Adequate nutrition for children is every parent’s cause for concern. Being a parent involves a multitude of responsibilities. From whether or not the child gets enough sleep, to whether they ate properly and enough for their growth or not, to whether or not they have performed all their bodily functions like healthy bowel movements etc…Children are completely dependant on their parents for their every need, at least until they grow up enough to understand their importance and try to take care of themselves on their own. So, it is no wonder that parents take their responsibility so seriously. Parents want their children to grow up well, but for children to grow up well many factors are involved, and parents try to fulfil all of those needs and requirements until necessary. One of the most important of those needs is a child’s dietary needs. Just like a plant needs fertile soil, water and an appropriate amount of sunshine and fresh air to grow well, children, too, need a variety of nutrients, vitamins, minerals etc.. to grow well. The biggest source of these necessities is the food they consume, which is why we can see parents being very particular about the food their children eat and being concerned about the nutritional value of such.Sometimes, though, children can be very fussy and picky about food. Some other times, they straight away refuse to eat food. It poses a big challenge for parents, then, to ensure their child gets the nutrition their growing body needs to sustain itself.Does your child refuse to eat? It can be hard and frustrating for a parent, but there are always ways to convince your child. Here are a few ideas that will help you to ensure that your child finishes all that is served to them.Nowadays there are so many types of foods available to eat. In the earlier times, people would eat only home-cooked food because there were hardly any options to eat outside. And home-cooked food was appreciated, as it had the care and affection of those who made it for their family members, that is hardly present in something you may buy in the market, even if it tastes good to the tongue. However, in today’s world, there are so many options available to choose from. You can enter any market, and you will have hundreds, if not thousands, of options for any kind of food imaginable. From packed snacks to instant meals, anything can be bought to eat. Children have got accustomed to eating from hotels and restaurants, because not only is it incredibly convenient but also because it tastes good to them. Many children always want to order food home.And they are also quick to learn that if they create a fuss for homemade food and easily eat outside food, parents may bend to their will and order them food so they don’t stay hungry. But that is not a habit you want to encourage, so the following are the ways to tackle the situation when your child refuses to eat food.Here is what you can do when your child refuses to eat.Teach Them the Value of Fruits and VegetablesAs humans, we have a natural tendency to lean towards things we see value in. So if we want children to eat healthy and nutritious food, we will have to teach them the value of fruits and vegetables and how they provide important nutrients etc...Children should know about the great benefits of fruits, vegetables, legumes, pulses, etc. Tell children the value of home-cooked food which is nutritious and healthy as compared to junk foods and dishes. Good and nutritious home-cooked food makes the body and minds healthy and strong. It keeps the immune system healthy. Feed children a balanced diet comprised of various home-cooked meals.Children are at a stage where they are curious about the world and will soak up the information you give them, but every child has a different way of learning. Try to make it entertaining and relatable to the child, so they truly understand how important maintaining a healthy diet is for them. Sometimes kids will refuse to eat something because it is healthy without even tasting it, simply because it is healthy. Adding a little flavour to healthy food and encouraging them to taste it could make them like healthy food.Allow Them to Make Their Own SaladsAnything we have put our efforts into automatically becomes valuable to us. Involving kids in the cooking and eating process will make them value the final dish a lot more and they are more likely to eat it happily as well. Being allowed to be a part of the food that is going to be served on the table for the next meal is sure to get them excited too. Allow children to choose from various fruits and vegetables while making fruit or vegetable salad, not only will it make them feel more involved but will also encourage them to explore and experiment with flavours, and familiarise them with them. Children can mix and match various ingredients while making salads. Salads are an excellent choice to involve your children with, as they are simple food that does not require fire for cooking, so you do not have to worry about letting your child near a flame. Hence, teach them the value of the various different ingredients that can go into salads, let them experiment and figure out which ingredients go well with which ones. You can even ask them to choose the salad dressing, or ask them to make it too! Salad dressings are usually fairly simple, and once you have put all the ingredients in one place you can ask your child to mix it. You can add mayonnaise, vinegarette, etc to salads to make them interesting.Make Them Aware of the Harmful