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Having A Fussy Eater
Having a fussy eater is one of the things that can give any mom high anxiety. It can be so stressful day after day of your child refusing to eat just about everything you put in front of them. Some kids aren’t just content to push the plate of food away. Instead, they either throw their plate on the floor or decide to toss food all around the house.
It also seems like the more you push them to give it a try, the more they resist. Parents are always worried that their child is gaining enough weight. If you have a fussy eater, make sure you routinely check their weight. If they are not gaining, then you and your pediatrician will need to discuss the situation further.
I have found that toddlers do better with food if they had a healthy introduction to food as babies. I’m surprised by how many parents feed their young children sweets. I know that some may find it fun to see their child’s reaction to eating things like chocolate for the first time. But, giving them sweets too soon sets up the fussy problem that may develop as a toddler.
When I’m out I notice many parents giving their children soda or juice that’s not watered down. Both of those drinks contain way too much sugar for all of us, but especially too much for toddlers. Having a diet high in sugar will predispose your child to many health problems including obesity and diabetes. Some people may argue that a little bit of sugar won’t hurt. This is true. However, studies have shown that childhood obesity is on the rise. Good eating habits start from the beginning.
Showing your child how to eat a healthy well balanced diet is an important skill for them to learn. Nobody’s perfect but as they get older they will know how to make good food choices.
There are a few things you can do to help with fussy eaters. Feed them a well balanced bland diet as a baby. Always water down their juice. Start by filling their cup or bottle with water ¾ of the way up. Then add ¼ juice. Choose healthy snacks like fruit for your toddler. Make their food fun to eat. Arrange the food on their plate in shapes and faces.
For example, build a snowman out of their mashed potatoes and use peas as the buttons and eyes. Be creative on coming up with something that will bring a smile to your child’s face. Never force a child to eat something they are refusing and never yell at them for not eating something. Doing so can down the line cause an eating disorder. Toddlers like to be in control.
Give them choices. For example, during lunchtime pick two different things to offer them. Tell them to choose one to eat. If your child likes to throw his food on the floor, tell them food is for eating, not throwing. Pick up the plate and take them out of their highchair or booster seat. Wait about 15 minutes (unless they are crying) and put them back in and try it again. We’ve noticed this works well for our toddler. When he notices that the rest of the family is still eating, he’ll want to go back in his highchair and do better.
Be patient with your child. Even though it can be frustrating to have a fussy eater, usually this stage passes. Just try and make mealtime as fun as you can.
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