First of all, you are not alone. There are thousands of parents who are facing the same problem and all children become adults “by hook or by crook!!”
But a toddler who simply pushes a plate away or pierces his lips so that no one can get teaspoon or a spoon in their mouth, drives any parent to the brink of their patience.
What do I do?
Respect your child! – Don’t turn dinner at times in a war zone. I believe until age 2 you are, as a mother, responsible for getting your child to eat, after that, you are responsible for preparing and presenting food. Remember refusal of food is one of the first steps in “discovering myself” – discipline because what’s mommy going to do??
– Give food at the same time every day, cut vegetables finely and hide away in a sauce.
– Broccoli or our “monster” green vegetable, offer it with a dipping sauce.
– Create a house, a funny face, etc on the plate, be creative.
– Take your child to shops and let him / her help choose food, which you can then prepare together.
– Do not prepare a special meal for your child who does not want to eat the other family’s food, it gives rise to “picky eaters”
– Sit together as a family at a dining room table. Television and electronic games distract them from eating.
Teach your child basic table manners – I can see daily which children are lying on their tummies in front of the TV and eating, and who sits at a table. A tradition of eating together as a family, gives the family time to talk to each other about what everyone did at school and work. Dinner time becomes something special and is evident with your child, as he or she knows it’s special time with mom and dad.
– Offer 100 percent fruit juice and full cream milk during dinner, but water during the day.
– Do not bribe your child with desert, it creates the idea that dessert is the best food. Choose one or 2 days for dessert a week.
– Find out what food your child has at school for lunch, as this can be his main meal at school or day mom and then he really needs something light to eat tea for dinner.
I always tell our friends at school just 5 little bites – just try it! Look at your child’s fist. It’s the size of his stomach. Can he really be forced to eat a big plate??
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