10 tips for parents of picky eaters

Post by Doctor Ho Thi Anh Thu - Neonatologist - Neonatology Department at Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital

Picky eating is completely normal as a toddler. By the time a child is 1 year old, they usually have tripled their weight. Along with the growth rate of children, appetite tends to slow down. However, parents should not be too disappointed because picky eating is common at this age. Just have healthy foods ready and remember that over time, your child's appetite and eating behavior will decrease. Here are a few tips that can help you get through the picky eating phase.

Eat with family as often as possible. This means no media distractions like: television or cell phones at mealtimes. Use this time to establish a healthy diet. Cook the same food for the whole family and baby, refusing to make another dish if your child refuses the dishes you offer. If you give in to the will of the child, this leads to the child being picky eaters. Try to include at least one food that your child enjoys at each meal and continue to offer others for a balanced meal, whether he eats it or not.

If the child refuses a meal, avoid forcing the child to eat. Good for kids to learn to listen to their bodies and use hunger as a guide. For example, if your child eats a hearty breakfast or lunch, he may not want to eat much for the rest of the day. Parents are responsible for providing food and the child decides how much to eat. Forcing children to eat or punishing them if they don't eat can cause them to actively dislike foods they might otherwise like.

Try not to bribe your child with junk food to eat other foods. This can make "bribe" foods more interesting, and the foods you want your child to try are unpleasant foods. This leads to persistent battles over the dinner table.

Don't give up because once a child refuses a certain food. Continue to offer new foods and foods your child didn't like before. It can take up to 10 or more food tastings for a child to accept it. Eating on time and limiting snacking can help children feel hungry and more receptive to a newly introduced food.
This is also an extremely effective way that a mother can apply in case the baby is a picky eater.

Offer your child a variety of healthy foods, especially vegetables and fruits, and include high-protein foods such as boneless meat and fish at least 2 times per week. Help your child discover new flavors and textures in foods. Try adding different herbs and spices to meals to make them tastier. To reduce food waste, offer small amounts of the newly introduced food and wait at least a week or two before offering it again.

Children especially love trying foods arranged in creative, eye-catching ways. Make foods look irresistible by arranging them into fun, colorful shapes that kids can recognize. Children this age also tend to like colorful foods. Finger foods are also easy to choke on. Cut solid foods into bite-sized pieces that your child can easily eat, making sure that the pieces are small enough to avoid a choking hazard.

One of the ways to overcome the situation, children with anorexia is to let your child choose fruits, vegetables ... to make meals or let them choose dishes when going to the grocery store or market. Read kid-friendly cookbooks together and let your child pick out new recipes to try.

Some of the chores kids can help with (with lots of supervision, of course) are: picking vegetables, stirring, counting ingredients, picking fresh herbs from the garden or windowsill, and “painting” oil eat with a pastry brush, name some dishes.

Once a food is accepted, use the "food bridge" approach to introduce other items of similar color, taste and texture to help expand the variety in your child's dishes will eat. For example, if your child loves pumpkin pie, try mashed sweet potatoes and then grated carrots.

Try introducing foods or flavors that young children tend to dislike at first (sour and bitter), then familiar foods they prefer (sweet and salty). For example, combining broccoli (bitter) with grated cheese (salty) is a great combination for children's taste buds. In addition, in addition to the diet, children need to be supplemented with: lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully meet their nutritional needs. digestion, enhance the ability to absorb nutrients, help improve anorexia, help children eat well. Things to remember if you are concerned about your child's diet or anorexia, talk to your pediatrician, who can help untangle it and make sure your child is getting all the nutrients they need. nutrients needed for growth and development. Also keep in mind that picky eaters are often a normal stage of their child's development. Do your best to patiently guide your child on the path to healthy eating.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the few hospitals with a full range of pediatric specialties, able to perform general examinations in conjunction with a nutritionist to help build a menu for each patient. children, advice on living regimens and treatment directions suitable for each child's condition. All examination procedures at Vinmec are always performed by a team of doctors and experts with many years of experience. Therefore, parents can be assured of the quality of medical care at Vinmec.

Reference source: healthychildren.org