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| Of Food Fights And Fickle Feeders |
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You've cooked up a storm and laid out the kiddie cutlery. But what does the little man of the house do? He makes projectiles out of his boiled carrots and peas, and deftly paints the table with his now stone-cold fish porridge. But take heart, food refusals are common and short-lived in children. | |
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| How Do You Instil Good Eating Habits In Your Kids? |
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Good eating habits start at home. Children are great imitators, so parents and other siblings should also show a good example by cultivating and practising good eating habits themselves.
In addition, get your child involved in food selection and menu planning. Bring him to the market with you and educate him on the role that food plays in health. Children learn quickly and are good at reasoning. So if you tell them that milk will help them grow big and strong because it helps their bones to grow, they are more likely to drink their daily quota than if you just give them a flat order to drink it. | |
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| Some Children Seem To Have Good Appetites While Others Don't. Is The Reason Purely Physiological Or Can Parents Set Off A Negative Attitude To Food? |
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Food refusal or a child having negative attitudes towards food is very common, especially in the toddler and preschool years. This is because after their first birthday, the world of the young is constantly growing as they are now able to walk around.
When they are busy discovering the world, meal times are no longer the only source of entertainment and food becomes less interesting. They develop "food jags", where they will reject previously accepted foods or request for the same food everyday.
Food refusals are usually short-lived and do not affect the child's overall nutritional status and health. However, food refusal that excludes most foods over a period longer than 3 days should give rise to some concern. There are a few reasons why your child may refuse to eat. For example, he may not be hungry, distracted with an activity, too tired to eat or not keen on a particular food served.
Children, like adults, sometimes will have variable appetites, depending on how preoccupied they are with other things. So respect your child if there are days where he does not want to finish all of his food. | |
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| How Do You Make Meal Times Peaceful So That You Don't Have To Fight To Get Your Child To Eat? |
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Children have minds and tastes of their own. The dining table must never become a battleground. Here are some tips to make meal times relaxing for both you and your child: |
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Avoid forcing your child to eat by threats or bribery |
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Avoid scolding the child while he is eating |
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Avoid discussing food dislikes in front of your child |
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Allow your child to eat with the rest of the family whenever possible |
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Allow your child to feed himself |
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Discourage your child from eating while walking or standing |
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Place the food at the level of the child's stomach, where it is less tiring for a child to reach | | |
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| What Are Some Ways Of Increasing Your Child's Interest In Food? |
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Teach him the names of foods through picture books. Recognising on his plate the food he has seen in the book can be fun. |
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Use attractive serving plates, bowls and cutlery. There are usually many different sized plates, trays, bowls, cups and spoons to choose from. So you can think of what will suit your particular types of meals and your child's appetite and buy accordingly. One bowl for cereal, one plate or tray, and perhaps a smaller bowl for desserts are usually sufficient, with appropriate sized cutlery. |
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Encourage kitchen play. Children are usually fascinated with the kitchen and will amuse themselves for hours with your pots and pans and various other cooking utensils. This helps create an interest in food. You can develop this line of play by buying some plastic food and tea sets, or you can allow them to help make real food i.e. spreading butter on bread etc. |
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Make up funny names for your child's favourite dishes. Your child may like "Ah Meng's banana delight" etc. |
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Have meals outdoors sometimes. Food always seems to taste better when eaten outside, even if it is just on the balcony. A picnic lunch at the park or seaside will be a refreshing change from the usual lunch eaten indoors.
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| Useful links: |
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| Useful phone numbers: |
Department of Nutrition & Dietetics
(Appointments) |
6394 1640 | | |
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