Kids and their relationship with food

None of us wants to have to deal with eating issues in our children, so here are ten pointers to get you through those ‘picky’ stages that occur every so often.

•  Don’t force your child to eat – if s/he doesn’t want to eat now, s/he’ll make up for it at the next meal time (maybe!).
•  Don’t try bribery – yes, it may work, but what kind of a precedent are you setting?
•  Try to eat meals with your child, and set an example with your own plate.
•  If your child is old enough, let him/her help with meal choices.
•  If you offer choices, limit them to 2 – e.g. scrambled egg OR fish fingers.
•  Keep on introducing new foods – and keep on trying them.
•  Let him/her decide when s/he has had enough – even if you don’t consider what s/he just ate to be a decent meal.
• Your child may actively dislike a particular food. S/he has individual tastes and favourites just as you do.
• Choose your battles wisely. Is it really worth the upset, tears and anger?(not just at meal times, either!)
• You can always produce a ‘favourite’ meal of his/hers, like pasta or egg custard or yoghurt if you are feeling desperate about getting some (any!) nourishment down him/her.

Fresh air and exercise are great appetite stimulants – even running around the garden for 15 minutes