Parents usually have a hard time to choose what kind of meal they are going to prepare for their little kids since a lot of them are very difficult to feed. A variety of feeding problems is needed to be overcome by parents especially that their children are in a stage where growth gap usually occurs.
Hence, proper nutrition and diet are highly recommended for toddlers. Now, here are 4 common feeding problems parents usually encounter and some tips on how to handle them.
Refuses To Eat
No shock if toddlers are very opinionated about the food they want to eat. If they refuse the food you are trying to offer in his plate, why not give him a little encouragement? You may try to recall the food you fed him for the past weeks and try to offer your child variety of healthy food that comes with a colorful presentation. Eating as a family will also persuade your child especially if he sees that his siblings are also eating much.
Too Active
Having a lot of energy is one of the characteristics toddlers possess. Therefore, playtime sometimes makes them forget the eating time. Sometimes you cannot make them sit in one place for more than five minutes because they really have short attention span. According to Zero to Three, you may try keeping the meal time short up to 10 minutes and have a bowl of delicious yet healthy foods such as bananas and strawberries within reach of your children.
Picky Eater
Your toddlers tend to eat the food they only knew and still needs time to get to know the unfamiliar food you offer them. Young children still need to gain the confidence to eat, they want to see others eat the food you are giving them. In addition, you may allow him to help you prepare the food such as have them mix things to give them the interest to taste what they made.
Gagging
Toddlers usually gag if they do not like the taste of the food you are trying to put inside their mouths or the food may be too big for them to chew so please be keen for choking hazards. You may try to cut your kid's food into smaller size -- making it easier to bite. Baby Center also advised to always keep in mind that you and your child need to relax during meal times and not to leave them alone while eating.
These things are indeed challenging but this is the right time to teach your children to have good eating habits because according to What To Expect, the eating pattern your child develops now will likely be the eating pattern they will bring into adulthood.
