Children form good eating habits early in their life and it’s an important part of building a healthy lifestyle. Introducing your children to a variety of foods will help them get used to lots of different flavours and textures and make sure they are getting all the nutrients and vitamins they need for healthy development.
However, we know that can be easier said than done! Many children develop fussy eating habits. They may not like the texture, shape, or colour of certain foods. One day, they might enjoy a meal, then the next, they hate it! Or they may refuse food altogether now and then.
Although this is a common phase many children go through, it can be stressful for you as a parent or carer and hard to know what to do for the best.
Let’s look at three key areas of mealtimes: ‘picky eating’, making mealtimes fun, and table manners, with lots of practical support to make meals something the whole family looks forward to.
Lots of children will struggle with an enormous pile of healthy vegetables to eat. Too much food on the plate might seem overwhelming to them and it may be why they refuse to eat it. Make their food attractive and fun. Offer them a variety of different colours, shapes and sizes and let them choose what they eat from their plate, and in which order. Alternatively, you can give them control by letting them choose between two or three options.
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