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If you were to list all topics parents chat about when they get together,
chances are picky eaters would be close to the top. Some kids will only
eat food of a certain colour, others can’t bear different types of food
touching each other on the plate, others love bread and crackers but
won’t touch meat or fruit.
Learning to eat and love food is one of those things that can take time
and patience. Eating is the most complex physical task humans engage
in. It uses all the body’s organ systems; the brain and cranial nerves,
heart and vascular systems, respiratory, endocrine and metabolic sys-
tems, all the muscles of the body and the entire gastrointestinal tract.
No wonder it takes a bit of getting used to.
However having said that, the majority of children seen by professionals
for eating problems are the result of behavioural rather than physical
issues. That is why as caregivers, we have a major role in encouraging
healthy eating habits from day one.
When introducing new foods, a wariness or aversion to new and unu-
sual tastes is a common phase for most children, starting at around 2
and decreasing by the age of 5. The best way for parents to ride through
this period of food
‘neophobia’ is to keep calm, keep positive, and keep presenting a varied
diet. Children may need to see, touch, sniff, or lick new foods many
times before they’re willing to give them a go, so if we remove them
from the repertoire too soon we may limit our child’s choices for the
future. Model adventurous eating yourself, be
interested in food and how it looks, tastes, and smells. If there are foods
you’re not fond of, don’t make a big fuss about it but explain to your
children that tastes develop and change as you get older.
Tips for developing healthy eating habits
• Eat in a calm setting without TV or other distractions, have your child
seated
appropriately and make mealtimes
pleasant occasions.
• Set up rules around food and eating for your household as early
as possible. Discuss these rules with your little ones and – most
importantly – stick to them.
• Be a great role model. Always talk about food in a positive way. For
example, “We eat healthy foods like vegetables to help us run fast”.
Show your kids that you find eating fun and pleasurable.
• Be consistent. Eat all meals, even snacks sitting down at a table. Get
into a routine with regular family mealtimes, including morning and
afternoon snacks, with no snacking in between and all meals eaten at
the table. This will help kids to pick up good eating habits as well as
making mealtimes a great time for the family to communicate with
each other.
• Provide variety including different meal ideas, food types, flavours,
textures and colour. No child is going to enjoy food if the same thing
is put in front of them every day. Offering
different foods enables
your kids to get their full
quota of nutrients.
• Give your child choice.
For example; which two
vegetables would you like;
sandwiches in squares or
triangles; marmite or honey;
mashed or whole potatoes?
Fussy eaters
What seems yucky now might be their absolute favourite in five years time!
Parent ing Winter 09 71
• Offer your child small portions so that they do not feel
overwhelmed by a large plate of food.
• Filling up on fluid may mean there is no room left for food in their
small stomachs. Limit drinks between meals to water and don’t give
any fluid for half an hour or so before a meal.
• Mix food favourites with those not so favourite, and introduce
vegetables as a component of a food – try adding grated carrot to
meat hot pot or peas to potato fritters.
• Try not to rush meals. However, do not extend the time of the meal
in the hope your child will eat more. Limit meal times to 20-30
minutes and take away food uneaten without comment. Do not offer
alternative foods if the meal is not eaten.
• Getting your kids involved in shopping, preparation and cooking is
one sure way to get kids interested in eating well.
How to get your kids involved at mealtimes
Atmosphere is so important. Try not to spend all your energy on
preparing the meal and delivering it to the table, because if you’re
exhausted and irritable then it’s hard for anyone to enjoy themselves.
Kids are much more likely to be excited about a meal they have had some
part in preparing, whether it’s the menu planning, shopping, growing
the veges/herbs, preparing, laying the table, or serving the food. There’s
a way for children of all ages to get involved, so make it part of the
routine. If they can make some choices about what to eat, and rules are
kept minimal and simple, then meal-time is less of a chore and more of
an enjoyable way to be together. Traditions such as lighting a candle,
thanking the cook, or saying grace are good examples of ways to bring
a sense of ritual, safety, and security to the dining table. Children like to
know, “We always do things this way”, so provide those stable markers for
them in their day.
At The Parenting Place we believe ‘family is everything’ so we’ve created a series of 45 Hot Tips brochures to help you make the most of your parenting journey. They’re grouped into four categories: Early Years, Middle Years, Tweens and Teens, and General Parenting.
Early Years topics include:
theparentingplace.com
• Baby-proofing your relationship
• Entertaining baby• Fussy eaters• Getting ready for school• Getting ready for toilet
training• I can do it! Raising a resilient
child• Me time for mum
• Preparing for a new sibling• Sharing• Tantrum taming• Understanding behaviour• Why won’t she stop CRYING!
Brochures are available from theparentingplace.com or The Parenting Place, 300 Great South Road, Greenlane in Auckland, 0800 53 56 59.
The Parenting Place is a not-for-profit organisation working to enhance the lives of families and young people in communities and schools throughout New Zealand. To help us create more resources, Vodafone customers text FAMILY to 7005 to give $5