Does your child hate being prodded during mealtime? Does he only eat a handful of his favorite food and would leave the rest? Have you found yourself surrendering to the fact that you may just have to cook the same thing he likes over and over again—no matter how unhealthy it may be?
Don’t give up, mama! Picky eating is a common parenting challenge, so you are not alone in these mealtime battles.
Kids need to have a balanced and nutritious diet and while it may sometimes be so difficult to have them eat the food you prepared, there are certain strategies you can apply to trick—and convince—them to eat well and become less picky with food.
1. Be creative.
If your child hates eating veggies, try mixing bits and pieces of those vegetables onto their fave food. For example, add chopped carrots to their soup or mix cereals with fruit slices. Make your food preparation as easy as it can be with the Beaba Babycook Solo, which can blend ingredients, steam, and reheat or defrost food in less than 15 minutes.
2. Do not introduce big changes at once.
Don’t impose big changes on your kid right away. If you do, chances are they might get overwhelmed with having to eat a bowl filled with veggies and end up not eating them at all. Instead, make the changes less intimidating by preparing smaller servings or turning the new food into a side dish to the dish they like. Serve them up on a cute silicone baby plate complete with compartments.
3. Variety is key.
Prepare a meal plan that doesn’t look like you're serving the same thing days in a row. Space them out, plan different lunches and dinners, and introduce something new as much as you can. This way, your little one will look forward to a new and different food during mealtimes.
4. Let your child participate in the preparation of their food.
Turn prep time into something more fun by involving your little one. Give them a safe task they can carry out, such as mixing or counting the ingredients. This will make them more excited to taste the food they helped create. You can also “train” them first with some pretend toys such as the Laugh & Learn Mixing Bowl where they can place and mix fake ingredients.
5. Don’t let them win if they act up.
A picky eater will try to convince you to make the food they want by acting up. Resist the urge to give in—and don’t let them win. If you do, you’ll be reinforcing their picky eating habit. Instead, reinforce to your child that they can’t always get what they want. You can lovingly explain to them why such behavior is not acceptable.
6. But don’t force them to eat either.
Be patient with your child and don’t force them to eat what you just served. It will only make mealtime more stressful for your little bean when what you need to be doing is to create a positive mealtime experience for them. When they get hungry, they will come around and might even eat more food. And when they do, make it more fun with adorable placemat and utensils.
7. Be a role model.
Seeing how their parents, siblings, and relatives enjoy a certain type of food will make your kid curious about it. If you want your child to eat something, they have to see you eating them too. Practice what you preach, mama!
