Dealing with my Picky Eaters!!

I come from a family with a great appetite for FOOD! Don't recall I've ever fussed about eating anything when I was young (except the super weird meals my mum used to make such as escargot, lamb intestines and any other body part involved!)


However, I don't remember my mum cooking us 2-3 meal options to please all of us...

​My MUM had a very simply and straightforward rule back in the old days!!

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So when my own kids started to fuss in front of me about their food I felt clueless....  and sometimes outrageous!!!

​To hear them nagging about the meals I've put time and effort to prepare for them....instead of being grateful and thankful they have the luxury to choose what to eat whereas lots of other poor kids can't even eat! 

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Then I read this interesting article (feel free to read it here) that Kids are not born picky eaters, however they develop their eating habits from US! And I quote:

"children aren’t born knowing what or how to eat. Each of us learns that for ourselves, and the science shows that children’s food preferences are surprisingly malleable. We start life drinking milk, but after that, it’s all up for grabs." "Parents may struggle to persuade a child to consume nutritious foods, but we underestimate the dramatic impact our own behavior has on a child’s eating. Even the way we talk about food makes a difference."

So How DO YOU Handle it?

First my quest to improve their eating habits started by..filling the table with colorful cups and plates, using the meal divider plate, putting up the Healthy option meal chart on the Fridge to be checked and observed daily along with fun stickers to serve as daily reminder and boosters!

Establishing healthy eating habits is extremely challenging if you've adoptive the unhealthy approach for such a long time! Omitting lots of junks off our shopping list and from entering the house was 1 of the hardest decision which we are constantly battling with! We have a super strong sweet tooth and our kids picked up on that ages ago :( to undo all the damages we unconsciously established and to keep pushing and integrating healthy choices is not as easy as it sounds!!

Staying committed with all the ongoing temptations all around doesn't help either!! 

Fussy Eaters: What to DO?

• Involve kids in meal preparations
• Offer them a choice
• No Distraction (it should be a FAMILY affair)
• Never force feed your child...

Involve them in the cooking process..

Give them Options... Let them Eat on their Own

Make it homemade! Make it Interesting...make it small pieces to easily nibble on!!

Spice it up from time to time! and serve them a FUN meal :)

Set for them a GOOD example....Try eating as much as possible healthy meals and soon they will pick up!

Does it WORK?

If I will tell you YES..I will be LYING!! WE still have our daily struggles, and our frustrating moments!! Eating should be fun, easy, and stress-free...NO?
And I wish I can add the endless times I kept telling myself...why the fight?
​Simply tell them...... 
"You don't have to eat it,"  as much as I'm tempted to poke in a few spoonfuls while they are watching a TV show...however, I restrain myself.
I mean, they don't have to eat it.
​Sadly they don't understand the scientific studies linking early eating habits with good health later in life.....or know about the importance of building positive associations with food!!

Banana with Peanut Butter and sprinkles on top!

1 day will be creative enough with my FUN meal attempts :)

I know we’re supposed to keep offering the foods and are told that with constant exposure will come interest, so I’m and continuing to do so in hopes of getting there.

We’ll see how it turns out with the 2 little mouths WE stress over and which stress me back a lot of the time. 

How are your kiddies at the table?