Is Your Child A Picky Eater?Check Out These 5 Tips For Picky Eaters

For parents it can be very frustrating when your child goes to school and returns without touching the carefully prepared food in his lunch bag.In addition there is also the worry that your child is not getting enough nutrition.Mealtimes is full of struggles getting him to eat.

For Toddlers, between the age of one year to three, picky eating is very common.They see it as part of their independence.

Here are some suggestions on what to do.

MAKE MEALTIMES FUN TIME  
You can add drama, dance etc in your arsenal of fun when feeding your child.Make your child look forward to the act of eating along with associating mealtime to fun time.

KEEP THE FOCUS
To help your child concentrate on the task at hand, there should be no TV and other electronic devices during eating because this can serve as a distraction.

BE OBSERVANT

You should pay attention to the type of food your child likes and then create different versions of the food.For example if your child likes rice then you can make rice and stew,jollof rice,fried rice,coconut rice and the likes.Ensure the food is tasty and nutritous- a balanced diet with other classes of foods.Some children enjoy some foods but become picky eaters for other foods.Also watch the texture of the foods you serve your child as some rough textured foods may not allow your child enjoy the meal.

BE CREATIVE
You can be creative by making healthy choices.For instance if your child does not eat fruits,make fruit juices for her.If your child does not like fish or meat,make other protein sources for her like eggs and milk (both animal and plant milk).You can also flake the fish and  mince the meat in her food.

SNACKS SHOULD NOT REPLACE FOOD
You should never give your child snacks for breakfast,lunch and dinner.When you allow your child to get full on snacks it may reduce the appetite for proper meals thus leading to picky eating.

Patience patience is the key word in this process.Do not worry about the weight of your picky eating child ,however you should arm yourself with knowledge of the suitable weight for your child.If below normal weight you can see a doctor to advise further.

Bonne Chance!!