Top Tips!
10 Tips for Encouraging Fussy Eaters
With Christmas just around the corner, we thought we’d share some tips on fussy eaters. As well as spicing up winter menus, they might help when those glorious green Brussels appear! Remember, around 90 percent of children go through at least one spell of fussy eating in their lives, so you’re not alone.
In the words of Annabel Karmel the well known author and food nutrition guru for babies and young children:
“When you’ve got a fussy eater to contend with, it’s easy to get locked in a battle of wills, and it’s so easy to feel frustrated and powerless when your toddler simply refuses to eat certain foods. Whilst mealtimes are a great opportunity to spend uninterrupted quality time with your favourite little ones, feeding time doesn’t always turn out as planned; one day it’s clean plates and angel faces, the next it’s teatime tantrums and hungry tums. While it can be frustrating when a child rejects the food we give them, it’s actually the way that we deal with the situation that impacts on their eating habits.”
Here are her Top 10 tips for coping with picky and unadventurous eaters:
1. Try to introduce your little one to as many different food flavours as soon as possible
2. Although it is frustrating, it is really important to keep your frustration hidden
3. Rewards (not bribes!) are a good route to success
4. Get your fussy eater involved with cooking their tea hands on
5. Keep healthy snacks to hand at all times
6. Produce your own ‘junk food’, which is actually healthy food disguised
7. Make food fun and visually appetising as much as possible
8. Learn where food comes from, even encouraging them to grow some of their own
We hope this helps. Good luck!