A Quick Guide for Parents: Dealing with Picky Eaters
Raising toddlers can be pretty tough if you have a picky eater. If you're worried about your little one not getting the nutrition they need, we got you covered. Here are some strategies to help your child eat a balanced diet.
Getting your child to eat proper and healthy food can be tricky, especially if they are a fussy and picky eater. Put your worries away because it’s never too late to introduce dietary supplements and vitamins to your child to boost their appetite. This situation makes it essential to understand that your child’s food habits and preferences play a vital role in shaping their overall appetite. That’s why it’s necessary to make sure your little one is eating the right amount of food nutrients their body needs.
Common reasons for your toddler's loss of appetite
Before letting your toddlers take vitamins, you should first find out why they are not eating. From there, you’ll understand what steps to consider to help perk up their appetite and make mealtime more enjoyable.
1. Your toddler is sick
You have to know how your child is feeling because illness is a primary cause of loss of appetite. Check if they have fever, cough, colds, or other symptoms.
2. Inconsistent mealtime
One of the best ways to keep your child’s appetite consistent is to stick to a routine. Serve meals and snacks at about the same time every day. If your child chooses not to eat a meal, a regular snack time will provide an opportunity to eat nutritious food.
3. Incorrectly prepared food
Before bringing your toddler to the dining table, make sure to double-check all the meals you are preparing. Whether it’s spoiled or raw, serving incorrectly prepared food can be unpleasant for your little one. Children tend to associate meals with experiences. If they get to eat a poorly made version of a dish, they will likely remember its horrible taste and decide not to eat it again.
4. Too much sugar consumption
A great piece of advice is to limit giving your children treats. Too much sugar consumption is one of the main factors why your toddler turned into a picky eater. Treating your child with cookies, candies, sweetened juice, and other similar snacks too often will influence their food preference that affects their appetite during mealtime.
Some tips for Dealing with A Picky Eater:
1. Respect your child’s appetite
If your child isn’t hungry, don’t force them to eat. Serve small portions of food to avoid overwhelming your child and allow them to eat independently.
2. Be a good role model
Your child will likely pick up the habits and behaviors they see around them. Set a good example by showing your child that you eat healthy fruits and vegetables. Remember, your child observes what you eat — and one of the effective ways to improve their eating patterns is to make sure you eat nutritious food together as a family.
3. Be creative and make food fun
Your child is more likely to eat colorful foods, cut into cute shapes, or paired with some dip. Of course, this will require some extra time and effort for moms and dads, but if you want the best for your little one, why not give it a try? You can also involve your child in preparing food to make it more productive and exciting.
4. Plan and stick to a routine
Serve meals and snacks to your kids at the same time every day to avoid confusion and irregularities in their appetite. If your child chooses not to eat a meal, consider giving healthy treats like chewable multivitamins.
5. Avoid distractions
Mealtime is for eating and bonding with your family. To make your child focus on eating their food, take away all possible distractions such as books, toys, television, and music.
6. Consider appetite boosters
Vitamins are essential for growth and development, not just for toddlers but also for adults. If you’re having a hard time dealing with your picky eater, an appetite booster is definitely a great option to make sure that they’ll get the nutrition their body needs.
You might want to considerPropan TLC, an orange-flavored multivitamin syrup packed with Lysine and Vitamin B, which will surely boost your child’s appetite and energy. This supplement also consists of:
Taurine
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Another dietary supplement you’d surely love to try out is Appetason, a multivitamin enriched with Lysine, Vitamin B Complex, and Iron which are clinically proven to help children gain a healthy appetite. This vitamin syrup also helps prevent your little one from suffering from vitamin deficiency.
7. Be patient and keep trying
Just because your child refuses food once means you should give up. Stay patient and ask your child to try a bite in a positive and supporting way — you’ll never know. Keep offering new food and those snacks your precious one didn’t use to like. Your child might finally give it a shot.
Dealing with a picky eater can be extra challenging, but there will always be practical and effective ways to work with it. Keep in mind that your child’s eating habits won’t change overnight, yet with enough time, practice, and consistency you exert for your little one, everything will always be worth the effort. —(MyPharma)