Effects of Junk FoodSometimes steering your children away from harmful food that fills up their stomachs without any nutrition works better than trying to encourage them to consume more healthy food. Teach children the negative aspects of eating too much junk food. Young growing bodies need fat, carbohydrates, etc and while junk food does provide all this, it is not so healthy at the same time. There are better sources of fat and carbohydrates, ones that don’t store themselves in your child’s body and make them lethargic. The biggest difference in the fat in junk food and the fat in home-made food is that junk food provides only fat and carbs (that take a lot of energy for the body to break them down in the digestion process) whereas home-made food also provides various vitamins and minerals and other compounds that are good for your body. Children should eat a balanced meal at home that is nutritious and healthy. Once their health needs are taken care of, they can eat outside once in a while. However, ensure that eating out does not become a habit otherwise they will lose interest in healthy foods. Feed them enough to ensure that they don’t get bored of homemade food, but not so much that they start wanting it always.Make Meal Times ExcitingMake mealtimes exciting. It is very natural to want to do things you enjoy repeatedly and not do or avoid things you don’t like or enjoy. So, if we want children to be excited about meals, and look forward to them we have to make mealtimes and the meal themselves enjoyable for them. There are interesting food games which you can play with small children. You can ask them to draw a smiley on chapatti with ketchup or draw funny faces on it. There is, of course, the all-time classic of playing aeroplanes with the food, where you pretend each spoonful of food is an aeroplane that is about to land in your child’s mouth. But there are many other fun games you can play too, to make mealtime fun. Elaborate games are not very sustainable, you won’t have the time every time to play and have fun. Small activities count too. For example, you could make it so that before every meal you read out a riddle, and you can compete with your child to figure out the answer, and if neither get it you just give away the answer, so they have a new riddle to look forward to for the next meal. While feeding children - make every morsel count. Tell children stories and divert their minds so they do not even realize how time flies while eating. Storytelling is a good activity, you get to distract them long enough so that they can eat up well and be full of nutrition, and you get to spend some quality time with them and strengthen your bond with your children as well. Try to divert their attention away from the food. Feed your children slowly without hurrying, give them their time to eat at their pace. Give them time to chew the food properly as it is an important step of digestion, and swallow the food properly.Feed Them Only When They are HungryFeed children only when they are hungry. Allow gaps between meals. Do not keep on feeding them continuously or keep giving them snacks. Once enough time passes, they will automatically feel hungry and ask for food. The human body is designed in such a way that the body will send signals for food even if children do not feel like eating, by making them hungry. Thus, there is nothing to worry about if children are not eating all the time. Once the body has digested the previous meal and needs more fuel in the form of food, it will inevitably send signals to your child by making them hungry. They will feel hungry on their own and will come to you asking for food. Only when they ask you for food, should you give them food. Once, in a while, listen to their wishes and give them whatever they like to eat. It is important to listen to their cravings also once in a while, because if not they will get bored of the food you give them anyway.Another benefit of giving them food when they ask and not every other hour is that they realise the value of food. It is very hard to understand the value of something if you are given something freely and abundantly, especially for children. Having to ask for food will make them realise that food is a necessity, one they should respect and recognise the value of.Ensure that your children respect food and do not become fussy and picky eaters, and become wasteful with food. Include all types of foods in their daily diet, across multiple meals. Buy chocolates and candies once in a while. Buy them fast food sometimes too Let them enjoy their childhood too. After all, a child’s happiness is very simple and lies in these small things, that are very big to them. Only in this innocent age will they derive such great joy from something as simple as fries. People after the age of thirty need to become conscious about sugar, etc however young ones should eat everything. Serve them dishes of their liking as well. Try to ensure that your son or daughter does not refuse to eat. Tell them the value of food and how hard Mom has worked to prepare the food.It can be very disheartening as a parent to see your child refusing food, but there are always simple but small ways to ensure that they learn the importance of food, and healthy food at that. With a little tact and perseverance, you can instill good habits of regular eating in your children.Why do children refuse to eat? How to make children eat food without making any fuss? Is it right to allow children to watch TV while eating? Discuss here.
