Taming fussy eaters

Parents don't despair! If mealtimes end in tears with fights over food, you're not alone. A survey of Australian parents revealed that three out of four felt worried, guilty or frustrated that their children were not eating balanced meals. Kids aged between 3 and 9 were found to be the fussiest eaters. Guess what was rated the most unpopular? Yes, it was vegetables followed by fish, milk, meat and fruit.

 

Read on as I look at reasons for mealtime battles and offer a few tips and practical advice on how to entice fussy eaters to eat. Having lived through a fussy eater of our own, I understand the frustrations and fully admit that at times it's hard going! Not all these tips will work but try a few, stick to what works and ditch the rest. One day, your child will grow up ... and then can tell you themselves what the real problem for their food refusal was!

 

10 ways to keep your sanity

 

1. Set a good example

Let them see you eating and enjoying things like vegetables, salad, fish and unusual looking foods such as oysters or cauliflower. Make family meal times a way for your toddler to mimic YOUR good eating behaviour

2. Serve small

Small meals with snacks in-between go down better with small tummies than three big meals a day. Keep meal serves small - you can always serve up seconds if they're still hungry.

3. Routine

Keep mealtimes regular and familiar. Make lunch the main meal if your toddler's too tired to eat much in the evening

4. Don't bribe

Bribes - "eat your broccoli if you want ice-cream" - tend to backfire over time. Children will swallow an unappetising food (or medicine) in order to get the reward, but that doesn't make them like it. Usually they end up disliking it intensely! Don't fall into the trap of giving them "something" so they don't go to bed with "nothing" on their stomach.

5. Full of fuid

Don't fill them up on fluid (juice, milk, cordial, even water) just before a meal.

6. Let them help

Kids eat up if they can serve themselves or help make it (most of the time). Make food fun and interesting by letting your child help with tasks such as food preparation, setting the table, unpacking the groceries and shopping together.

On weekends, try a mini buffet and allow them to select their own food.

Plant a pot of baby tomatoes and watch them grow. Or the top of a carrot or an avocado seed (common science experiments with food).

7. Find a substitute

If they hate vegetables, offer them fruit. If they won't drink milk, buy yoghurt or cheese. If they dislike chewing meat, try mince dishes, chicken, fish or baked beans.

8. Check it out

Don't ignore problems that interfere with eating such as teething, sore throat, blocked nose or an upset tummy.

9. Try again

Keep offering new foods even if kids reject them at first. They need to see something new at least five times before they look "familiar".

10. Why hurry them?

Fussy eaters are often slow eaters who dawdle over their plate.

Lastly avoid stressing about the mess by laying down plastic sheets on the floor under the high chair or table for easy cleaning. And keep meals simple - don't spend hours preparing something gourmet that will be lost on a toddler!

 

Related information

Vegetables present their own barriers to consumption with little ones.  Try some of my ideas for getting kids to eat their vegetables and post any successes you have. Love to hear from you!

 

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