How to Change My Child’s Picky Eating Habits? 

July 19, 2019

Does your child constantly leave the vegetables on their dinner plate or refuse to eat healthy snacks when they know there’s chips or cookies in the cupboard?  You’re not alone. Many children have picky eating habits that are bad for their health. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to transform these habits into better ones. Here are just a few to try this week.

 

Substitute Ingredients

If your kid loves spaghetti but refuses to eat their vegetables, try swapping the white pasta for vegetable-based pasta instead. They likely won’t notice and this way, they’ll get a full serving of vegetables at dinner.  If they love diving into a bag of chips, switch it up by cutting up kale and sweet potato into bite sized pieces and then baking them in the oven. The result is a healthier alternative that even your kids will love.

 

Feed Them the New Stuff First

Use your kids hunger to your advantage. They’re more likely to eat new foods when they’re most hungry. So, at the beginning of each meal, add a few pieces or a light serving of the new food first and then introduce their favourite stuff only after they eat it. 

 

Negotiate

Do you give in every time your kid pushes away a snack or meal they don’t like? You’re only making it harder on yourself. Instead, try negotiating a little. For instance, if they eat five bites, promise them five bites of their favourite snack after. 

 

Be A Role Model

Your child learns from you. If your eating habits are on the unhealthy side, your kids are likely to develop these habits as well. Soon they’ll be thinking “If mom won’t eat the broccoli, why should I?” Take notice of what eating habits you can improve on and then start implementing them right away. Your child will start eating better when they see that you’re eating healthy foods at each meal.

 

Keep Trying

Kids don’t often take to new food easily. It can often take up to 10 times to get them to accept something new on their plate, so keep trying to introduce it. Get creative by switching up the presentation or size or even the way you cook it. If they don’t like raw veggies, try to roast them. If they won’t eat their “carrots” call them something else like “bunny sticks”. The more interesting you make it, the more likely they’ll try it.

Want to learn more tips on getting your children to eat healthy? Tiny Hoppers are the experts when it comes to child development and can offer the advice you need. Learn more about our award winning daycare and the type of services we can offer you and your family.

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