"I don't want that."
The last thing you want to hear at meal time is your child tell you that they don’t want something to eat that you made for them. They could just shake their head no or outright tell you. No matter how they tell you it’s your job as the parent to respect that!
One of the biggest mistakes that parents make is not allowing their children to decide when they want to eat and when they don’t.
An example :
It’s lunchtime and your child has just told you that they don’t want to eat the tomato soup grilled cheese sandwich you made for them. So instead of allowing them to make that choice they assume their child is going to be hungry until dinner and offer other foods like fruits or PBJs or chicken nuggets which are more enticing. Most kids will decide to eat the things given even though they aren’t hungry. This is a huge mistake. Because by doing this they are going to learn if they say no to something they will be offered another thing and they start to hold off for the ‘tastier’ options at all meals.
On top of that no one should sit and eat at a set time just because the food is there. This actually encourages bad eating habits and obesity.
My advice is to allow your child the choice and don’t assume they are going to walk around or go to bed hungry with stomach cramps. Instead acknowldge and let them know if they get hungry later to just let you know and you will get their food back out and warm it up for them to eat.
Eating shouldn’t end in frustration. But often it does for many families. By respecting their appetite and their choice you are teaching them how they feel matters.
So what do you do when you ONLY offer healthy foods and well balanced meals and the child won't touch most of it?
You can try to make it fun! Arrange food on the plate in a face or make scenes. I am pretty good at making car shapes and houses out of green beans and carrots. Broccoli makes great trees and bushes too!
Another thing you can try is to give foods new and fun names. My youngest daughter likes to rename veggies to planet names. So many times have we eaten Mars mix with Saturn gravy. (Garden Salad with Vinegerate dressing).
Be creative! Your kids will love the effort even if it doesn’t get them to eat much.
Bottom line is always be patient.
Do not try to force them in any way. Telling them if they don’t eat they will go to bed early and starve is not a good way to handle it. Punishment is NEVER the answer with a picky eater.
At the same time if you’re trying to get them to eat something new then go ahead and offer some encouragement but start small. If they are having problems trying peas then only put 1 or 2 on the plate. And say “This is going to be easy for you! If you try one and don’t like it than we will just get rid of the other one, ok?”
Also keep in mind that you need to keep offering the same food repeatedly. And even if they take one bite and say they don’t like something you need to still shoot for them tasting that same food another 49 times before you agree with them and say they really don’t like it! Don’t give up after a few tastes!
- Design 8
