It is normal for toddlers to be picky about food. After the rapid growth in infancy, when the baby's weight is usually tripled, the growth rate and appetite of toddlers tend to slow down.
Children also begin to form a preference for food, which is a changeable process. Their favorite food the day before may be eliminated the next day, or the neglected food may suddenly become food that he or she can't satisfy. For a few weeks, they may only eat 1 or two favorite foods and eat nothing else.
Parents should try not to feel depressed because of this typical child behavior. As long as they provide healthy food choices, children's appetite and eating behavior will tend to be stable over time. Here are some suggestions for parents to help their children get through the picky eater stage.
1. Family style: Try to eat with your family. This means that there can be no interference from TV, mobile phones and other media when eating, and family members should use this time to demonstrate healthy eating. If the child refuses the food on the table, don't cook it again in a hurry. This will only encourage children to be picky eaters. Parents should try to prepare at least one kind of food that children like in each meal and continue to provide a balanced meal, whether the children eat or not.
2. The food war: If children refuse to eat, don't make a fuss. It is good for children to learn to listen to their bodies and be guided by hunger. For example, if they have a big breakfast or lunch, they may not be interested in eating a lot for the rest of the day. Remember: it is the responsibility of parents to provide food, and it is the child's decision to eat or not. Putting pressure on a child to eat, or punishing him for not eating, will make him take the initiative to dislike the food he might have liked.
3. Stay away from bribery: Although it may be tempting, try not to bribe children with food because they eat other foods. This may make the "prize" food more exciting, but the food you want them to try becomes an unpleasant chore and may lead to a quarrel at the dinner table.
4. Try again: Don't give up just because your child refused food once, and continue to provide new food and food that your child didn't like before. Before a child's taste buds accept a food, it may be necessary to taste it as many as 10 times or more. Eating regularly and limiting snacks can help ensure that children feel hungry when introducing new foods.
5. Types and condiments: Provide various healthy foods, especially vegetables and fruits, including high-protein foods, such as meat and boneless fish, at least twice a week. Help children explore the new taste and texture of food and try to add different condiments to simple meals to make them more delicious. In order to minimize waste, provide a small amount of new food and wait at least a week or two before introducing the same food.
6. Make food interesting: Young children are particularly willing to try food arranged in an eye-catching and creative way. Make food into interesting, colorful shapes that children can recognize and make them look irresistible. Children of this age also tend to like any food that involves soaking. Children usually like to eat food with their hands. Cut solid food into bite sizes so that they can eat it by themselves, and make sure the food is small enough to avoid the risk of suffocation.
7. Involve children in meal planning: Make good use of children's growing interest in exercise control, let children choose what kind of fruits and vegetables to make at dinner or go to the grocery store or farmer's market, read recipes suitable for children together, and let children choose new recipes to try.
8. Little Chef: Some cooking tasks are very suitable for toddlers (under the supervision of adults, of course): screening, stirring, calculating ingredients, picking fresh herbs from the garden or windowsill, "painting" on cooking oil with a pastry brush, and so on.
9. Cross the bridge: Once a food is accepted, use what nutritionists call a "food bridge" to introduce other foods with similar colors, tastes and textures to help expand the variety of foods your children eat. For example, children like pumpkin pie, you can try mashed sweet potatoes and then mashed carrots.
10. Careful matching: Try to match unfamiliar foods or tastes (sour and bitter) that children easily dislike at first with familiar foods (sweet and salty) that children naturally like. For example, the combination of broccoli (bitter taste) and shredded cheese (salty taste) is a good combination for children's taste buds.
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If parents are worried about their children's diet, please take their children to see a pediatrician in time, and remember that picky eaters are usually the normal development stage of children, and parents should try their best to patiently guide their children to eat healthily.
(Reference: American Academy of Pediatrics website, the picture is from the Internet, and the information contained in this content should not be used to replace the advice of pediatricians. When necessary, pediatricians may recommend different methods according to the specific situation of children. )