“No, I don’t want to eat!” When every mealtime seems like a battle, it’s easy to just give up and let your child eat whatever he wants. That’s why we’ve come up with pointers to help you deal with your children’s eating shenanigans.
1. The one who totally hates veggies
Veggies are an important ingredient to a growing child’s nutritional needs. Sherrylab L. Boston, M.D., pediatrician at the Mandaluyong Medical Center, says there are several ways to prepare vegetables so that they find their way smoothly into your child’s stomach. Instead of stir-frying, try overcooking your vegetables to make them mushier. “The softer texture is bound to make those vicious vegetables more digestible,” she says. You can also try melting cheese over veggies or chopping them into tiny pieces so you can sneak them into a dish your child loves, Dr. Boston adds.
2. The one who likes to eat just one color of food
Using color when it comes to food presentation is one trick to lure your child to the dining tableóbut remember, no matter how finicky an eater he is, you still make the rules when it comes to what he eats. “If your child does not want to eat what’s on the table, let him be excused. Don’t offer him any other food. He needs to understand that he doesn’t get a special menu just because he doesn’t like what’s on the table,” say Dr. Boston. Ann Douglas, in her book The Mother of All Parenting Books, agrees: your child simply gets to decide whether or not he eats what is served him.
Don’t worry; your child will not starve if he skips a meal. When he’s hungry, heíll be less picky about food.
3. The one addicted to sweets
To wean him away from sweets, gradually introduce your child to new ß avors, says Ellen Satter, author of How You Get Your Kid to EatóBut Not Too Much. Satter is a therapist and dietitian who developed a model for feeding children based on trust and acceptance. Donít force your child to try a new taste in a snap.
Steer him towards new flavors by reducing the sugar content of dishes heís accustomed to. For starters, try a “sweet and sour” recipe. Don’t mix sweets into his rice meals. Instead, give him fruits to satisfy his need for a sugar fix; this is the healthier option.
Click here to see more types of picky eaters and how to deal with them.
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Read on to see more types of picky eaters and how to deal with them.
4. The one who eats smooth foods only
Chewing is a skill little tykes will eventually learn. In the meantime, introduce him to mashed foods, just like what Sheryl Osea-Castro, M.D., general practitioner at L.S. Moreno Medical Clinic in Parañaque City, did to her son, Sebastien Albert, 2. “I made thick soup with very small pieces of fish and vegetables. I also cut vegetables into small pieces then boiled them. Once the veggies were soft, I placed half of them in the blender; then mixed everything together. That way, I gradually introduced eating bigger pieces.”
These techniques maybe a little tedious but they will help your child learn how to chew.
5. The one who just eats one type of meal all the time
It can be an odd quirk kids have, just like watching the same video over and over again. And sooner or later, he will move on to wanting to eat the next best food he tastes over and over again.
Dr. Osea-Castro suggests, “Make sure that you offer a variety of food so that he will not get used to one kind of food. Breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner should be different.” The key is to continually offer him new food, and encourage him to taste it.
6. The fast-food junkie (French fries, nuggets, burgers, and pizza)
The best way to tweak your child’s liking for fast food is to prepare them healthier at home, says Dr. Boston. That way, you can top his pizza with tasty and healthy ingredients or grill his burger instead of frying it. Ask for his help as you prepare his homemade “fast-food” goodies; this will encourage him to eat.
7. The one who doesn’t like to drink water
After getting used to the taste of milk, itís normal for a child to refuse to drink water, at fist. To give it a little taste, put a dash of sugar in his water. Slowly reduce the sugar you put in his water as he gets used to “water that tastes nothing.” When he starts to explore new tastes, he will eventually crave it.
8. The one who does not finish her food all the time
First off, don’t overdo your child’s portion size. An adult’s and a child’s portion size and physical capacity to digest food are different. “Your child is the best judge of how much food he needs,” writes Douglas.
Your child is adjusting his food intake to how much energy he needs as well as how much her stomach can take.
You don’t want the healthy food you prepared; which he finished to the last bite, ending up in the sink. Let him recognize the feeling of being full. At the same time, let him learn how to stop when he is satisfied, adds Dr. Boston.
No matter how finicky an eater he is, you still make the rules when it comes to what he eats.
Click here to see answers to parents' questions on their child's picky eating.
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Read on to see answers to parents' questions on their child's picky eating.
Healthy and proper eating
More questions—and answers!—on children’s eating habits that plague every family’s dining experience.
● How do I encourage my child to eat?
Creative cooking and presentation techniques to introduce new food,” says Sherrylab L. Boston, M.D., pediatrician at Mandaluyong Medical Center. Try to incorporate little games during mealtimes such as dipping carrot sticks in mayonnaise. Having a theme for every meal (by shape or color, breakfast in bed, barbecue lunch, Hawaiian fruit feast, etc.) can also entice kids to eat, she adds. Better yet, encourage your child to participate in healthy meal planning and preparation; kids are more likely to sow the fruit of their hard work, Dr. Boston says. Take him grocery shopping, let him mix ingredients, or “design” his food in a smiling face on his plate.
● Is it true that introducing my child to bottled foods at an early age will make him a picky eater?
There are a lot of parents who stand by this theory. However, there is no scientific study to support it, says Dr. Boston. To be safe, avoid giving your child bottled baby food. Go natural; it’s the best way.
● How can I get him to try new food? Expose your child to new healthy food by choosing one every month and offering it to him. One bite might seem like a small step but it’s a big one for a child who isn’t used to new tastes. “Taste the new food together. If he sees you eating and enjoying it, he might take interest and eat it with you, too. If he does, be sure to praise his efforts,” says Dr. Boston. It’s okay if he spits the new food the first time. It’s your job to tweak the recipe or presentation to his liking.
● How do I get my child to eat faster? It takes hours and hours for him to finish one meal. Eat together as a family so that your child can grasp the idea of mealtimes. Though you may incorporate little games to make him finish his meals, he should understand that eating is the primary task at hand.
Don’t allow your children to eat while watching TV, suggests Dr. Boston. Limit the number of toys he can bring to the table—one is enough. It takes a while for kids to just eat during mealtimes, so avoid any distractions.
● What foods should be avoided until he turns one? Why?
When a child starts solid food at 6 months, pediatricians usually advise parents to try one kind of food at a time to determine what food he may be allergic to. Sugar rich foods are also no-nos for babies. “Added sugar in sugared drinks, sweets, and chocolates can cause mood swings, hyperactivity, and reduced concentration,” says Dr. Boston. Avoid chemical additives and stimulants as they can cause sleeplessness, hyperactivity, and fatigue.
Examples of these are carbonated drinks, tea, or coffee. Cakes, pastries, popcorn, and French Fries are examples of foods that are still difficult for a baby’s digestive system to absorb.
● How early can I put my kid on a diet? Kids don’t usually need to diet. They need a variety of healthy foods to help them grow, says. Dr. Boston. “Overweight kids can improve their health simply by eating nutritious foods and being more active,” she suggests. Their health may suffer more by doing some drastic dieting like skipping meals.
“Although trying to help overweight children lose weight is important, even more important is trying to prevent them from becoming overweight in the first place,” Dr. Boston emphasizes.
Photography by David Hanson Ong
SOURCES:
● Sherrylab L. Boston, M.D., pediatrician, Mandaluyong Medical Center
● Sheryl Osea-Castro, M.D., general practitioner at L.S. Moreno Medical Clinic
● The Mother Of All Parenting Books by Ann Douglas
● How You Get Your Kid to Eat — But Not Too Much by Ellen Satter
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