Motherhood seems to be very difficult when it comes to feeding your little one. Rajni, mother of 2year old boy constantly complains about his poor eating habits like; eats only two spoon of rice, prefers sleeping or playing than eating. etc.
As we all know, the diet of growing toddlers is vital to their well-being, their ability to play and to learn, as well as to their future health. This is the age when food tastes are learned, so giving children the chance to explore a variety of tastes and textures is important to future likes and dislikes.
As a toddler, your child may start to refuse to eat some foods, become a very picky eater or even go on binges where he will only want to eat a certain food. The child may not be eating as well rounded a diet as you like him to have but as long as he is growing normally and has a normal energy level, there is probably little to worry about. Remember that early childhood is a period in his development where he is not growing very fast and doesn't need a lot of calories.
Also, most children do not eat a balanced diet each and every day, but over the course of a week or so their diet will usually be well balanced. While he should be provided with three well-balanced meals each day, it is important to keep in mind that younger children will eat only one or two full meals each day. If your child has had a good breakfast and lunch, then it is okay that he doesn't want to eat much at dinner.
Here are some ways to help broaden the culinary horizons of your child :
- Even if your child is hesitant to try new foods, you should offer small amounts of them once or twice a week. Most children will try a new food after being offered number of times.
- Do not use food as a bribe or reward for desired behaviors.
- Avoid punishing your child for not eating well.
- Limit mealtime conversation to positive and pleasant topics; avoid discussing or commenting on your child's poor eating habits while at the table.
- Do not prepare more than one meal for your child. If he doesn't want to eat what was prepared for him, he should not be forced to eat, but at the same time you should not give him something else to eat. Providing alternatives to the prepared meal will cause more problems later.
- Let your children see you enjoy a wide variety of foods. Scheduling family meals helps kids watch the adults in their family enjoying lots of different types of foods.
- Try foods in different forms. Often, foods that aren't so appealing in their natural state can take on a whole new appeal when "repackaged" to suit kids tastes.
- Don't allow kids to eat snacks right before meals.
- Become familiar with the amount of food your child really needs. Being aware of nutritional guidelines can help curb the need to push more food to your child.
