Don’t you feel like there should be a whole science devoted to helping parents handle the dreaded mealtime?
Children, especially when they’re very little, can have some radical eating habits that are very hard to change.
Many parents of today are working full time while raising a family, so they can’t constantly be around to enforce good habits.
Even stay-at-home parents have trouble getting their kids to eat healthy and on time.
Why Children Refuse to Eat at an Appropriate Mealtime?
Though a tired parent’s first thought is that the child is disobedient, a few possible causes could be hiding behind your child refusing to eat.
They’re Simply Not Hungry
Grown-ups can sometimes forget that children need a lot less to feel full than we do.
If your child is healthy and has the energy to play all day long – then they eat just as much as they need.
As children grow, their development slows down as opposed to when they’re babies. Subsequently, they don’t need to eat as often.
They’re Distracted
Toys, TV, phone, or a tablet could be keeping their attention away from the food.
Snacks Are the Culprit
Food is a love language of its own. Your kid’s favorite snacks you’ve bought plenty of could just be what sabotages the proper mealtime.
A candy here, a bag of chips there, and you have a child completely disinterested in food when it’s time for lunch.
They’re Picky
It’s possible that you’ve allowed the child to get their way a few too many times, and now they’ll eat nothing but nuggets.
With a little negotiation and parents’ resolve, this can be solved.
Tooth or Stomachache
Make sure the child feels well, perhaps their teeth are growing or about to fall out, so they have a low appetite.
A Picky Eating Disorder
There is an actual disorder called Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
It’s when a child develops a phobia or a genuine aversion to certain smells and textures of food. It can lead to them being completely disinterested or afraid to eat.
Speak to your doctor if you suspect your child may be experiencing ARFID.
7 Mealtime Strategies to Combat Picky Eating
Unless an actual disorder or pain is the reason behind the child not eating, you likely don’t need professional help to handle their picky habits.
Still, that’s up to you to decide. There’s no shame in asking for help if you think it will make this better.
Otherwise, you just need to get a little creative and stay tenacious.
1. Remove Distractions
Nowadays it’s uncommon to see an adult sitting down to eat without playing their favorite content to keep them company.
Children are no different. Especially since a YouTube video or a cartoon is the quickest and a popular way to get kids to settle down.
However, when it’s mealtime, turn off the TV, take away the phone, and help the child focus on the food before them.
2. Develop a Mealtime Routine
This is a strategy that takes some time to implement. It consists of everything that goes into the mealtime, from setting the table to washing the dishes.
Enforce a stable routine for the whole family to take part in, which signals to the child that it’s something mandatory.
It might take some strickness at first, but that’s a natural part of raising little humans.
3. Understand Your Child’s Appetite
No one knows your child better than you. Therefore, you know best when and how much they need to eat.
Try to adapt your routines to their appetite if possible.
Whether they prefer to have five small portions throughout the day or two large ones is up to you to figure out.
4. Limit Their Snacking
Snacks and sweets in between meals can throw you in for a loop. Limit, or outright stop buying a lot of snacks to make sure your child can eat better at mealtime.
Not only will snacking excessively lessen their appetite for healthy food, but it will lead their diet to become mainly nutritionless.
Not to mention the eventual weight gain issues and all they entail.
5. Get the Kids to Help Prepare Food
Preparing the food with you might promote the feeling of accomplishment in your child.
Not only that, but they’ll feel genuinely excited to eat something they helped make.
With that, not only are you teaching them something, but you’re promoting good appetite and healthy habits.
6. Make Food Look Fun
The oldest trick in the book is to make mealtime playful to get the child interested.
Whether you feed them the food ‘airplane’ style or you decorate the plate, it’s a good way to get the child to eat and bond with them.
7. Variety of Healthy Food
As with anyone, children can get bored of eating the same old food.
They’re not too keen on healthy food and veggies to begin with, and presenting them with plainly boiled cauliflower isn’t going to help.
Take turns between roasting and cooking veggies, blending them, and serving them with various other foods.
A good strategy is to present your child with two or three healthy options and tell them to choose what they like.
This makes them feel like they have all the choices.
A Firm Hand Can Go a Long Way
Modern-day parents have adopted the wonderful practice of respecting their children and allowing them to speak their minds.
Though, we all know that the child’s health is the number one priority.
Even if you have to be strict and stay firm in the face of their tantrum – as hard as it is – you are responsible for making them get the necessary nutrition.