Fussy Eaters? How To Make Mealtimes Simple For You And Your Kids

We all know that kids can be a handful from time to time. One of the hardest parts of the day tends to be mealtimes. When children don’t want to eat something, it can be an absolute nightmare. When you are trying to settle your kids down so that they will eat, you might find that they play up even more than usual. You need to make sure that you are firm with them so that you are in control. Otherwise, they might always be fussy. Here is how you can make mealtimes simple for everyone.

Have a reward system in place

If you find that your kids never want to eat the food you put in front of them, you might need to give them a little encouragement. Rewarding your children for their good behavior is an easy way to get them to do what you want. For example, you could tell your kids that the first one to finish their entire meal gets to choose what game you play after dinner. That way, your kids will race each other and forget that they are eating things they don’t enjoy.

Ask your kids to choose meals

When you always put meals in front of your children, they will want to avoid eating them. Kids like to have options when it comes to mealtimes, and so you should give them some. Give your kids a choice of three meals, which are all healthy. That way they will feel as though they are getting their way. If your children decide that they don’t want to eat their meals, you can tell them that they have to because they chose it. One thing that all children struggle with is that they have no control. To a child, the world is a place where loads of adults tell them what to do all the time. Give them a choice so that they feel in control, and you will notice they change the way they treat you.

Investigate any illnesses

If your kids react in a strange way to particular dishes, you may need to find out why that is. Some children suffer from digestive problems. If you read about things, such as IBS, on the CAM Wellness website, you can learn about these issues. The reason your kids are fussy might be because they can’t tolerate certain ingredients. If that is the case it is better to find out sooner, rather than later.

Eat with your children

If you eat at a different time to your kids, you will notice that they rarely finish a meal. You should make sure that you eat with your kids every day. When they see you eating the same thing as them, they will be more likely to want to finish their meal. Kids copy adult behavior all the time. They are so eager to grow up and be just like us. You can use that to your advantage at mealtimes, because they will copy you when you eat.

Be persistent!

When you are trying to get your children to eat new things, you need to be persistent. The first twelve times you offer your kids a certain dish, they might not eat it, but you have to keep going. Maybe the thirteenth time you give them that dish, they will cave and eat it. If you give up, you will never know. If your kids think that they can get away with not eating meals you give them, they will never eat. As a parent, you need to be in control. Tell your children that that have to eat and be firm about it.