How to correct children's picky eating?

Generally speaking, children have more or less picky eating habits. If parents find that their children have picky eating habits, they must correct them in time. If parents do not correct them in time, first of all, it will be very detrimental to the child's physical development, and secondly, the picky eating phenomenon may affect the child's eating habits throughout his life. Correcting a child’s picky eating requires parents to have enough patience and be able to supervise their children over a long period of time.

1. Never talk about a certain food not being tasty or having a special taste in front of your children. For foods that children don’t like very much, talk more about their nutritional value and the benefits to the body after eating them. Parents should set an example in front of their children by eating the foods with big mouthfuls and praising how good they taste. When the child expresses his desire to eat something, praise him in time.

2. Let your child eat with the whole family, or with other children who are not picky eaters, to create a pleasant dining environment, and encourage him to learn from adults or other children.

3. Strictly control children’s snacking. The interval between meals should be kept at 3.5-4 hours to allow the gastrointestinal tract to have a certain amount of time to empty, so that it is easier to feel hungry. As the old saying goes, “When you are hungry, you will eat anything.” When you are hungry, even foods you didn’t like in the past will start to taste good. Over time, you will gradually get used to them.

4. Improve cooking techniques to prevent children from picking out foods they don’t like. If some children do not eat egg yolks, you can mix raw eggs with flour and cook egg pancakes or egg noodles; if they do not eat carrots, you can make carrot and pork stuffed buns or dumplings. Wait until after the meal to tell your child what he has eaten.

5. Arrange a variety of outdoor activities for your child, such as riding a bicycle, playing ball, running competitions, etc. When it is time to eat, let him wash his hands, be quiet for a while, and eat when he has an appetite. At this time, there are various foods on the table, some of which the children don’t like to eat, but parents should not remind them. After the activities, the children will be very hungry and will find the food delicious. As long as he does not experience nausea, vomiting or allergic reactions after eating the food, it means that the food is suitable for him. If you do feel unwell after eating, you should consult a doctor. This is not considered as being picky or partial in your eating habits.

Above we have introduced some small methods to help children correct picky eating. If there are children with picky eating habits at home, parents may wish to give it a try. Children’s picky eating behavior is not formed in one day, so it may take a long time to change the habit of picky eating. Parents can adopt different methods to help their children correct the habit of picky eating according to their children’s different personalities.