Hi All,
Now A days most of the parents are worried about eating habbits of their Kids…Me Too…
My daughter is 2yrs 4 mths old but she hates food …i.e …our staple food…belonging to Hindu Gujrati family our staple diet is Dal, Roti, Rice And 1-2vegge supported with Salad and curd. But the moment she comes to know that mom is going to feed her…her Cribbing n yelling starts immediately…
Than I start her fav T.V Cartoon or read her fav Picture Book or play toys with her inorder to feed her unknowingly…
This problem is not only faced by me but 80% of the mom face this problem today…
Any new ways to solve this are happily welcomed …
Hi Krisha
I think that because your daughter is in the “terrible two’s,” this has less to do with the food itself, and more to do with her exerting some form of control over you. Maybe she likes to be able to watch TV or play while she eats, and she knows that as long as she makes a fuss, that will happen.
I’m sure it must be terrible for parents when a child won’t eat (I’m lucky that - so far - this hasn’t happened to me). Actually I was one of those children! My mother used to cry, and I was quite thin (this is around the age of three - so not much older than your daughter). But I remained a healthy child and am now a healthy adult!
I think the main thing to bear in mind is that your daughter will not allow herself to starve. The next question is how much you will allow her to get away with. Will you pander to her, or will you let her know that she has to eat at the table like everyone else? It’s up to you - if your priority is to see her eat something and you don’t mind playing games to get her to do it, then that’s fine. But if her behavior is driving you crazy, then it might be time to stop playing her game, and trust the fact that she isn’t going to starve. She might get hungry and upset at first, but before long, she will eat something!
I found a useful question-and-answer online about a child who won’t eat and who’s about your daughter’s age (http://life.familyeducation.com/toddler/behavioral-problems/41736.html). It offers suggestions for giving your child some small measure of control. It’s very frustrating for toddlers to have so little say in their own lives. Maybe you can help your daughter by giving her a choice - instead of trying to serve her a full plate of food, why not ask, “Do you want some dal or some veggie? Roti or rice?” This could help her to feel empowered, so that she actually eats whichever food she has chosen.
Hope that helps! Let us know how you get on
Maddy
PS Your daughter is so cute!
That’s wonderful advice, Maddy!
btw, I love dal and roti!! yummy…
Thanks Maddy,
I’ll try out your idea n let u knoe the results…
Make sure they get enough iron, and given them chewable multi-vitamins!! I had no end of trouble with feeding mine. The doctors would say, I’m sure over the course of a week they’ll be getting enough nutrition if you offer them a variety!!
WRONG… how can they get proper nutrition when they eat one thing every time? The same thing? My son would only drink fluids and eat cheese. I thought he had diabetes insipidus!! All he wanted to do is drink, and would happily have not eaten. Now, at 9, he still eats alot of cheese and canned creamed rice. Going to school hasn’t helped… we have a healthy living van come to the school once a year, and then he obsesses over if his food has fat in it. He’s gone off most meat as he sees fat in it. And the food he cant see fat in has fat in it, but I can assure you I wouldnt tell him about it, as he probably wouldnt eat anything!!! Funnily he hasnt turned against food with sugar (YET).
I think the best thing is to introduce them to as many tastes as early as possible, before they get the picky finnicky taste buds. This is advice from experience. I have 4 kids and it’s hard trying to remember who doesnt like what!!
And dont sit the high chair next to any holes in the wall… that’s where all my peas as a kid ended up!!!
I have a hell of a time with salad… trying to remember who likes lettuce, cucumber, tomato, mushroom, cheese… I cant just put it in one bowl…NO!!..I have to put the various approved of components on each individual plate, so the yucky vegies etc dont contaminate the OK ones… and I will say the greatest variety is on the plate of the oldest, the least on the youngest. And i like peas now!
I have always given my kids several healthy foods to choose from. We do insist that they at least try a couple of bites, but do not insist that they eat a certain amount. All 4 kids have their preferences, but generally eat pretty well. If they don’t eat much I try to respect that they are listening to their bodies and eating what they require. However, we do not allow them to leave the table until the rest of the family is finished and they are not allowed snacks shortly after. We also do not usually allow TV or other distractions during dinner.
I think it is so important to teach our kids to listen to their bodies and eat until full, then stop, rather than insist they eat a certain portion and become overweight because they have lost the ability to tell when they are full.
Why don’t you try some kid friendly recepies that you can both do, and make it into a game? I bet she’ll love to try her creations!
I remember reading a recepie recently that made a banana caterpillar 
cutting the banana into slices obviously makes the caterpillar’s body, but I don’t remember the rest… I guess almonds would make nice legs, and I remember them maybe sprinkling cut strawberry pieces on top and so on… you get the idea It sure looked fun !