Tips to make the meal times interesting for your child

Just too often I hear parents complaining about their child fussing over food.  I am a working mother and it’s been a challenge for me too. But I do also wonder — as parents, do we really make a conscious effort to understand why and what the child is struggling with? After all, meal time is not only challenging for us but also for the child…right? Maybe it is time we make that little extra effort to understand our child’s likes and dislikes and experiment different ways to resolve the meal-time challenge.

Here are some tips to beat the stress out of meal times….

1. Bring in the variety: Avoid repeating the same food daily, unless your child demands for it. Even we as adults crave for variety, so why deny the same to our child. Children love colour and different shapes, so tweak the food accordingly. Use a variety of colourful veggies. Invest in some food cutters to make interesting shapes out of sandwiches, fruits and so on; make a smiley with chocolate or strawberry sauce or any accompanying chutney over idlis or pancakes. There are a hundred ways to make food look interesting. Put your imagination to work and see how your child responds to it!

2. Explore and make notes: From time to time just let your child explore and experiment with food. Give your child the freedom to interact with food without all the stress of eating it. Give your child a platter with different foods – mashed potatoes, baked veggies, rice pulao, small bowl of fruit or corn chaat and so on. Let her create a mess and take a mental note of his/her expressions as she tastes, touches, sees and what she eats first etc. Then tweak your meal plans accordingly.

3. Make meals playful: Children like to move around – we all know that. So even during their meal time they tend to do the same which can be very taxing for you. Catch them young and make it a habit to feed them at one place. Make the eating corner a bit lively with dolls or toys, play some nursery rhymes in the background – cut out the boredom and stress.

4. Don’t give up: Do not give up easy. If your child resists, you must persist – but maybe after a small break. But do not give up – it will send a signal to your child that s/he can avoid food with a small tantrum. You are boss at the dining table – that should be made loud and clear.

Yes, it all requires that extra effort and time but in the end you will relish the satisfaction of your child relishing his/her food and actually finishing a meal without your constant prodding. All the best and happy feeding! Do you have more ideas to make food interesting for a child – share it with fellow parents. We look forward to hearing from you in the comments section below.