Having a child who has difficult to feed is troublesome. No matter how much effort or how nutritious the food, the child still refuse to eat. This sometimes makes some parents feel dizzy, stressed, and even angry with their children.
Actually, having a child with difficulty eating requires a different approach. Parents can’t use coercion and punishment to make the children obey. So, check out below 10 tips to feed a difficult child:
1. Create an Attractive Appearance
Having a child who is difficult to eat is a hassle. Keep in mind that children are still small, it’s out of date for nagging and using force on children. Using emotion and coercion will actually make children hate food and their parents even more. Even if they want to eat, they don’t eat with pleasure.
To outsmart this, parents must be smart to rack their brains and find ways so that children want to be served the food provided. Plating or attractive food appearance is one way. Although they are still small, children can also judge whether the food served is attractive or not.
The interesting shape, color of the food increase the attractiveness, which boost the child’s appetite.
2. Food Variation
Most of the children will not enjoy eating the same food for a long period. When they’re bored of the food that you serve them everyday, they appetite will start to decrease. It turned out that not just adults who get bored with food, small children too!
To prevent this, parents should schedule for food alternatives. For instance, you can schedule they’re set meal for Monday, Tuesday, and so on.
Check out here to see more variation of children’s nutritious food. From this variation of food, you can also know better what is your child’s favorite meal.
Read Also: Baby Keep Crying? Here are 9 Ways to Make Them Stop Crying
3. Smaller Portions
One of the tips to feed a difficult child is by split the meal into a smaller portions. Most children usually feel full very quickly and also feel hungry quickly in the same time.
It is not a good way to immediately give children lots of food in a short period, even if it is to make children full longer. All you have to do is divide the large portion into smaller amounts.
If there is one food that they don’t really like, make the portion smaller than other foods, instead of eliminating it.
4. Introduce Food Early
When children hate or are reluctant to eat the food that has been prepared, there are several causes. It could be because the parents processed it wrongly so that the shape and taste are not good. Or it could be because parents did not introduce these foods early. The result is that when the child is an adult, the child has food that is hated.
Parents must introduce it from an early age. It is at this time that it is easiest for children to be fed. Introduce all foods to as many children as you know.
5. Avoid Sweet Foods and Snacks
When their children find it difficult to eat, there are parents who trick them by providing snacks or sweet foods. Well, this is not a right way to do it!
To get children to eat, avoid giving them sweet foods and snacks they like. Maybe it can make children happy, but these sweet foods and snacks are not healthy foods and can make them addicted.
If it is already near the mealtime, give them the nutritious food they should be eating.
6. Don’t Give Dessert as a Gift
When parents are having difficulties to feed their child, some of them are using dessert as the gifts. This can actually develop a bad habit, making the children get used to asking for dessert after eating.
Another bad thing that can also be affected is the sweetness. Sweet foods are very addicting, it is difficult for adults to overcome the addictiveness of desserts, especially small children. Continuously given desserts can actually make the child’s weight gain and the child will likely be obese.
7. Make it a Routine
One of the important tips to feed a difficult child is to make a eating schedule as their daily routine. For example, set a time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday. By creating a habit, the hunger will come by itself without your effort.
While introducing children to lots of food, parents must be able to choose, process, and arrange children’s food plates. In addition to making food as attractive as possible, make a schedule so that children don’t get bored with the same food menu. Make this habit a routine so that your child no longer has trouble eating.
8. Give Examples
All things that are good and bad for children can depend on their own parents. If the parents show bad habits, children will follow suit. When a parents set a good example, the children will automatically follow.
So that children who have trouble eating can get out of the problem, maybe their parents should start first. Parents should set an example in front of their children at mealtimes. When eating, parents provide an example by finishing the food on the plate. By seeing the attitude of their parents, the child will definitely follow. Also teach that wasting food is not a good thing.
9. Mix With Favorite Foods
Do not get the wrong idea by thinking about mixing your child’s favorite food into their dinner plate so that the child will eat. If the child likes sweet foods or snacks, it is impossible to put these foods on his dinner plate. What is meant here is the child’s favorite core food.
Children must have their favorite core food menu. When there are foods that you don’t really like, combine foods your child doesn’t like with foods that they like. This is done in the hope that the child’s appetite remains and all the food on the plate can run out.
10. Be patient
Of all the tips that have been explained, the most important of all is to be patient. Indeed, educating children is not easy. Parents like to face themselves in miniature. It takes extra patience to face the baby. Don’t let emotion overpower logic.
Believe that with hard work and patience, this child’s difficulty eating problem can disappear. Do not forget to invite children to discuss the problem of difficulty eating. Find out the source of the problem facing the child and find a way out together. It is the duty of parents to direct their children and help them overcome the problems their children face.
