If you are lucky, your baby will sit down and enjoy their mealtime, no questions asked. However, for other parents, getting your kid to sit down and focus on eating can be a very stressful ordeal. Nutrition is an immensely important part of raising a strong and healthy child, so here are our best tips on how to make your baby love food and enjoy mealtimes.
Reduce Distractions
A lot of parents will resort to screen time during meals because it’s the only way that they can get their children to sit down and eat. However, this is a tricky method to rely on. What happens when your iPad runs out of battery or there is no TV for your kid to watch as they eat? This is why you should aim to reduce all distractions during mealtimes. If you already have issues with this, don’t try to change up their mealtimes completely, cut out distractions gradually and see how your child responds.
Get Creative with Your Plating
Sometimes all that your baby wants is a bit of fun on their plate to get engaged with mealtimes. This is an especially good technique if your kid refuses to eat fruits or vegetables. If your child struggles with focusing on mealtimes, it may be because they are bored of getting the same meals on repeat. Presenting healthy food in a visually appealing way can help your kid get excited about eating fruits and veggies. Brightly colored foods are also great ways to encourage excitement around eating. Serving food in fun and engaging plates can get your kids excited to try new food. You can get creative by working on your plating and serving them in cute-looking utensils and plates. If you are worried about spilled drinks or food on the floor, suction base dinner sets can help you make mealtimes less messy.
Encourage a Healthy Relationship with Food
Another way to get your baby to love mealtimes is by encouraging a healthy relationship with food. This is a complicated thing that many parents struggle with for various reasons. If you want your child to eat well, you will have to set a good example for them. Don’t skip meals or refuse to eat your vegetables – your kids will pick up on this and do the same! Similarly, you should teach your kids how to tell the difference between feeling hungry and being full.
Take One Step at a Time
Don’t rush into mealtimes and try to make the experience as easygoing as possible. Babies can experience stress in relation to eating, so it’s important that you take this process one step at a time. Knowing when you should start introducing solids for babies is also extremely important. If your child’s gastrointestinal system isn’t fully developed, they won’t be able to digest the same foods that adults can.
Try not to worry too much if your baby is a fussy eater, they are likely to change their eating habits as they grow older. Most importantly, make sure that you introduce solid foods to your kids as soon as they are ready. If you have taken all of our tips on board, but you are still worried about your child’s eating habits, it’s best to seek medical advice from a professional.
