Parents or caregivers often complain that the kids have "picky" or "unhealthy" eating habits. This can lead to major health problems, vitamin deficiencies, weight problems and may contribute to behavior problems when they do not feel their best! The following are some tips on how to encourage healthy eating and of a variety of food in your children.
1. The first step is to structure the environment or in this situation that includes the refrigerator might be the first step. Make sure you purchase the foods that encourage the types of foods you want your child to eat.
2. Secondly, going to restaurants that have the foods you want to encourage is important.For example, if you want to encourage healthy eating you probably want to go to restaurants with a healthy variety of foods.
3. Parents or caregivers should provide an preferred food such as desert, gummy bears or activity that is reinforcing for the child if he eats one new food at least at each meal that is served. This will gradually increase the number of foods the child will eat.
4. If the child does not want to eat the new food the parents should say no problem maybe tommarrow and try not to give attention or reprimand the child. The parent or caregiver must be careful not to give the desert that day or reinforcer and provide it the next day.
5. Many parents serve different foods to each child. Serving the same menu encourage children to try new foods and does not encourage picky eating habits. If the child does not eat the foods presented he will eventually learn that this is the food available and be more open to trying at least a few of the items served. Otherwise he will eat the next meal more completely since he will be very hungry.
6, Parents should assess the child's food preferences and try to make foods that include some variable of their preferences. for example, a child might love ketchup or tomatoes and these can be served as a condiment or sauce on a non-preferred food item thus encouraging more variety in the childs list of foods' he will eat.
The above are a few of the things to consider in encouraging healthy eating habits. Encouraging a larger repeitoire of foods will make your childs' life much easier, avoid health problems from bad eating habits, they will eat healthy foods, probably have less behavioral issues and enjoy eating at restaurants with others in their future!
1. The first step is to structure the environment or in this situation that includes the refrigerator might be the first step. Make sure you purchase the foods that encourage the types of foods you want your child to eat.
2. Secondly, going to restaurants that have the foods you want to encourage is important.For example, if you want to encourage healthy eating you probably want to go to restaurants with a healthy variety of foods.
3. Parents or caregivers should provide an preferred food such as desert, gummy bears or activity that is reinforcing for the child if he eats one new food at least at each meal that is served. This will gradually increase the number of foods the child will eat.
4. If the child does not want to eat the new food the parents should say no problem maybe tommarrow and try not to give attention or reprimand the child. The parent or caregiver must be careful not to give the desert that day or reinforcer and provide it the next day.
5. Many parents serve different foods to each child. Serving the same menu encourage children to try new foods and does not encourage picky eating habits. If the child does not eat the foods presented he will eventually learn that this is the food available and be more open to trying at least a few of the items served. Otherwise he will eat the next meal more completely since he will be very hungry.
6, Parents should assess the child's food preferences and try to make foods that include some variable of their preferences. for example, a child might love ketchup or tomatoes and these can be served as a condiment or sauce on a non-preferred food item thus encouraging more variety in the childs list of foods' he will eat.
The above are a few of the things to consider in encouraging healthy eating habits. Encouraging a larger repeitoire of foods will make your childs' life much easier, avoid health problems from bad eating habits, they will eat healthy foods, probably have less behavioral issues and enjoy eating at restaurants with others in their future!
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