How I Cope as the Mum of a Picky Eater? (the Most Useful Tips)

Photo credit: projects.huffingtonpost.co.uk Parents always want the best for their children, am I right? But kids don’t seem to want that for themselves. As a mother, I understand what it feels like when you’re trying hard to prepare the best and healthiest food for your kid. How I cope as the mum of a picky eater is something that a lot of women have to deal with. But there’s no need to panic if you’re going through the same thing. It’s completely normal for kids to form such a habit during their development stage. At such times, they tend to reject the meals that were once a part of their daily diet. So let’s get to the point where I discuss the different methods to get your picky eater to start enjoying food all over again. Are you ready? How I Cope As the Mum of a Picky Eater? The answer to “What can I do about it?” is right here in this section. So it’s time to put that good grinder or sausage stuffer back to work!

Eat together

Photo credit: benchusch.com There’s a reason why it’s important for a family to sit together for a meal. It encourages a healthy eating habit, especially during your kid’s early development years. Children who eat with the entire family on a regular basis are less likely to form unhealthy eating habits. This means avoiding conditions like weight gain and even addiction to drugs later in life. The theory behind this is quite simple to understand. When a child is living in an environment where his loved ones are eating the right kind of food at the right time, he or she also develops such a habit. Along with that, the kid is also exposed to positive feelings such as stability, belonging, and well-being. So it’s logical to assume that your kid might consume and enjoy meals just like you do if you’ll eat together. It’s not always about nutrition; connecting with the child is also important at this stage.

Pay attention to presentation

Photo credit: eatright.org If you want to understand how I cope as the mum of a picky eater, then you need to know what lies in this section. Children are incredibly observant creatures, aren’t they? In that case, they have a tendency to observe every little thing about the plate of food placed before their eyes. What does this mean? It means that if the food looks unpleasant or gross, the chances are that your kid might not find it tasty. So it’s important that you pay a little more attention to presentation. The prepared food should be colorful and arranged in a delightful, neat manner on the plate. It doesn’t take too much time to rearrange the different food items to form a smiley face. This is where you need to get creative! Even small changes can go a long way, trust me. My kid is not so fond of fruits. But when I chop them off with the help of a skewer, the fruits get over in no time. You can also try preparing the meals in a different manner. If your picky eater doesn’t like steamed cauliflower, then try the roasted or mashed version. Fussy eaters recipes include simple yet drastic changes like these. So it’s worth a shot, isn’t it? [YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjdCyeghUgM]

Eliminate distractions

Mealtime is taken very lightly these days. And it’s time to change that by imposing some strict rules. When sitting down to eat together, make sure that the television screen is turned off. This includes turning off laptops and smartphones as well. In short, anything that allows you to access Google, Facebook, etc. should be away from the dinner table. Children and even some adults tend to get distracted easily. More often than not, the reason is technology. Once you get rid of these distractions, you’re encouraging your kid to shift his or her focus to what’s on the plate. In fact, a mindful eating habit helps in keeping the child engaged while also making him or her more aware of the body’s cues. To bring back the fun to the table, you can play light music in the background. Even lighting a candle promotes a calm environment.

Involve your kid in the kitchen

Involving kid in the kitchen - Mum of a Picky Eater

Photo credit: viewpoints.com Batman is incomplete without Robin, am I right? This means every super-parent should have a wonder-kid in the kitchen. It’s always a brilliant idea to make your stubborn child your sidekick when preparing meals. If the kid is involved with you in the kitchen, every meal, however big or small, might seem like a tasty treat. I mean don’t we all love to eat food that we took the time out to cook! It brings about a sense of pride within us, doesn’t it? So it’s only natural for your kid to feel the same. And don’t just limit his or her presence to the kitchen. Make your fussy eaters a part of the supermarket visit as well. Selecting veggies, fruits, and other food items makes mealtime exciting for them. Have them rinse vegetables or arrange fruits on a plate. But please make sure that you don’t put your child in charge of complicated procedures. The goal is to involve the kid in some or the other way both before the meal and after it. Even little things like setting up the dinner table or pouring drinks contribute to redeveloping that healthy eating habit. Conclusion Many parents wonder how I cope as the mum of a picky eater. So I decided to write about it. It’s always good to share, isn’t it? There are many mothers and fathers around the globe struggling with the same issue. And now that I’ve discussed the four most practical solutions, they can tweak the way they deal with the problem. Are you also one of them? How do you cope with your fussy eater? Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and stories with us below. I hope you enjoyed reading the article. I always strive to create useful, informative content. So I hope you liked it! Thank you for reading the post and visiting my blog. Please do come back for more such information! About the author: Barbara Davis is not only an enthusiastic mother, but also a passionate mom blogger. She created Mom Trusted Choice to share her experiences with the rest of the world. On this platform, she talks about how a parent can make the whole experience of raising a kid more comfortable. Her work includes topics such as motherhood, parenting tips, mom and baby care product reviews, and more. Sources:

http://thebutterflymother.com/2016/02/12/how-i-cope-as-the-mum-of-a-picky-eater-guest-post-by-mandy-at-sneaky-veg/
https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/7-tips-for-parents-dealing-with-fussy-eaters/
http://www.parenting.com/article/picky-eater-kids