Teaching small children to eat on their own can be challenging—especially when they’re at that stage where they aren’t open to new foods that look anything like fruit or taste remotely like vegetables.
One of the popular ways busy parents introduce healthier food options into dinner times is by opting for the family meal delivery Melbourne residents love so much. It’s one of many tips to ensure your kids get the nutrients they need and our comprehensive list will help you get it right too.
Make Mealtimes with Kids Much Easier
It’s not uncommon for parents to give into their children’s unhealthy diet demands and then feel guilty about it afterwards. Sometimes it’s all about preserving the peace in the home, right? Other times it’s about going with the “something is better than nothing” philosophy. But perhaps you do want to make some advantageous adjustments?
It can sometimes take a lot of trial and error to find the right ways to get your little ones to eat the right food at the right time. The good news is that our nutritionists have compiled a few tips to make the process considerably easier.
1. Schedule Meals and Snacks
Since children need to eat every three to four hours, it’s always a good idea to plan meals in advance. That way you won’t have little ones fussing just before dinner time, while you’re scrambling to find something to put on their plates.
A good trick if you’ll be travelling just before dinner time is to keep a bag on standby with healthy snacks such as carrot sticks, fruits or yoghurts. Include several bottles of water, so you won’t be tempted to buy fast food on the way home.
2. Opt for One Meal For the Whole Family
Preparing meals for the kids that are different to yours can be quite exhausting. It also teaches kids that they don’t have to eat what you’re eating. As they get older it will become harder for you to get them to eat the regular menu plan you’re following. Avoid all that aggravation and teach them from an early age to eat what the grown-ups are eating.
3. Find Ways to Make Healthy Food Fun
For kids, everything is about the fun factor and it CAN include eating. Struggling with getting your kids to eat or even try vegetables? Consider these few tips:
- If cooked mashed carrots don’t seem appealing, try cutting raw carrots into thin strips—emphasise how crispy and crunchy the carrots are
- Experiment with condiments or dips that veggie sticks can be dipped into
- Find fun ways to present their meals—use foods to create faces or patterns
- Encourage children to make their own salads with raw ingredients—they can then serve their salad to everyone at the dinner table
4. Add Some Sweet Touches
If your kids have a sweet tooth, they might find eating veggies a bit of a punishment. In this instance, opt for veggies that you canadd sugar to. Squash, pumpkin or sweet potatoes are common options. You can also add a sweet dessert to the meal—only to be had if the veggies are eaten!
5. Introduce New Foods Slowly
If you’re new to parenting, it’s important to realise that children seem to have a phobia of new food types. When they find something they like, they seem to want to eat that and nothing else. That means you will have to introduce new foods slowly. Introduce one vegetable at a time, rather than two or three at once in one meal session.
6. Involve Your Kids in the Meal Prep
Make the time to involve your kids in meal prep. Encourage them to make salads and choose the vegetables they want you to cook. Teach them simple tasks like rinsing the veggies and adding the herbs and spices (measure it out for them to avoid them overdoing it).
Make a big fuss at mealtime over the food they were involved in preparing. With a bit of luck, seeing everyone’s positive responses will encourage them to be more eager to prepare and eat veggies.
7. Keep Healthy Food Around
Another easy way to encourage your kids to get into the habit of eating healthy food is to keep more of it around the house. For instance, keep bowls of fruit in the kitchen or on the dining room table. Let the children see you occasionally eating some of the fruit. That way they may become more interested in giving it a try.
Don’t put sweet treats and snacks in plain sight. Order a few servings of the vegan meal delivery Melbourne residents opt for on busy nights. This will give you a break from the kitchen and it will teach the children that not only junk food can be delivered. Let them choose their favourites from the menu and encourage them to include at least one veggie or add fruit slices to the dessert.
Final Thoughts
Teaching your children to eat healthy foods doesn’t have to be stressful. It’s all about finding creative ways to incorporate fruit pieces and veggie slices into each meal. Encourage them to eat healthy by showing them that you enjoy healthy foodtoo—let them follow your lead!
