Make mealtimes fun with children
It can be difficult to get children who have developed a fussy food habit back into loving food. I think my main piece of advice would be to get those kiddos in the kitchen! By doing that, you’re exposing them to the huge array of ingredients, helping them to feel more comfortable with foods they know, and be more confident when new ones are introduced. Not only does this, in simple terms, help children to understand what food actually is, but also encourages them to try new tastes and textures.
Cooking with children, both older and younger, helps with developing important communication skills such as listening, vocabulary and speaking. It can encourage them to understand how to follow instructions, and experience the importance of doing so correctly, through practical play. Cooking is also a fantastic sensory experience for young children especially, and as they get a little older, the kitchen helps to encourage their creative side.
I know that cooking with littles ones can feel a little overwhelming. It can be messy and stressful, particularly if you’re in a rush. My advice would therefore be to start small. Start by just having them there, in the kitchen. Talk them through what you are doing in simple terms. You could give them a small simple task that will take a while for them to complete.
Whilst they’re busy doing that, you can still get most of the cooking done yourself. This is especially helpful when time isn’t on your side. An example of this small task could be anything from washing your fresh ingredients at the sink, or stirring the bowl of batter while you prep the other ingredients.
If your little one is quite young and struggles to stay still and focused on one job, have them sit at the table rather than at the kitchen counter; this will help them to concentrate on the task in hand. Try to show a lot of encouragement and praise to help them stay engaged in the task.
Then, when you feel you can spend a little more time cooking together, you can start letting them do any job, which isn’t dangerous. This could be spooning some spices into the bowl or placing food items on the baking tray. If your child is older, you can start allowing them to stir the pan at the hob or cut up some fruits of vegetables. Of course, make sure to keep safety in mind and only offer this task to children who can understand the responsibility. Most importantly of all though, have fun.
Other tips include:
1 Show excitement in yourself to try the food, maybe even pretend like it’s your first time eating it too, so kiddo feels like they are experiencing it with you.
2 Describe what the food looks like, we tried dragon fruit for the first time, we discussed the skin and how cool the fruit looked, then showed Nina how amazing it looked when we cut into it. Discussing the pretty colour and clearly describing why I think it’s ‘cool’.
3 Shop for the new foods together, involve the child in the whole process from purchasing to cooking or preparing the food.
4 We eat with our eyes first so try to make the food look as appealing and appetising as you can to encourage interest.
5 Give them space and time to take that first bite, don’t put too much pressure on them to do it. If they are struggling, be visibly obvious that you’re enjoying the food, but try to avoid encouraging too much as this may make little one feel overwhelmed.
6 Keep the environment positive and lighthearted, have a giggle and laugh about anything you feel they will enjoy, the trick is to ensure everyone is in a happy frame of mind as this will encourage openness to the food.
7 If the attempt to try was unsuccessful, never see this as a failure, every exposure is a positive one, and one day that food may not look as scary and new, and they might feel more comfortable to give it a go.
Remember it often can take 20+ times of offering a certain food to little one, before they even begin to attempt it, and hopefully enjoy it.
And most importantly, never feel like your child not eating is your fault.
As frustrating as it may be, keep going as you are, take the pressure off and know you’re doing amazingly!