Bonitas Member Magazine Issue 1. 2020 | Page 15

How to cope with picky eaters As a parent you have the responsibility of feeding your child. But what if your child refuses to eat anything other than chicken nuggets? Or their favourite food this week ends up on the floor the following week? This can be quite stressful for parents but try not to get too frustrated by this typical behaviour in children. Try the following tips to prevent mealtime battles. P T M H lay with food As children we were always told not to play with our food. But before we can expect our children to eat a new food, they need to explore it. They are still learning and experiencing new textures. So let them get messy. Talk about the smell, colour and size. And then encourage them to taste it. ake food fun Children are very open to trying foods cut into certain shapes with a cookie cutter or food arranged in a certain way to make a face, tower or colourful shapes. They might also enjoy dunking certain food like broccoli or carrots in a dip. Some especially like finger foods. D on’t force feed As a parent you want your child to eat healthily and get in all their nutrients but force-feeding may have the opposite effect and create a negative relationship with food – making the situation even worse. This negative association with food can even spill over into adulthood. ry and try again If your child refuses a certain food once, it doesn’t mean you can’t try it again at a later stage. Keep offering new foods and those your child refused before. It can take as many as 10 times for your child to taste a food before his/her taste buds adjust and they enjoy eating it. unger is the best cook By scheduling meals and limiting snacks close to dinner time, you can ensure that your child will be hungry when food is introduced. Serve small portions so as not to overwhelm your child and give him/her the opportunity to ask for more on their own terms. M ake it social Sitting down and enjoying a meal as a family is very important. This means no media, like TV or cellphones to distract anyone. Food is a big part of our culture and everyone should enjoy the social aspect of it. This is the time to introduce a healthy eating model. Page 14