How to encourage fussy eaters
Helpful tips for parents of finicky little foodies
By Practical Parenting
July 01 2016
When it comes to feeding your family it seems that the youngest members often have the most opinions about what is served.
New research has shown that two in five (41%) parents encourage their child to follow the same diet they do. Which may be the reason why 72% of school children have admitted to doing something with their school lunches other than eating the whole lot.
Dr Timothy Sharp (aka Dr Happy), a Positive Psychology Professor, provides his advice on how parents can encourage a positive relationship with food and healthy eating. These are his top tips:
1. Prioritise nutrition over behaviours. Don’t worry so much about old fashioned manners when it comes to your child’s eating
2. Focus more on being playful and creative with food. If you make something fun, kids will be more likely to want to be part of it. For example make fun shapes. There is nothing tastier than eating a dinosaur shaped sandwich
3. Open up the lines of communication. Ask your children what they like and don’t like and ask why?
4. Involve your children in the purchasing and preparation of food. This will significantly boost the chances of them enjoying the (healthy and nutritious) food
5. Let your child take ‘ownership’. Allow your children to make some choices about what goes in their lunchbox
Tip Top surveyed over 1,000 Australian parents and children to look at the 'state of the nation' when it comes to feeding the family.
