep trying. The earlier you educate your kids about healthy and junk food, the better. I hope these tips will help you to handle fussy eating in your kids.

My daughter doesn’t like a few veggies but she loves broccoli so should I be forcing her to eat all veggies? No.

Initially she demanded only roti or paratha but now she eats rice. There are various changes in her dietary preferences so as a parent I just keep trying. Whenever there is a new dish to try, I ask her to taste and if she doesn’t like it I respect her choice. Like we adults don’t eat everything,  we can’t expect kids to eat everything. 

There are numerous food items that provide proteins and essential vitamins for a healthy body. If your child doesn’t eat protein-rich foods a, b, c then try d, e, f.

The most important thing to remember is all kids have different choices and appetites.  So don’t compare them with other kids. The paediatrician can advise on a range but no fixed quantity can be suggested. 

I hope this was an interesting read. Do subscribe for the latest blogs and check out other blogs.

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