Adequate nutrition for children is every parent’s cause for concern. Being a parent involves a multitude of responsibilities. From whether or not the child gets enough sleep, to whether they ate properly and enough for their growth or not, to whether or not they have performed all their bodily functions like healthy bowel movements etc…
Children are completely dependant on their parents for their every need, at least until they grow up enough to understand their importance and try to take care of themselves on their own. So, it is no wonder that parents take their responsibility so seriously. Parents want their children to grow up well, but for children to grow up well many factors are involved, and parents try to fulfil all of those needs and requirements until necessary. One of the most important of those needs is a child’s dietary needs. Just like a plant needs fertile soil, water and an appropriate amount of sunshine and fresh air to grow well, children, too, need a variety of nutrients, vitamins, minerals etc.. to grow well. The biggest source of these necessities is the food they consume, which is why we can see parents being very particular about the food their children eat and being concerned about the nutritional value of such.
Sometimes, though, children can be very fussy and picky about food. Some other times, they straight away refuse to eat food. It poses a big challenge for parents, then, to ensure their child gets the nutrition their growing body needs to sustain itself.
Does your child refuse to eat? It can be hard and frustrating for a parent, but there are always ways to convince your child. Here are a few ideas that will help you to ensure that your child finishes all that is served to them.
Nowadays there are so many types of foods available to eat. In the earlier times, people would eat only home-cooked food because there were hardly any options to eat outside. And home-cooked food was appreciated, as it had the care and affection of those who made it for their family members, that is hardly present in something you may buy in the market, even if it tastes good to the tongue. However, in today’s world, there are so many options available to choose from. You can enter any market, and you will have hundreds, if not thousands, of options for any kind of food imaginable. From packed snacks to instant meals, anything can be bought to eat. Children have got accustomed to eating from hotels and restaurants, because not only is it incredibly convenient but also because it tastes good to them. Many children always want to order food home.
And they are also quick to learn that if they create a fuss for homemade food and easily eat outside food, parents may bend to their will and order them food so they don’t stay hungry. But that is not a habit you want to encourage, so the following are the ways to tackle the situation when your child refuses to eat food.
Here is what you can do when your child refuses to eat.
Teach Them the Value of Fruits and Vegetables
As humans, we have a natural tendency to lean towards things we see value in. So if we want children to eat healthy and nutritious food, we will have to teach them the value of fruits and vegetables and how they provide important nutrients etc...Children should know about the great benefits of fruits, vegetables, legumes, pulses, etc. Tell children the value of home-cooked food which is nutritious and healthy as compared to junk foods and dishes. Good and nutritious home-cooked food makes the body and minds healthy and strong. It keeps the immune system healthy. Feed children a balanced diet comprised of various home-cooked meals.
Children are at a stage where they are curious about the world and will soak up the information you give them, but every child has a different way of learning. Try to make it entertaining and relatable to the child, so they truly understand how important maintaining a healthy diet is for them. Sometimes kids will refuse to eat something because it is healthy without even tasting it, simply because it is healthy. Adding a little flavour to healthy food and encouraging them to taste it could make them like healthy food.
Allow Them to Make Their Own Salads
Anything we have put our efforts into automatically becomes valuable to us. Involving kids in the cooking and eating process will make them value the final dish a lot more and they are more likely to eat it happily as well. Being allowed to be a part of the food that is going to be served on the table for the next meal is sure to get them excited too. Allow children to choose from various fruits and vegetables while making fruit or vegetable salad, not only will it make them feel more involved but will also encourage them to explore and experiment with flavours, and familiarise them with them. Children can mix and match various ingredients while making salads. Salads are an excellent choice to involve your children with, as they are simple food that does not require fire for cooking, so you do not have to worry about letting your child near a flame. Hence, teach them the value of the various different ingredients that can go into salads, let them experiment and figure out which ingredients go well with which ones. You can even ask them to choose the salad dressing, or ask them to make it too! Salad dressings are usually fairly simple, and once you have put all the ingredients in one place you can ask your child to mix it. You can add mayonnaise, vinegarette, etc to salads to make them interesting.
