..said no mom ever !
It is probably the hardest and when successful, most rewarding part of the day for a mom when her child eats the meal she planned for him. But more often than desired, kids are picky about their meals. You may have slogged the entire morning to get their favorite dish ready but they change their mind in a second!
A few spoons and half an hour later, you might resort to that TV or Tablet to do the work for you. And you feed them when they are not paying attention. The guilt of a leaving a child hungry weighs more than letting him watch the TV.
Sounds familiar?
Well. You are not alone. My little guy is 3 years old and although, he has much better eating habits than he did an year ago, he still has his strike days.
So I am gonna share a few tricks and tips that work for me.
👉 Variety :
Not just for different meal times, but also in a single meal.
Offer small portions of 3 or 4 different choices. Make sure to include one food item which your kid will most certainly eat (no sweeties here) and one food item you want him to introduce or get him to try. Use fruits or dry fruits like dates, raisins, dried cranberries, e.t.c. as dessert.
An eg. meal could be as shown : ghee roasted paneer slices with sprinkled salt, oranges and some raspberries.
👉 Healthy snacking in-between meals
I have heard of moms complaining that their toddler is forever asking for snacks. They remain a myth to me because my boy won't ask me for anything (except a candy!) . BUT he eats when I offer him small snacks while he is playing or just busy running around.
So. Keep snacks handy and as healthy as possible and offer them in between the three main meals. Don't expect your kid to finish it all. Let him get used to the idea of munching in small breaks. This will help increase his appetite while also increase his interest in trying new things during snack time.
Here are a few healthy snacks you can try with your little one -
👉 Substitute Meal
Somedays no matter what I try, my son refuses to eat more than a bite. Its easy to get frustrated and worked up on such days and lash out at everyone in the vicinity. So, this is what I do to make it a bit easier on myself really. I substitute that meal with a healthy and filling drink. Toddlers are usually more receptive to drinking than eating so that works in our favor. Here are a few health drink ideas you can use when your little one is being fussy. Best part - no sugar!
👉 Look and feel
Who doesn't like a well plated meal. Use sectional plates if you can. Some kids don't like their food items getting mixed. Plus it helps to keep a track of what he preferred to eat more.
If you have some extra time (:D :D) go ahead and create a food art platter to make it more enticing!
It's something to see that look on your little ones face :-)
Healthy eating is great. But a little bit of sprinkles and chocolate chips never killed anybody! Use those to get your client's (kid's) attention. Put colorful sprinkles over the oatmeal or roti. It's a game changer !
Now enough about getting your little one to eat.
READ THE BELOW POINTERS CAREFULLY.
They come from my very own experience-
💙Don't push a kid to eat something he absolutely refuses. You may try later in some other meal, but if you continue pushing he may actually resent it than like it.
💙Do Not be stubborn on how much your kid is SUPPOSED to eat. Every kid is different. Some eat more than others. Don't fret. As long as your little one is still healthy and keeping you on your toes, he is eating enough.
💙Do Not try to feed a little one while you yourself are hungry. Trust me, the frustration of a kid testing your patience on empty stomach is grueling. Eat your meal beforehand if your kid is a known picky eater.
💙 Face the fact that no matter what you try, there may come a day when everything goes to sh*t. Listen to me girl...IT'S OKAY. It happens. And you are certainly not alone. So chin up and bottoms up.
That's it! Oh and if you need toddler friendly food ideas, go visit my page on Insta!
Happy Eating.
It is probably the hardest and when successful, most rewarding part of the day for a mom when her child eats the meal she planned for him. But more often than desired, kids are picky about their meals. You may have slogged the entire morning to get their favorite dish ready but they change their mind in a second!
A few spoons and half an hour later, you might resort to that TV or Tablet to do the work for you. And you feed them when they are not paying attention. The guilt of a leaving a child hungry weighs more than letting him watch the TV.
Sounds familiar?
Well. You are not alone. My little guy is 3 years old and although, he has much better eating habits than he did an year ago, he still has his strike days.
So I am gonna share a few tricks and tips that work for me.
👉 Variety :
Not just for different meal times, but also in a single meal.
Offer small portions of 3 or 4 different choices. Make sure to include one food item which your kid will most certainly eat (no sweeties here) and one food item you want him to introduce or get him to try. Use fruits or dry fruits like dates, raisins, dried cranberries, e.t.c. as dessert.
An eg. meal could be as shown : ghee roasted paneer slices with sprinkled salt, oranges and some raspberries.
👉 Healthy snacking in-between meals
I have heard of moms complaining that their toddler is forever asking for snacks. They remain a myth to me because my boy won't ask me for anything (except a candy!) . BUT he eats when I offer him small snacks while he is playing or just busy running around.
So. Keep snacks handy and as healthy as possible and offer them in between the three main meals. Don't expect your kid to finish it all. Let him get used to the idea of munching in small breaks. This will help increase his appetite while also increase his interest in trying new things during snack time.
Here are a few healthy snacks you can try with your little one -
- Sliced fruits (apples, oranges, cantaloupes)
- Grapes (choking hazard: always cut up the grapes for kids under 5)
- Cheese slices
- Cheese sticks
- Roasted Makhane
- Raisins (I used to give soaked raisins to my boy before he had a mouthful of teeth)
- Crackers
- Homemade muffins or cookies
- Baked baby carrots
- Baked potato fries
- Dry Cereal (Coco puffs, froot loops, cheerios, anything!)
- Homemade oats bar
👉 Substitute Meal
Somedays no matter what I try, my son refuses to eat more than a bite. Its easy to get frustrated and worked up on such days and lash out at everyone in the vicinity. So, this is what I do to make it a bit easier on myself really. I substitute that meal with a healthy and filling drink. Toddlers are usually more receptive to drinking than eating so that works in our favor. Here are a few health drink ideas you can use when your little one is being fussy. Best part - no sugar!
- Banana Milkshake
- Chocolate and banana milkshake
- Hot Chocolate
- Ice cream shakes
- Smoothies
- Check out my earlier blog on Dinosaur Drinks for recipes
Top these up with chia seeds for that extra zing.
👉 Look and feel
Who doesn't like a well plated meal. Use sectional plates if you can. Some kids don't like their food items getting mixed. Plus it helps to keep a track of what he preferred to eat more.
If you have some extra time (:D :D) go ahead and create a food art platter to make it more enticing!
It's something to see that look on your little ones face :-)
Healthy eating is great. But a little bit of sprinkles and chocolate chips never killed anybody! Use those to get your client's (kid's) attention. Put colorful sprinkles over the oatmeal or roti. It's a game changer !
@jamieandmamma
💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
Now enough about getting your little one to eat.
READ THE BELOW POINTERS CAREFULLY.
They come from my very own experience-
💙Don't push a kid to eat something he absolutely refuses. You may try later in some other meal, but if you continue pushing he may actually resent it than like it.
💙Do Not be stubborn on how much your kid is SUPPOSED to eat. Every kid is different. Some eat more than others. Don't fret. As long as your little one is still healthy and keeping you on your toes, he is eating enough.
💙Do Not try to feed a little one while you yourself are hungry. Trust me, the frustration of a kid testing your patience on empty stomach is grueling. Eat your meal beforehand if your kid is a known picky eater.
💙 Face the fact that no matter what you try, there may come a day when everything goes to sh*t. Listen to me girl...IT'S OKAY. It happens. And you are certainly not alone. So chin up and bottoms up.
That's it! Oh and if you need toddler friendly food ideas, go visit my page on Insta!
Happy Eating.
