Is your Child a picky eater?

Here are some tips that you should keep in mind...

-Do not use other foods as REWARDS. if you say,"Eat your carrots and you can have some cake," you are teaching that carrots aren't desirable.

-Do not FORCE kids to eat. If you do, children stop hearing their own inner voices that tell them they are full, and that can lead to overeating and obesity.

-Do not make SPECIAL MEALS. Just make sure there is always something at meals that child will eat (such as bread or milk( so they won't go hungry.

-Do not let children NIBBLE throughout the day (also called grazing). Provide food choices only at meals and snacks that are at the same times each day.

-Do provide a VARIETY of healthy foods.

-Do give SMALL PORTIONS and let children ask for more. An easy guide for serving size is a tablespoon (about the size of a 9 volt battery) of each type of food for each year of a child's age.

-Do provide HEALTHY SNACKS between meals. Kids's stomach are small, but they use up a lot of energy. Toddlers should be offered the opportunity to each n every 2-3 hours.

-Do offer NEW FOODS often.

-Do MODEL healthy eating habits. Children are more likely to try food that they see others eating and enjoying.

-Do make mealtimes ENJOYABLE. Let children help with meal prep, make the meal a social time, and take away distractions such as TV.

-Do RELAX! A parent's job is to provide nutritious foods. A child's job is to decide how much and whether to eat or not.