It is difficult to make children eat healthy, as most of them are finicky and fussy eaters. Following are few tips to help mothers to crusade in the feeding adventure.
A pregnant mother should attempt to eat healthy and variety of foods right from the time of conception. Since a baby draws food preference in the womb, it is easy for her to try a variety of foods, later in life.
Introduce a fresh variety of food to a well-rested and moderately hungry infant. Always offer new food along with a snack or drink, which your child enjoys.
Give her the new variety of food during the day, as she may be allergic to certain foods. Daytime gives you enough time to visit the doctor for treatment, if required.
Arrange a small snack tray with various finger foods in different shapes, color and texture –wheels, moons, trees, carrot sticks and other fun shapes. Keep it in an easily accessible place for your toddler to sit down and eat whenever he likes to nibble. Give fancy names and show her that you also love to eat them.
Cook the vegetables in rice, soup, paranthas, sambhar or baked items. Cover the less interesting food with your child’s favorite food on top of the plate with sauce, cottage cheese, cheese, dips, etc.
Use kid-friendly and colorful plates and spoons to make the platter look more appealing.
Eating meals together as a family has great benefits in teaching moral and healthy values in your child.
Serve food in small portions. Often children find it appealing to try mini idlis, dosai, pizza, sandwich, carrot sticks, etc.
Show her rhymes, cartoon, videos, and photographs of fruits and vegetables and its benefits. When feeding her, use your creativity in concocting various stories about each vegetable a day. For older children, get picture books to garner interest.
Exercise with your child and make it fun to learn the moves together, with good music. Play regularly or learn a sport with her to keep her physically active.
Involve your child in shopping, planning meals and cooking, to keep her curious and interested in healthy foods.
Persuade your child to try tasty alternatives instead of junk food – potato chips to popcorn, ice cream to low fat fruit yogurt, fried items to oven-cooked or grilled food, and pastries to homemade baked food.
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