“I’m not hungry!”, “I don’t like that!”, “That’s yucky!”, “Ewwww!”, “That makes me feel sick.”, “I think I’m gagging!”, etc, etc. These are all things I have heard at my house. And I believe that my kids are “good” eaters.
How does this make mom or dad feel? Honestly, there are days when I just want to let them cook for themselves, or let them out in the backyard to forage for their next meal. It can be a HUGE blow to hear these things on a bad day. Why bother? I want them to be healthy and make good food choices. I want them to expand their food options by trying lots of stuff. So, I tell myself that I can’t take it personally and I don’t give up. That’s really all we can do.
Oh, and plenty of quick lessons on meal-time etiquette. “If you tell your friend’s mom/dad that the food they made for you is “yucky”, they will not want to have you over to dinner anymore.” This one really works for me. I often hear that my kids ate everything without complaint at their houses.
I have come to believe that even “good” eaters have bad days. Just don’t give in or give up. Here are my last few tips. I hope this has helped!
How to Get Your Kids to Eat What YOU Want them to Eat PART 4
- DON’T assume that any one trick will work every time. Kids are ever-growing, ever-changing little beings, and the thing that worked great yesterday might get ignored or rejected today. BUT it will probably work again tomorrow, so keep trying.
- DON’T worry. They are eating enough, and it’s OK if all she would eat today were a few strawberries at breakfast and string cheese at lunch. Maybe that’s just all she needed today. Tomorrow will be different and they will eat what they need.
- DON’T count calories…..or protein, fat, calcium, DHA, etc. They will get what they need if you consistently offer healthy foods. Don’t insist they get a specific number of servings, ounces, grams, etc. of anything on a daily basis. Watch what they eat loosely on a WEEKLY basis. You’ll probably see that it averages out OK. Even if it doesn’t, I believe that the standards are a bit too strict. It is not natural for any animal to have perfectly portioned and “balanced” meals everyday. Before all of our technological advancements, people ate what was in season. Sometimes it was nuts or fish or berries or squash or rice, and on and on. So people ate what was available and, consequently, fresh. Humans can handle that, and many would argue that it’s actually a healthier lifestyle.
- DON’T watch the clock. Babies and younger children are not always hungry on a set schedule. In fact, in my experience, they rarely are. Everyday is different. If the baby isn’t hungry for lunch at lunchtime, let it go and try again in ½ an hour if you can. It’s much less frustrating if you let them eat when they are hungry.
- DON’T give too much food at snack time. Even if your child will eat more, keep it small. You’ll get better results at mealtime. They really just need a little energy boost and to stave off hunger until the next meal. It’s not the time to get full.
- DON’T give too many snacks. When kids snack all day, you can’t expect to be successful at mealtimes. Keep the snacks small and well-spaced between meals.
- DON’T try to rush a meal and still expect good results. My daughter can sit at the table for an hour or more easily on some occasions. And she actually is eating that whole time….in addition to the stories she is telling me about the food or whatever she is imagining at the moment. It’s difficult to see much progress during these marathon meals, but at the end I usually am surprised to notice that most of the food has disappeared. Relax and enjoy this time with your kid, because that’s just what she is doing.
Author Info
No Comments