Is your preschooler a fussy eater? Here are some ways to get through the days when the only thing they want is something you don’t have in the house:
Make fruit and veggies fun
If you can, plant some of your own vegetables – even if it is in a window box. Children love to see where things come from and how the world works, so this is the perfect way to teach them how plants develop and grow. Let them help you water and tend the plants until the veggies are ready to eat. Kids are more likely to eat fruit and vegetables if they played a part in the gardening or preparation of the food.
You can also be smart about hiding the veggies. For instance, cook vegetables in a stew or serve cauliflower and broccoli with cheese sauce. You can also serve cucumber or carrot cut into sticks with a yoghurt dip – finger food is always a winner!
Keep it varied
Giving your child a diverse diet will get them used to different tastes and combinations. It could be that children simply dislike the texture of certain foods. So, try serving the same vegetables or fruit, but in a different way. For example, give them raw carrot sticks one day and squash some cooked carrot into their potato mash the other. You can also try to serve smaller portions of more fruits and veggies.
Also See: Top 7 benefits of green smoothies
Be patient
Does this sound familiar? This week your child loves bananas, the following one they are the most disgusting thing and all he wants is apples. You must exercise patience as children are much more likely to eat in a nurturing and calm environment than in a noisy one.
Don’t force the issue
Don’t force your child to eat when they don’t want to. Sometimes, letting them be helps. After all, when they really get hungry, they will want to eat. However, if you find that you have serious feeding difficulties, consult your paediatrician.
Did you know? Because Nestlé understands that nutrition and learning goes hand in hand, they developed Nestlé NANKID OPTIPRO 4 specially for growing children.. NANKID OPTOPRO 4 is a drink for children aged three to five that contains optimised protein, naturally active cultures, and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
