Like other mothers, I too struggle to prepare and feed healthy food to my son every day. Believe it or not, all children of this generation are fussy and my child is also one of them. However, I try to feed him homemade food as well as seasonal vegetables. But the truth is that running after kids with food is more frustrating than difficult.
Children eat food only when the food looks fancy or is very tasty. For how long will we continue to give our little one the same boring dal, vegetable, roti, khichdi, halwa, kheer, dosa, idli, etc. every day? Why don’t we give them different types of food, after all let them taste every kind of food, let their taste buds develop.
You must also agree that children observe their surroundings and they also try to imitate us adults. But when it comes to food, all guesses prove wrong. Based on my experiences, let me tell you 5 such tips that can be useful for you too-
1. Decide the Menu
Planning your 3 meals a day in advance will not only help you save time by preparing everything and plan your day better, but it will also help you plan a balanced meal and You will be saved from cooking unhealthy food.
When planning your menu, try to include at least one grain/fruit/vegetable at every meal. For example: If you are having porridge/smoothie with fruits for breakfast then try vegetable pulao/khichdi for lunch or make vegetable cutlets, dosa/chili veggies.
2. Hide Vegetables
Finally, cut/boil seasonal vegetables or fruits and include (read- hide) them in their diet.
Tip: Boil vegetables and puree them which you can add to your child’s rotis/dal/khichdi depending on his age. Like add mashed green gourd to dal and add ghee to it or add mashed gourd to roti/paratha and serve it with butter (most kids like it) or even with curd. Cut the parathas into interesting shapes and serve.
You can also hide beetroot, spinach or other seasonal vegetables which your children do not eat in the same way. The beautiful color of these vegetables will increase the fun of eating them. They will get help in making their favorite pasta, burger, tikka, pizza, roti wrap. Add fruit puree to their yogurt and see how you like the taste. Make a fruit smoothie or try fruit ice cream or lollies to help you in the summer.
3. Include their preferences
By including at least one of their favorite items in the meal, you can draw their attention towards eating. Like I add some peas to almost everything which helps me to feed her other vegetables too. Whenever he doesn’t eat anything, I don’t give him peas in his next meal and feed him other vegetables the next time he refuses to eat. After adding vegetables to pizza, burgers, pasta, I add lots of cheese, butter, curd or ketchup on it. Instead of sitting in front of the TV while eating, I talk to her about my day. Similarly, keep them busy with their favorite book/toy and watch their happiness while sitting and eating.
4. Don’t stop trying new things
Try introducing new dishes at breakfast, this is the time when they are most active and less fussy eaters due to their strong appetite. If this idea works then you are in luck, otherwise try something else. Do it.
5. Make boring healthy things good
Remember that good habits once formed will last a lifetime and childhood is the time to teach good habits, including healthy eating. Also, this is the time when they need to explore everything, so keep experimenting with their food. Make boring healthy things good and see the change for yourself.