Kids are notoriously picky eaters. Any parent will tell you of all sorts of crazy things that they have to do to get their kids to eat their food.
To save you from the stress of trying to feed your little picky eater, we asked our moms and dads from theAsianparent Community to give us their best tips!
1. Make the food creative!
Daddy Joey Smith shares this brilliant idea: “Try to be creative in terms of food presentation like cutting them into different shapes. Aside from that, I let my child be familiar with different food textures by allowing her to touch her food.”
Chefs always say “you eat with your eyes.” And for kids, who love visual stimulation, making the food look yummier than it tastes is a good idea so that you won’t have trouble feeding your kid.
2. Be sneaky about it
Yuna Liz shares her awesome advice when it comes to picky eaters:
“Perhaps you can play with textures, colours and mixing flavours? If your toddler refuses to eat his greens, mix it in something he likes, for example, home made patties, nuggets or meatballs are great places to hide vegetables and other undesirables foods.”
She adds, “If you child suddenly finds his minced meat porridge unappetizing, turn the rice-meat combo into something else like baked rice. At that age, toddlers are constantly pushing the limits to everything and being picky about food is one of them. Instead of overhauling all your ingredients, just think of different ways to serve and cook the same foods.”
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3. Make them a part of the process!
There’s definitely a certain satisfaction that comes with growing your own food and preparing it yourself.
Mommy Diana Lai shares this really cool idea: “You can try to involve him in growing up own leafy vegetables so he will be feeling more appreciate and willing to take in vegetables that he grew himself.”
That’s a really awesome idea! Not only are you ensuring that your child eats their veggies, you’re also teaching them how wonderful it is to grow your own food!
4. Take it slow and steady
Deepthi Chittaranjan shares a different approach when it comes to picky eaters:
“Try to expose the kids to different varieties of foods without pressuring them too much.You can try serving a new type of food along with some other food that you know that your child likes. Don’t force the child to eat food.”
Makes a lot of sense right? Sometimes kids grow up hating certain types of food because their parents forced them to eat it when they were young. Taking the slow and steady approach instead of forcing your child to eat food makes it a much better experience for everyone.
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5. Take the conversation away from the taste
Mommy Melissa Shu Fang Tan shares her method for handling picky eaters: “Encourage your child by talking about a food’s color, shape, aroma and texture — not whether it tastes good. Serve new foods along with your child’s favorite foods.”
That’s a really good idea. Focusing less on the taste will make kids think that the food really doesn’t taste that bad! Encouraging a variety of foods to eat will also help make sure that your kid won’t be a picky eater.
READ: 10 Tricky ways to deal with a picky eater
Sources: mayoclinic.org
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