What Can Parents Do To Help Their Child Eat Well?

Things related to food and what and how much a child eats are on the mind of every parent on a regular basis. Sometimes, however, parents make mistakes in their efforts to provide their child with healthy and good nutrition. Unfortunately, these mistakes can lead to results that are just the opposite of what the parents intended.

Sometimes problems arise due to lack of information or excessive care. As parents, we all want our children to eat a variety of foods in a balanced way without eating and eating moments turning into a power struggle. However, it is common for children to refuse to try certain foods or to eat larger or smaller portions than parents deem necessary.

Usually, eating problems raise their heads during the child’s first and third years of life. It is important to remember that at this stage, the capacity of the child’s stomach is reduced, which is why this cannot be expected to eat as much as an adult or older child eats. Energy consumption and nutritional needs do not increase until the child reaches the age of five.

Parents need to keep in mind that eating well is a way for children to learn little by little. Learning takes time to adapt, and during this time, parents need to be patient. The flavors, aromas, and compositions of different foods are all completely new to a small child.

Nevertheless, there are certain strategies that parents can use to help their child eat well. We will tell you more about these next.

What can parents do to help their child eat well?

• Don’t make your child see food as a negative thing. If you are too stubborn about a particular food, your child may become skeptical about it. Avoid giving prizes to get your child to try a particular food. Rewarding only reinforces the child’s idea that the food in question should not be tasted without a reward.

• Focus on positive behavior. Remember positive reinforcement when your child is eating well, and don’t ignore this negative behavior. Lack of attention is likely to cause the child to eventually give up the bad habit.
• Don’t put pressure on the child, but don’t give up either. The goal is to show the child that eating is natural and enjoyable. Offer the child his or her food, and when enough time has elapsed, fix the table. Don’t put pressure on the child or start arguing to get him to eat, but also don’t prepare or offer the child another food that this one might like more.
• Also keep in mind the opinions of the child. For example, let your child decide which vegetables he or she likes the most. Also let him choose a certain food that he does not have to eat.

Happy meal

Reasonable duration

Meals should last 20-40 minutes. The fact that a child is eating in a shorter time may mean that he or she is eating too quickly. Encourage your child to slow down to avoid nasty indigestion.

The fact that eating takes a very long time interferes with a child’s day – in addition to the fact that a prolonged meal is likely to cause a quarrel between family members when parents get tired of waiting for the child’s plate to empty.

After 40 minutes, you should empty the table. Whether the child has eaten all his food or not, he has to wait for the next meal to eat more. Parents should not give up even if their child insists on unhealthy snacks or junk food between mealtimes. This only teaches the child to eat at the wrong times – and not to eat at the right time.

Family meals

Meals should be a peaceful and enjoyable experience for the whole family. The child should not be criticized for his way of eating. The best way is to talk on a daily basis as a family, while enjoying the food.

It is important that the whole family eats the same food, and not every family member is prepared a meal according to his or her personal wishes. In this way, the child has the opportunity to observe the reaction of others to food and also share their own observations.

When a child sees mealtime as a common moment, his or her attitudes toward food and eating are more positive. The exact opposite happens if a child feels that the parents are there just to pressure the child to eat.

How to offer a child new foods?

• Choose the appropriate time of day. Choose a moment when your child is calm, happy, and appropriately hungry. In this case, he is as open as possible to try new things.
• Offer a small amount of new food and alongside familiar food that the child likes.
• Let the child explore new foods with their hands – or with their own fork if it is a bigger child. Let the child decide how much food he wants to put in his mouth and at what pace.