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…by taking the fuss out of feeding 

We’ve all been there…lovingly taking the time to prepare a healthy, delicious meal and our children flatly refuse to eat it. Frustration, disappointment, anger, worthlessness – food refusal really strikes an emotional blow.

And what do you when they refuse? Should you make toast? At least you know they’ll eat that!

We all want our kids to eat with as little fuss as possible. We want to cook just one meal and all sit down at the table and enjoy it together.

Dinner times should be fun, peaceful places; a chance for families to chat about their day, not a battlefield. So let’s make it happen!

Remember, fussy eating is a normal part of a child’s development as they try to exert some control over their world. You are not alone, but how can we get through these fussy stages as calmly and healthily as possible?

It can be done, and the answers lie within ourselves, not in our children. Change our attitudes and we can positively influence our children’s behaviours.  After all, we want to raise healthy eaters who can make their own decisions, not force-feed our kids.

As parents we naturally believe that it is our responsibility to feed our kids, but we are taking on too much! The pressure, extra stress and heartache will, in the long run, prove detrimental to our children’s eating skills.

Stick to your responsibility

PARENTS’ RESPONSIBILITY:

Provide healthy food at regular intervals (you choose what is on offer and when)

CHILD’S RESPONSIBILITY:

To eat or not to eat, and how much

Ever been privy to a tantrum-throwing toddler, an indignant preppie, a screaming seven year old? Of course you have. Kids yearn for control. In a world where they spend much of their time being told what to do, food is one of the first things they can control. Try all you like, you cannot get a child to eat if they don’t want to. Actually, we shouldn’t even try.

Stick to your responsibility. As a parent you have the responsibility to offer healthy food at regular intervals. That’s it! It is your child’s responsibility to choose whether to eat and how much of each food to eat. They may choose not to eat at all and that is OK.  You need to trust your children (of any age) with their responsibility.

Kids are better than adults at realising their hunger and fullness signals. By forcing kids to eat, or to finish everything on their plate, we are overriding their natural instincts.

By fulfilling your own responsibilities and stepping out of your child’s, not only are you giving them the control they desire, which will encourage them to eat, you also don’t have to worry if they choose not to eat! In time, they will learn to eat a variety of food.

This division of labour has made me much calmer at meal times. Being calm also encourages my kids to eat and overall the whole experience is SO MUCH more pleasant.

While children choose to eat or not, they don’t get to pick what goes on the menu (they can assist under guidance for sure) – that’s the parents’ domain.  When planning your menu, be considerate to your children’s food inexperience but don’t pander to their “likes” and “dislikes”.

Once a child is over one year old, the timing of meals is also your responsibility.  Offer meals and snacks at regular intervals, but only water between meal times. Make sure there is enough time between offering food so that kids can experience hunger and fullness. A hungry child (we didn’t say starving) is more likely to eat.

Give your child the chance to take control, make decisions and impress you. Remember, your role is to offer the healthy food at regular intervals, in a pleasant environment. Let them get on with the eating.  Role model healthy eating and table manners and they will follow your lead.

With practice, you will reach the stage where every dinner at home is as enjoyable as going out for dinner with a group of friends.

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  • yes you are the parent but don’t make it a war

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  • This was an interesting mini article. Thanks for posting!

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  • Great article, as a soon to be first time mum, Love the tips! :)

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  • Have shared this article with a few friends to help with little ones eating their vegies, very informative, thanks for sharing.

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  • This information about what our responsibility is (and is not ) makes so much sense. The title ” how to inspire kids to eat their veggies” wasn’t quite a match to the contents though.

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  • nice article. i have the same problem as every house. but i think persistence is the key

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  • A little bit of imagination and creativity, and you can “hide” vegies in so many meals. Also, making vegies fun, rather than a chore “you have to eat your veg” goes a long way towards encouraging kids to eat vegies.

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  • I am constantly changing things and I’ve found that different foods from different places seems to be the key. Won’t eat tomatoes but will eat tacos with tomato in them, won’t go near peas but will eat indian peas with rice (maybe it is the spices).

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  • It is frustrating, good article

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  • a very interesting read and very helpful too

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  • kids will start to eat vegies and then as they get older tend to go off them in my experience

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  • just keep to offering healthy foods

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  • Good article , thanks for sharing

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  • It can be difficult to encourage kids to eat healthy, but if you stick to your guns, and don’t give in the the junk food demands, they’ll soon get used to eating what’s good for them.

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  • Some great advice here, thank you for sharing.

    Reply

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