Because some parents think that once their children grow up, they will start eating everything on their own, they tend to overlook these problems, which may lead to other issues in the future. Here are 4 practices to handle picky eating problems… that every parent can do!!
1. Emphasize creating a pleasant eating atmosphere
This means paying attention to the type of food, colors, and smells of the food. The utensils used should be colorful or have cartoons that children like. Treat the dining table like a miniature playground. Let the child participate in serving, use their hands to pick up food, and learn to deal with some spills and messes to create as many opportunities as possible for the child to be involved.
2. Parents should be role models in eating
Whether it’s how to use a spoon to scoop food or how to wipe the mouth when messy, children often learn well by imitation.
3. Food should include both what the child likes and dislikes mixed together
Many parents tend to assume in advance that their child doesn’t like certain vegetables and will vomit whenever fed, so they never include them on the table again. But actually, these should be present in every meal to give the child a chance to learn each time they eat. Even if they don’t put it in their mouth today, they might play with it or smell it, which opens opportunities for the child to gradually learn about that food.
4. Check the child’s physical factors
Parents should observe if the child has excessive drooling or hypersensitivity to oral textures. If there are physical factors, the child should be taken to consult a doctor to address these physical issues first, such as training to stimulate the muscles around the mouth or stimulating swallowing. If there is sensory sensitivity, sensory integration therapy will be applied.
Eating habits in children can be considered one of the first basic disciplines that children should start to do by themselves as much as possible because this basic matter will lead to learning discipline in other areas later on.
