Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of posts online, where people are asking how to help their children become less picky eaters. I have a very hard time understanding the concept of allowing your children to pick what they eat, but if you’re stuck in this situation, please read on.
When your baby reaches the right age, we are told to start giving them different types of solid food. You start with rice, move on to other grains and eventually introduce vegetables, fruits and meat. At what point do you, as parents, start introducing snack foods, or start letting them eat only what they like? I understand the need to limit certain foods. For instance, if your child really hates peas and you’ve introduced them multiple times then by all means stop serving peas! Or if your child has specific allergies. That’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about
Maybe, I’m just really lucky. I have two very different eaters. One likes hot and spicy food and the other likes plain food. One really likes sweets and would eat them non stop as her only food group…if we let her. The thing I think people are forgetting is that, as parents, we are here to teach our children how to eat healthy. It is up to us to show them how to eat healthy as well and to try new things. Both my children have learned to like many different types of food, including many fruits, vegetables and ethnic foods. They weren’t always so receptive and there are many foods they still don’t like, such as mushrooms. (Mushrooms are kind of weird)
There are many foods that you don’t automatically like, right away. I don’t think you have to give up on a food, if you or your child don’t like it. We have a rule in our house that you have to try something 13 times to know if you really like it or not. I’m really glad we have this rule, because, honestly, I thought I hated brussels sprouts. I really hated them! They tasted like dirt! Then my mother in law cooked them with maple syrup, cranberries and almonds. OMG they were amazing! I can’t believe I might have missed out on this new taste experience if I had refused to try them because I thought I didn’t like them. I think it’s the same with children. You have to teach them to keep trying new things. You have to teach them what is healthy and what their body needs. And, finally, you really need to stop letting them choose. Stop letting them say no to every healthy food. Stop cooking other foods for them. They should eat what you cook and put in front of them. They will make a big fuss, they will scream and yell, they will tell you they will starve (they won’t). Eventually, they will come out of their room and eat their supper. As long as you don’t give in. No one said it was going to be easy. Heck I would rather eat only cookies and ice cream for supper too, but I know better. I know I can’t do this or my body will give up on me. I won’t have any energy and I won’t be happy. Remember, you don’t have to conquer Rome in a day. No child is going to just go along with this and agree to eat everything. But the more you try, the more they will start to like new foods. I promise. Some day they may even suggest something new for you to try!
But of course, this is only my opinion.
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