Does your child hate meals? Does he stay with food in his mouth for close to 30 minutes? This article gives you 7 Incredible Ways of helping him to feed Without much struggle.

First of all, it is worth noting that poor feeding is caused by various reasons such as premature birth, congenital anomalies, or temporally illness.

However, your children may hate meals even without any of the above conditions.

Many people assume that all those kids who refuse certain foods are just being naughty. Generally, only a small percentage of kids refuse food based on behavior.

Will Your Child hate meals forever?

Definitely no. It’s normal for most kids to hate vegetables even though they are rich in vitamins and fiber. However, you can make him love them with the tips that am going to share with you.

1. Involve Your Kids in Food Preparation.

Children enjoy doing what they watch you doing. Encourage yours to help in planning for meals, shopping, and food preparation. Let her help you fix what she can be able to. Besides, she will be proud to eat food she has prepared herself

2. Avoid Meal Time Distractions.

Does your child hate meals due to too much use of technology? Kids often lose interest in eating, if allowed to use smartphones or watch TV during meal times. Teach your child to do one thing at a time. Let him know that there is time for everything.

Ordinarily, kids like playing. Supervise your child and make sure he eats first before playing games or watching TV

You can reinforce the habit by putting your smart phone away. Likewise, make the eating environment conducive for meals.

• Eliminate Meal Time Stress

Do not create battles during meal time in an attempt to force him to feed.

Whenever your child starts crying, the morale of eating fades away. Don’t yell at him for he will end up not eating at all.

• Keep Meal Time Conversations Lively

Always mention how fresh and delicious the food is. Never discuss negative topics during meals.

Nevertheless, praise him every time he eats new food or finishes the portion offered to him. This will encourage him to eat more.

3. Serve Little Food Portions

Might your child hate meals because you often serve him large portions? Many times, your child will be turned off by a large portion of food on his plate. In this case, serve small portions at a time. Make him know that he can always ask for more.

Indeed, it’s normal for him not to empty his plate from time to time. Keep the remains safe in a well-covered container or a fridge, and encourage him to eat later.

• Give Your Kid Her Favourite Meals

If you fail to cook his favorite meal, add something he loves to eat. Does your child hate meals because he doesn’t like vegetables? Try incorporating fruits and vegetables into his favorite diet to make him eat. Don’t neglect them as they form a very important component of his diet. They contain very important vitamins which help our bodies fight against diseases.

• Introduce Food That Appeal to His Senses.

Children diagnosed with sensory processing disorder may be sensitive to certain textures or colors of food. Does your child hate meals due to the above health condition? kids with such conditions hate food just by looking at it no matter how hungry they are. With that in mind, serve him only food pleasant to his eyes to encourage him to eat.

4. No Snacks During Meals.

Set a schedule for snacks between main meals. Never give snacks at mealtime because he will lose his appetite. Instead, make him wait for snacks at the set time.

Remember, don’t schedule meal time too close to bedtime. Getting a sleepy restless child to eat is difficult. Read more from previous post.

• Regulate Snacks.

Snacking all day means your child won’t be hungry at any meal time. As I said earlier, if he asks for snacks during times not scheduled for it, remind him that snack time is not yet.

5. Sit and Eat With Your Kid.

Have meals together as a family. Your child will acquire healthy eating habits from watching you. Therefore try to behave at your level best.

Similarly, eat what you want your child to eat. Be a healthy-eating role model to him. bearing in mind, monkey see monkey do.

6. Feed Him Frequently.

Regardless of the amount that he will eat, serve your child food frequently. This will help him eat more in the long run. With this in mind, keep food where he can easily access it whenever he feels hungry.

Moreso, let him know that he can eat at any time of the day and doesn’t have to wait for meal time. By the end of the day, he will have eaten precisely enough.

Does your child hate meals at all times? If so, you can try spoon-feeding. I remember I would spoon-feed my boy when he was 5 yrs old. He didn’t want to feed himself. This means that you have to be present during meals. It will also be a good opportunity for you to interact with him. Sometimes creating time for your kids may not be easy especially if you are single.

7. Be Patient With Him.

Your child may take longer to eat. Unquestionably let him touch, lick and play with food. Expect a lot of mess as he learns to eat. At the same time, offer some help if need be.

Monitor his feeding time. Observe when he likes to eat more and when he likes less.

With that in mind, serve him more food at a time when he is hungry and less when he doesn’t like eating.

8. Treat Any Pain First

Does your child hate meals because he feels pain? If the problem is temporary, observe him first. Check whether his body temperature is normal.

Some children may refuse to eat if they have underlying issues e.g constipation, teething, toothache, or sore throat. Give him painkillers first to relieve any pain before serving any food.

However, seek medical attention in case of toothache, ear problems, or sore throat. These may cause pain hence loss of appetite.

Conclusion

Does your child hate meals to the point that it’s weighing you down? Don’t worry because you are not alone. If the above tips do not work, don’t be stressed up.

A certain medical doctor advised one of my friends to serve any kind of food to his kid who seriously hated meal time. That meals serve him food of his choice. Cakes, biscuits, fruits, or nuts irrespective of whether it’s a balanced diet or not . This will prevent him from losing too much weight.

Finally, I believe these tips were helpful. Share with your friends. Also, subscribe for a free newsletter at the bottom of this page