Encouraging Your Child to Eat Right

Every parent wants their child to eat right. When it comes to meal time, your child needs all the right nutrients, and in balanced portions. However, it’s never as simple as just putting the right food on the table. Be it tantrums or the refusal to eat, it can be difficult to get your child to enjoy the right nutrition. Here are some tips to help you out.

Build Trust

When your child is young, building trust and love is important. If your child doesn’t feel comfortable at meal times, it may be difficult to share a meal together. The important thing is to make your child feel safe when eating. One way to do this is encourage a positive attachment to you. Be responsive to your child’s needs and feelings. This will strengthen the relationship between both of you, and in turn, make it easier at mealtimes. You’ll also be able to introduce the right nutrition with trust.

Remove Distractions

Young children are easily distracted. In the age of bright, modern screens, your child may be looking forward to entertainment instead of eating. With modern devices such as tablets and smartphones, some parents may use them to calm their children down. However, it may create even more distractions from eating.

Make Everything Smaller

Sometimes, your child may dislike vegetables, or some particular part of the meal. In this case, you can always cut them into smaller pieces. The taste and the colour won’t be so obvious when hidden in your child’s favourite meal.
Don’t give up at the first try. As your child grows used to having mealtimes at specific hours, and gets accustomed to the taste, it’ll be easier on you. If your child seems to have discomfort during mealtimes, you may have to check with your healthcare professional.