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Are your children picking at their food before pushing their plate away, eating a few favourite foods, or flatly refusing to eat at meal times? You’re not alone. Around ninety percent of children go through at least one lengthy stage of fussy eating.
After the growth from baby to toddler, a child’s appetite can reduce, then as they grow into a strong healthy child they realise what their favourite yummy foods are and can refuse any other food than that. Around ninety percent of children go through a stage of fussy eating, so don’t feel alone in the struggle.
1. Involve children in the meal planning
Allow your child to pick which fruit and vegetables to make for dinner or helping with the shopping at the local grocery store or farmers market. Spend time reading children’s cookbooks together and let your child pick out new recipes to try.
2. Involve children in the preparation
Children are more likely to eat the food they are involved in preparing and why not have an extra pair of hands in the kitchen. Sifting and stirring are great processes to allow children to learn to do as well as counting and measuring the ingredients.
3. Fun naming foods
Change the name of foods that may be unfamiliar or unaccepted to fun, familiar names using imagination. For example; broccoli could be little trees.
4. Food pairing
Serve unfamiliar foods with familiar foods, or bitter foods with something sweet or salty. For example; pairing cauliflower with cheese.
5. Create fun food
Eye-catching food always is way more delicious, even as adults we know that! Arrange the food in fun, colourful ways or create an experience out of their meal, this could be done by creating dips, shapes or deconstructed meals.
Understanding that sometimes life is just too exciting for children to think about eating and it may not be the type of food, but what time, what is going on around them and how they are feeling.
It is normal for a child to be really hungry one day and picky the next, as they continue to grow they will most likely become less fussy. For more information or to learn more about our Sanctuary recipes that children love speak to one of our team or call 1300 00 PLAY.
