A common concern for many parents is finding ways to deal with children who are fussy eaters and it is a problem that can arise right from the get-go when they are transitioning to solid food. The new and unexpected flavors, smells and textures can be a major hurdle for some children to overcome and the problem can persist into later childhood or in extreme cases into adulthood (we all know that one person who orders the same dish every time they visit a restaurant.)  

This is a guest post by Craig. Learn more about him after the post.

Raising Your Kids Not to Be Fussy Eaters

Raising your kids not to be fussy eaters will not only give your child a nutritional head-start in life but it will make mealtimes that much less stressful for everyone, you especially! Here we look at some tips that can help ease your child away from fizzy drinks, chicken nuggets, cookies and towards the couscous and green beans. 

Introduce Your Child to a Variety of Food Early On 

Babies derive most of their nutritional requirements from breast milk, however, this doesn’t mean that you can’t at least introduce unfamiliar foods and flavors. For their first year of life, they are getting their nutrition from milk already so if they do reject the food being introduced it isn’t a big issue. It is a good idea to introduce a new food, wait for a few days to check for intolerances or allergies, and then try another. Bear in mind too that just because baby rejected a new food doesn’t mean they will reject the same food prepared in a different way such as steaming or pureeing so it pays to be creative in how you serve the food. A good source of information for weaning children on to solid food can be found at PBS 

Eat with baby 

In her 2012 book “French Kids Eat Everything”, Karen LeBillon expounds upon the importance of having children eating the same food as the grownups whilst sitting down to dinner at the dinner table. This philosophy tallies perfectly with the fact that children imitate the behavior of parents, if they see you and the rest of the family are tucking into some green vegetables then it will help to encourage them to do the same

Try Again 

It might sound like a lot of effort but persisting with new foods is key to avoiding a picky eater at the table. It could take more than 10 tries with a new food before your child will happily munch away on it, so keep at it. Try limiting the number of snacks that they have during the day so that when it comes to mealtimes they are coming to the table hungry and more willing to eat what you serve to them and this coupled with repeated servings will encourage them to sample any dishes they are unsure of. 

Don’t Use Food as a Reward or Punishment 

Presenting certain kinds of food as punishment is guaranteed to put your child off developing a taste for that particular food. If they are not allowed to go outside and until they finish all of their broccoli then broccoli comes to be associated with negative feelings making it near impossible for them to develop a natural taste and enjoyment for it. 

About the Author  

Craig White is a writer here at STARWALKKIDS and loves writing about all sorts of topics, ranging from kids psychology, healthy food, tech toys, kids books, and all about dirt bikes. He has a passion for traveling and has spent several years abroad teaching English and soaking up culture. He has a degree in English literature and has been teaching for around 8 years children of all ages, including adults.