Eat Your Greens

Strange foods
Children can be very conservative about trying something new.
Solution – avoid making disparaging remarks about a new dish and give them time to become accustomed to the new food.

Allergy fads
A child might know instinctively that a certain food will make them physically ill. Solution – never force a child to eat or drink something to which they violently object.

How to avoid mealtime misery

Do

• Only keep the foods in stock that you want your child to eat.
• Eat healthy foods yourself to set the right example.
• Reward your child for eating new healthy foods. Show your approval: you could use award stickers, points or stars – but don’t give sweets or biscuits.
• Offer brightly coloured foods, such as tomatoes, strawberries, carrots and sweetcorn. You can use them to garnish a dish and make it look more exciting. Try using contrasting colours.
• Present vegetables in attractive shapes. Cut them into matchsticks, make mashed potato funny faces, use miniature sandwich cutters.
• You can hide vegetables by blending them into tomato and vegetable sauces.
• If your child is refusing to eat, you could vary the venue of the meal. Eat in the Wendy house, or make it a picnic on the floor of the lounge. Invite teddy bears and dolls to join you.
• Let your children help to plan the menu and prepare the food. It stimulates their interest.
• Keep the dessert out of sight until the main course is finished.
• Try to find a good role model. If you know of a child who eats up their greens, invite them to tea and lavish praise on their eating habits in front of your child.

• Give too much attention to your child when they say they won’t eat something. Instead, reinforce the positive by commenting when they do eat the right foods.
• Make sweets and cakes forbidden foods. It may make your child crave them more and binge on them when they get the opportunity.
• Force a child to eat food - you’ll make the meal table a battleground.
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