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Coping with Fussy Eaters : How to Cope with Fussy Eaters

It is fairly common for parents to find it difficult to deal with children who fret over their food. The infant gains weight rapidly in the first twelve months, becoming thrice as heavy as compared to at the time of birth. Thereafter, between the ages of one and three, the rate of growth decreases, and therefore the child requires comparatively less food, which causes some parents unnecessary worry. The child also begins to explore the world around him/her and food no longer remains her/his first priority. All of these factors may together make the child picky about food.

There are a few useful tips that you should follow to ensure that your child eats a healthy, nutritious diet. It is never a good idea of force-feed a child. Toddlers are old enough to be able to decide how much food they need. Your responsibility is to cook the food in a way that it retains most of its nutritional value. Thus, baked and steamed vegetables are preferable to deep-fried and spicy snacks. You should, of course, introduce as much variety as you can on the child’s platter and observe what foods your child likes. You may use an ice-cube tray or a compartmentalized plate to serve food to the child. Bowls and saucers that have colorful pictures painted on them are also known to increase fussy young eaters’ interest in food. Serve an assortment of different fruits, vegetables, grains and cereals to make the platter look more colorful and appetizing. Keep changing the menu every day not only to avoid monotony but also to include a wide range of foods in your child’s diet. Cutting and shaping food in ways that might catch the child’s attention is also a good idea. You could serve quarters of avocado carved out like tiny boats, scoop the yolk out of an egg and stuff it with some minced meat, slice a banana into small rings and bananas into thin, moon-shaped pieces, and so on.

It has also been observed that children create less fuss about eating food if it is served with a few interesting dips. Fruit-juice preserves, cottage cheese and tofu dips, fruit and vegetable purees and flavored yogurts are some of the options that you may try. You may also spread out butter or cheese evenly over cakes and breads and even encourage your child to do so during meals. Sharing a little food with the young ones also inspires them to eat food.

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