Tips to handle fussy mealtime of the toddler
Hi Mommies! Many of you must be struggling to feed your child. You must have tried many strategies and tricks to feed your child. Some must have worked and some didn’t. Although, pick eating is normal behavior of toddlers.
Let’s find out a solution to the daily eating issues of toddlers.
1) Have family meals together:
Make your child ready for the food. Keep your toddler away from any other distractions like TV, mobile, or toys. Buy a comfortable and safe feeding chair for your toddler. Make sure to adjust the height of the toddler feeding chair as per the height of other family members' chairs. This way your child will feel he is part of the family mealtime. Serve your toddler the same food as other family members are eating as toddlers are observing parents and siblings. Teach and repeat all the good habits we should follow while having food. Be a role model and adopt healthy eating habits. Try to set the best example for your child. Choose nutritious snacks, always eat at the table and never skip your meals.
Be a role model and eat healthy yourself. When trying to teach good eating habits, try to set the best example possible. Choose nutritious snacks, eat at the table, and don't skip meals.Your child will slowly steadily memorize the things.
2) Let child feed himself/herself:
Yes, it may mess up the feeding area initially but I bet you it’s worth doing. When we feed a child, we take away control that rightfully belongs to the child. At the same time, they need to learn and practice the mechanics of feeding themselves. Children do not eat well when they are pressured to eat and will not starve to death if they miss a meal or two. Expect food to land on the floor and on your child’s face. This is a normal part of development. Before meal starts encourage children can help set the table, serve themselves, spread jam or butter on bread, stir batter, or even pour milk or water from a small pitcher.
3) Set a routine:
set meal and snacks times and follow it. Don’t offer anything in-between. Avoid offering snacks or pacifying hungry children with milk or any other snacks before meals because this may reduce their appetite and they may not eat their main meal.
4) Don’t bargain:
Bargain strategy won’t work for long. Don’t give incentives like chips, sweets, chocolates for a bite of healthy food. They will start feeling all these are superior as compared to healthy food. Try not to offer an alternative or enter into any trade-offs with your child. This will tell your child they have control over the situation when you should ultimately be in control. The child should choose from what you have already prepared, not just what she requests. Provide attention and praise for things like eating properly with a spoon, trying a portion of new food, or staying seated through the meal.
BARGAINING WILL INCULCATE UNHEALTHY EATING HABITS IN TODDLERS.
5) Mealtime is for meal only:
Avoid any distractions like mobile or TV. Encourage child to explore the food and interact with child while feeding. Turn off all screens and other devices and connect with each other as a family.
EATING FOOD WHILE WATCHING TV OR ON MOBILE IS AN UNHEALTHY WAY OF EATING.
6) Add variety:
Serve different shapes, taste and colour food. Add different texture of food. This way y they will develop taste and eventually make them less fussy. Food preferences are developed early in life, so offer variety. Likes and dislikes begin forming even when kids are babies. Toddlers and pre-schoolers should get a variety of nutrients by offering foods from all food groups: pieces of bread/grains, vegetables, fruits, milk/dairy, and meat/protein. Continue offering foods that your child has previously refused. It can typically take multiple tries before a child will accept a new food. Don’t give up, try and try again. Serve brightly colored food to the child.
7) Importance of portion:
Serve right portions as kids have small tummies. Excess food can make child irritated and he/she will fuss. Refill option is always there. Children have a natural ability to self-regulate their eating in response to internal hunger cues. Avoid snacks and heavy drinks before mealtime. In general, portion sizes for fruits, vegetables, starchy vegetables, or grains should be the size of your child’s fist.
Still, your child is not eating well- Don’t react to minor behavior problems like being loud, whining, or not eating. Ignore or look away. Be patient—ignoring is difficult and does not work immediately.
STOP FORCE-FEEDING YOUR CHILD.
Make mealtime comfortable and easier:-
Use a child-size table and a child or high chair around the dining table.
Use utensils that are child-friendly and reduce spillage and have the correct portion size. Like small spoons, plates with edges, shallow bowls help to scoop food easily.
Make mealtime fun.
Engaged kids in food talk.
Add fun to the platter. A child’s plate doesn’t always have to look the same.
Add fun names to the dishes you serve. Like jungle plate for a veg salad, shark in the ocean for soup.
You can be creative in names and ask a child to name the dish after serving.
8) No Force-feeding:
Don’t force-feed just to finish the food. The child should eat sufficiently and any day if the child has not finished the meal, then the child will cover up in the next mealtime. As a parent, your job is to keep providing healthy food options and let the child decide how much food to eat. Keep calm about your fussy eating toddler.
Raising children can be wonderful and at the same time, it can be tiring and exhausting. Don’t let mealtime drag you down. You can make mealtime a more pleasant and valuable experience for yourself and for the child. At various developmental stages, you will have different challenges and you have to be ready to handle and overcome those challenges.
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