When your baby turns six months old, he should start eating solid foods along with breastfeeding. During this time, children learn to eat the food of adults. They now start eating from a bowl and spoon on their own. From his first birthday onwards, nutritious baby food can be prepared from home-cooked foods such as cereals, vegetables, fruits, eggs, fish, meat and beans. At this time, start feeding the baby meat, fish, egg yolk, liver, and dark green leafy vegetables so that his body continues to get nutrients.
We do not want our children to suffer from any kind of food shortage, mothers try their best for this. But all efforts go in vain when the child refuses to eat. No matter how much good food you cook for him, he always finds fault with it. The child who eats with pleasure today will not even look at it tomorrow.
Does your child do this too? So, keeping in mind the likes and dislikes of your child, his habit can be changed in the ways given below.
How to feed new food items to the child?
1. When you cook something new, praise it in front of the child, which increases the child’s curiosity about food. Even if he doesn’t agree to this, just ask him to see it once. Assure him that if he doesn’t like it, don’t eat it.
2. Serve the new dish and ask to touch it and then also to taste it. Explain to the child that it is better to taste the food before saying no to it. Tell the child that you will like it if he tastes the food once.
3. You will have to work hard every time to feed new food to your child, so you will have to be patient.
4. Do not let your child develop the habit of being hungry. If you let him remain hungry without eating, the child will learn to stay hungry until he gets his favorite food. This increases stubbornness and misbehavior in the child. This makes the child feel that if I cry and insist, mom will definitely give in.
5. Try to make some new or nutritious food by adding their favorite thing to it. For example, make spicy broccoli instead of cauliflower.
6. Keep food options in front of children. Ask them to eat two or three things. And if they eat it, make their favorite food as a reward at the next meal time. In this way, instead of eating only the food of their choice, they will also eat healthy things according to you.
7. Don’t feed your child anything that you don’t eat yourself. If your husband eats it, tell your child to follow dad’s example. Also tell the reason for not eating. In this way the child does not feel isolated and foolish, nor does he feel that mommy or daddy does not eat himself but asks him to eat.
8. Take the child with you to buy vegetables. Then use it for peeling and cutting vegetables and also keep it with you while cooking. In this way, the child learns by doing and seeing. While you are cooking, let your child taste the food and ask him whether it is cooked properly or not, is there anything missing? Children learn better by imitating adults.
Everyone has their own taste. What you like may not be what your child likes. Maybe his food preferences and habits come from his father or your in-laws. If this happens, then let the child eat as per his wish. In between, keep coaxing him to eat nutritious things and also things of his choice. In this way, his taste for food will gradually expand. It is easier to teach in childhood.