Make Them Aware of the Harmful Effects of Junk Food
Sometimes steering your children away from harmful food that fills up their stomachs without any nutrition works better than trying to encourage them to consume more healthy food. Teach children the negative aspects of eating too much junk food. Young growing bodies need fat, carbohydrates, etc and while junk food does provide all this, it is not so healthy at the same time. There are better sources of fat and carbohydrates, ones that don’t store themselves in your child’s body and make them lethargic. The biggest difference in the fat in junk food and the fat in home-made food is that junk food provides only fat and carbs (that take a lot of energy for the body to break them down in the digestion process) whereas home-made food also provides various vitamins and minerals and other compounds that are good for your body. Children should eat a balanced meal at home that is nutritious and healthy. Once their health needs are taken care of, they can eat outside once in a while. However, ensure that eating out does not become a habit otherwise they will lose interest in healthy foods. Feed them enough to ensure that they don’t get bored of homemade food, but not so much that they start wanting it always.
Make Meal Times Exciting
Make mealtimes exciting. It is very natural to want to do things you enjoy repeatedly and not do or avoid things you don’t like or enjoy. So, if we want children to be excited about meals, and look forward to them we have to make mealtimes and the meal themselves enjoyable for them. There are interesting food games which you can play with small children. You can ask them to draw a smiley on chapatti with ketchup or draw funny faces on it. There is, of course, the all-time classic of playing aeroplanes with the food, where you pretend each spoonful of food is an aeroplane that is about to land in your child’s mouth. But there are many other fun games you can play too, to make mealtime fun. Elaborate games are not very sustainable, you won’t have the time every time to play and have fun. Small activities count too. For example, you could make it so that before every meal you read out a riddle, and you can compete with your child to figure out the answer, and if neither get it you just give away the answer, so they have a new riddle to look forward to for the next meal. While feeding children - make every morsel count. Tell children stories and divert their minds so they do not even realize how time flies while eating. Storytelling is a good activity, you get to distract them long enough so that they can eat up well and be full of nutrition, and you get to spend some quality time with them and strengthen your bond with your children as well. Try to divert their attention away from the food. Feed your children slowly without hurrying, give them their time to eat at their pace. Give them time to chew the food properly as it is an important step of digestion, and swallow the food properly.
Feed Them Only When They are Hungry
Feed children only when they are hungry. Allow gaps between meals. Do not keep on feeding them continuously or keep giving them snacks. Once enough time passes, they will automatically feel hungry and ask for food. The human body is designed in such a way that the body will send signals for food even if children do not feel like eating, by making them hungry. Thus, there is nothing to worry about if children are not eating all the time. Once the body has digested the previous meal and needs more fuel in the form of food, it will inevitably send signals to your child by making them hungry. They will feel hungry on their own and will come to you asking for food. Only when they ask you for food, should you give them food. Once, in a while, listen to their wishes and give them whatever they like to eat. It is important to listen to their cravings also once in a while, because if not they will get bored of the food you give them anyway.
Another benefit of giving them food when they ask and not every other hour is that they realise the value of food. It is very hard to understand the value of something if you are given something freely and abundantly, especially for children. Having to ask for food will make them realise that food is a necessity, one they should respect and recognise the value of.
Ensure that your children respect food and do not become fussy and picky eaters, and become wasteful with food. Include all types of foods in their daily diet, across multiple meals. Buy chocolates and candies once in a while. Buy them fast food sometimes too Let them enjoy their childhood too. After all, a child’s happiness is very simple and lies in these small things, that are very big to them. Only in this innocent age will they derive such great joy from something as simple as fries. People after the age of thirty need to become conscious about sugar, etc however young ones should eat everything. Serve them dishes of their liking as well. Try to ensure that your son or daughter does not refuse to eat. Tell them the value of food and how hard Mom has worked to prepare the food.
It can be very disheartening as a parent to see your child refusing food, but there are always simple but small ways to ensure that they learn the importance of food, and healthy food at that. With a little tact and perseverance, you can instill good habits of regular eating in your children.
Why do children refuse to eat? How to make children eat food without making any fuss? Is it right to allow children to watch TV while eating? Discuss here.
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