Meal time woes
Kids can be very fussy eaters and running after them to get in a good feed can be frustrating for all moms. Here’s how Ronita Dutta Sachdev, mother of six-year-old Aahana got her little one to sit down and eat.
“Aahana was always a fussy eater especially when it came to fruits, meal time for me meant an hour and a half of struggling to get her to eat. It used to be the worst time of day for me and it would always end in her crying and me feeling angry and upset,” says Ronita.
But that was the past, now this tiny tot has opened up to food and is always happy to sit down and have a nice meal with no tantrums! So how did this mum manage to get her fussy kid to eat? Here are her tips:
1: If you want to get your kid to eat fruits and veggies, disguise them! Hide them in pizza and pasta sauces; soups; crush them up and mix them in toppings or mix them into rice, rolls and wraps.
2: Fruits you can blend into smoothies, make a creamy chocolate smoothie and throw in some fruits, with all the chocolate and they’ll never know.
3: None of us have time for extravagant plating techniques. But it is a must to decorate a bit, make it look pleasing to the eyes; don’t just dump it on the plate.
4: Buy plates and bowls which have their favourite cartoon characters on them and serve food to them in those.
5: Instead of sitting them down in front of the TV, make them listen to music, read to them or try other activities to engage them while eating apart from the telly and iPad.
6: Stick to an eating routine which is to be followed every day at the same times throughout the day.
7: Don’t force them to eat! This may later cause major food aversions which will be very bad for them as they grow older.
8: Don’t feed too much at once, it’s better to give them smaller meals throughout the day.
9: Try and get them into the habit of eating by themselves as soon as possible.
10: Sit down and eat with them to encourage family meal time, they will feel more included and see that everyone is eating which will encourage them to participate as well.
11: Children get bored easily so try and give them something different each day.
12: Don’t just stick to basic Indian food items like roti and dal, give them more variety; let their taste buds experience new flavours.
13: Try and take them out to restaurants to eat in social surroundings.
These tips sure worked for this mom! Go ahead and give them a try! And remember, don’t stress too much over this, because when they eventually get hungry, they will eat!”
Author: Subhisha, Nutrition Expert. Mimmo Team
