It’s quite common in children and is often linked to
nutritional deficiencies as these children are exposed to limited dietary
varieties particularly in micro nutrients -rich foods such as fruits, vegetables
and meats. This can adversely affect the child’s growth and they are at risk of
malnutrition and failure to thrive.
Tips to deal with
fussy eaters and steps to raise healthy eater’s
- The child should be given the same food as the rest of the family
- Encourage eating together
- Give small portions of feed and praise for eating them, even if they eat a little
- Child should not be forced to eat the unfinished food
- Meals should not be left till the child is too hungry or tired to eat
- Parents can introduce a new food along with a food that the child is comfortable with.
- Parents should be patient if the child is a slow eater
- Too many snacks between meals should be avoided
- Food should not be used as a reward
- Mealtime should be made enjoyable and not revolve around eating alone
- Parent should reintroduce foods that were previously rejected as children’s choices of food keeps changing. What they hated last month might be their favourite this month
- Making family meal time priority and making meal time calm pleasant to facilitate child- adult interaction
- Serving balanced and regular meals and snacks containing a variety of nutrient- rich foods
- Allowing children to decide how much and what to eat based on their internal signals.
- Exploring a variety of flavors and foods from different cultures and cuisines
- Teaching essential skills for making positive food choices away from home,
- Following simple food safety measures such as washing hands before/after every eating session.
- Parent’s high responsiveness to children’s hunger and satiety cues and allowing self regulation of food intake by the infants early in life are considered good feeding practices.
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