What to do if a child is naughty at the table

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

All babies at some point become finicky. Fortunately, this difficult period usually does not last long. The reason for this behavior is that the baby is learning to be independent.

He refuses to eat … Out of a sense of contradiction

From a certain age, the child seeks to make all decisions on his own. For example, to the question: "What kind of shirt do you want to wear, red or blue?" may declare: "orange!" just so that it was not the way you want it, but the way he said. The same thing happens at the table.

What to do? Try to entrust him with the preparation of the dish. For example, I put saucers in front of my son with all sorts of ingredients: one had boiled beans, the other had grated cheese, the third was rice, then diced apples, raisins, and so on. The son was happy to start creating his own culinary masterpiece.

The ability to "cook" their own food on their own causes a real excitement in the child: not only will he eat this dish without a trace, in addition, it will benefit his self-esteem.

He refuses to eat … Because food is really disgusting to him

Don't worry, it's not about your culinary skills. It's just that our taste buds are designed so that we prefer everything sweet and do not like bitter. If we assume that everything is expedient in nature, apparently, this is not without reason: we associate sweet taste with survival, we literally absorb it with mother's milk, but bitterness is associated with something toxic, poisonous. Babies have a subtler taste than adults (taste buds work worse with age), so they perceive the aroma and taste of food more strongly. In addition, in some children, taste buds react more strongly and vividly to bitterness due to genetic predisposition, as scientific studies prove.

What to do? You probably know that baby's habituation to new food is gradual, and it may take 10 or even 15 unsuccessful feeding attempts, so try by any means other than coercion to convince the baby to try the new dish.

You can tilt the scales on your side inventively, preparing the dish in different ways so that it turns out to be easier to eat. For example, roasting vegetables sweeter. The problem may be in the skin, or in the cooking methods, or even in the temperature of the dish. Many children hate boiled peas, but they gladly eat it fresh or thawed.

He refuses to eat … Because he is not hungry

A baby can be picky about feeding simply because the growth rate of his body after the first year of life slows down a little, and food ceases to be the main and only need of the little person. The days when he ate everything with pleasure give way to a more moderate and picky attitude to food intake, which sometimes seems picky to you.

What to do? If you think that your child is not eating well enough, but the dynamics of his development does not cause concern, you may need to correct your idea of the amount of food the baby needs. Maybe his portions are really big?

During this period, use the baby's appetite to your advantage to feed him new food. Start with a couple of pieces of the dish your little one likes the least - usually vegetables - and leave his favorite treats for dessert. Typically, when children are really hungry, they are ready to eat whatever is on the plate, so it is advisable to start lunch with a healthy meal.

He refuses to eat … Because of your persistence

Trying to teach a child to eat new foods can be difficult even when he is hungry. If he flatly refuses even to approach the table - forget about it!

What to do? There is only one solution here: "lure" the child to the table, making the family dinner an interesting and fun event. For example, create with him some unusual dish from healthy ingredients (you need to carefully prepare for this event). You should also choose the right clock for serving dinner. Focus on the time from five in the evening to half past five. According to many parents, if you start dinner later, you cannot avoid bickering and whims, because by this time the children are completely tired and very reluctant to agree to try something new.

He refuses to eat … Because it's very boring

Can you call your child obedient?

	Yes.
	No.

The researchers found that children eat more fruits and vegetables that look attractive, vibrant, and unusual. Catchy names also increase interest in fruits and vegetables. Scientists from Cornell University (USA) conducted an experiment: they renamed an ordinary carrot to "supervision carrot." As a result, preschool children began to eat twice as much of it! Think twice, just because of the name!

What to do? Try creative renaming! Involve your child in menu design and cooking. Kids love to flip through beautifully illustrated cookbooks and cooking magazines. Sit down with your child and talk about the dish shown in the picture, how appetizing it looks, how interesting it is to prepare, and how tasty and healthy it is. Encourage his freedom of creativity: invite him to independently choose any dishes he likes in the book and then cook them (of course, under your unobtrusive guidance).