Make mealtime enjoyable and pleasant for you and your child and not a source of constant struggle. To help make sure your child eats well, do not allow him or her to drink too many beverages at meals—such as milk, juice, or water—so that they are not hungry for solid foods. Refrain from forcing your child to eat when he or she is not hungry or from forcing unwanted foods. Also avoid giving large amounts of sweet desserts, soft drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, sugarcoated cereals, chips, or candy. These foods have little to no nutritional value and will fill a child up quickly, leaving little room for more nutritious foods. The following tips can make mealtime more pleasant for both you and your child:
Plan a quiet time before meals and snacks. Children tend to eat better if they are relaxed. Encourage children to sit at the table when they eat, and give them plenty of time to eat their meal. Even if you are not eating with your children, sit at the table with them. Young children should be supervised while they eat, to aid in encouragement and in case of choking. Don’t use food as a reward or as a punishment. This can lead to unhealthy attitudes toward eating and food. Respect your children’s food preferences, and let them choose or reject foods as adults or older children do. Get your children involved in preparing certain parts of the meal. Make every effort to make eating, and not watching television, the main focus of the family meal. Use child-size dishes and utensils that the child can handle with ease. Using too large a plate can be overwhelming. Offer foods with kid appeal. Younger children usually like plain, unmixed foods, as well as finger-foods that make eating easier. Offer plenty of variety from each of the food groups. If your children don’t like spinach, don’t assume they don’t like vegetables. Just offer another vegetable.
As long as a child is growing normally, he or she is getting enough calories. A child’s food intake usually increases just before a growth spurt.
