When I asked “what is the toughest thing to raise your kid?” most of the parents shared the common answer “To feed my kid”.
True!!! Feeding kid is tough no matter what is the age of your kid!!! Every age has its own issues with food and every age has its own solutions too. Here are 8 rules to feed your kids (ages 2 years to 7 years) without mess and mental stress.
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First and foremost rule Rule # 1: Spend more time on dining table than spending time in kitchen.
For grown ups food is fun but for kids it is not. Reason is simple; kids don’t have much knowledge about food and taste and result less interest. For this age group there is no need to think what they like or not as they too really don’t have idea about their choice. Today fried rice can be their favorite and tomorrow omelet. No consistency in favorite not because their choice has changed but because they don’t know the real taste and meaning of “what is called my favorite”!!!! Can’t agree? Try telling your kid I love okra I love okra and see how your kid will start loving okra in just 15 to 20 days.
Well my point is don’t spend too much time in kitchen to cook your kids’ favorite food instead choose couple of healthy recipe of your choice and spend some time with your kid on dining table to feed him. Talk with your kid, sing rhyme, tell story, enjoy the table games and enjoy the meal.
Hot roti (bread) is not necessary for kids. It’s your belief that cold roti (bread) doesn’t taste good but actually truth is if you have good company you can eat anything and everything and so the kids. Give your company and serve the plate full of fun and food.
Rule # 2: Eat together
No one likes to eat alone and so the kids. Best way to feed your kid is feed with family. If you will eat together they will observe you and copy you. And that’s the perfect way to teach them table manners.
Seat together and start the food at the same time. You eat and feed your kid too. Encourage them to eat by themselves. It is very common that you will finish your food first. Help your kid to eat once you are done and make the meal time interesting.
Rule # 3: Fix the menu – prediction makes possible
Prediction makes life easier and acceptable even though it is not of your choice. Fix the daily menu. That will help your kid to accept the food and that decreases unnecessary demands. Of course you can offer his/her favorite food as a treat of the day to reward good behavior but not always. This will help you in two ways 1. Decreases meal time battle 2. Reward will encourage them to stay in discipline.
Rule # 4: Stick to 3
Multiple choices create confusion. Number 3 is perfect for kids. More will confuse them and less will reduce options and/or nutrition. Every time offer 3 different things to eat and let them choose the quantity of the same. If they like let them eat the amount they want and if not encourage them to taste it.
My house rule is “if you like eat more and if you don’t eat a spoon.”
Choose healthy food which contains protein grain and vitamins. Add more fruits and vegetable in diet. Don’t forget to serve in 3 partition plate or bowl. If you have more categories to serve, you can combine two together so for your kid it will become 3 only. For example, if I have cooked lentil rice roti (bread) and vegetable, I would mix rice with lentil and serve roti (bread) vegetables and mixture of lentil and rice. And if I have cooked only rice I would prefer to serve it with salad and curd so at the end it will serve 3 to my kid.
Rule # 5: Serve half Feed full
If you know your kid eats two table spoons of rice in one meal divide it in half. First serve one table spoon and when your kid finish it give high five and appreciate him. Offer second table spoon. More appreciation more enjoyment. And because of this someday they will ask for 3rd table spoon too!!! So basically you are serving less and they are eating more.
Don’t forget to use kids’ spoon (small) to feed your kid. Encourage them to clean the plate but don’t force too much to finish all.
Rule # 6: Meal at meal time only
Set the meal time for your kid. Normally we offer 3 big and 3 small meals in a day for this age group. If they miss or eat less during one they can cover it up in next meal time. So forget the concept of offering food after half an hour or so just because you think that they hadn’t enough because at end this kind of extra care will encourage their picky behavior.
They should know this is the meal time and after that they are not going to get it. Let them understand that if they are hungry they have to eat now or have to wait till next meal time. And as a result they will first fulfill their hunger and then think of something else!!!
25 to 30 minutes are enough to finish one meal and so set the timer of 25-30 minutes. Feed them during that time and once timer rings clean up the table and let them wait for next meal time.
Same rule applies if they get down from the chair or play with food or spit up. We want to make fun here but of course not with the food.
Rule # 7: Make the mealtime marvelous
Well as I said Table games are must. TV is okay up to 2 years but later if you would go with TV or mobile they will never learn how to enjoy meal. There are lots of table games like spy the color, tell me the riddle, count with me, memory game, say the rhyming word as well as simple talk to rhyme and story. Choose according to your comfort and choice and enjoy the time with your kid.
Rule # 8: Concern but don’t complain
Kids are weekly eater. That means they manage their appetite in a week. Some days they eat a lot and some days very less. Don’t worry if your pediatrician doesn’t concern about your kid’s weight as at the end of the week they will surely eat the right amount of food to feed their body.
No one can improve with negativity so never say you didn’t eat properly or anything like that instead praise when they eat well and encourage the good behavior.
Have A Happy Meal Time
