Have you got a fussy eater at home? Then don’t worry, you are not alone. About 90% of the parents complain that their children undergo this one lengthy phase of fussy eating. At some point your toddler might love the meal you prepared for them but the next time they might not like the same flavour or the ingredients. But the good news is, with time your fussy little eater will learn to appreciate the different flavours and food textures as you introduce different foods. The point is, it requires a lot of patience to see positive results. Here are a few cool tips from the Dee Why children’s centre experts to help deal with fussy eaters –

Avoid Forced Eating

Never ever force-feed your toddler. Forcing develops a fear over food in toddlers. The Dee Why children’s centre experts state that, if you child refuses to eat, offer them food after some time, or offer a healthy snack which they like. Also, you must look for the following signs like, moving the face away from food when served, refusing to open mouth or throwing the food to understand that your toddler is tummy full.

Share a Family Meal

Sit together as a family as much as possible during the meal time. It means a lot for your kids. When you are having your meals, avoid distractions like TV or mobile phones, as it will foster a healthy eating in your toddler. Try to include a minimum of one food which your child likes along with a balanced meal so that she will at least take an effort to eat it.

Make it Creative and Fun

Actually boring foods can be least appealing to the toddlers. So try to bring in your maximum creativity and add fun to the food you serve to the kids. The child care centres Dee Why experts suggest cutting the foods into various shapes with cookie cutters and serve them along with the kid’s favourite sauce or dip. Always look out to serve bright coloured foods, as kids are always attracted towards bright colours.

Set an Example

If you won’t like to taste a meal, don’t expect your kids to follow it. Every person has certain food preferences, but if you and your toddler hate eating broccoli, how can you compel your child to eat the same. If you want your child to do something, you must set an example. Meaning, you must have to eat down at least a few bites of broccoli and then your kid will also follow it.

The experts at Dee Why early childhood centre states that it is relatively common for toddlers to by fussy eaters especially between the ages of 2 to 4. If your child doesn’t outgrow fussiness even after this age, discuss with your paediatrician to check if suffers from any disorder that is limiting the number of foods he can consume!