TIPS FROM SMART MOMS

PHINDI FROM ORLANDO:

My boy Sizwe (2) was a very picky eater, but fortunately he has two cousins, and they eat everything. Sizwe loves his cousins, watches them closely and copies everything they do. I make sure they eat at our place quite often, and by following their example, Sizwe has learnt to eat a few things he used to refuse before.

SANMARIE FROM DURBANVILLE:

For a while, Sunet (18 months) lived on just one yoghurt a day. I was tired of fighting and simply decided to stop pleading with her. What I ended up doing was to make her portions much smaller and presenting them really well. Although it did not work immediately, it took about a week for her to start eating a bigger variety. I think she felt overwhelmed by the big plates of food and the pressure I put on her and became fussy. She’s simply not able to sit down with a big plate of food.

YASMINE FROM EMMARENTIA:

I gave up the battle with meals – Zaid (2) is a nibbler. What I do is to offer healthy little bites the whole day long. If I consider everything he’s had over the course of a day, we’re not doing too badly.

EMMA FROM MAMELODI:

My child was really very ill over the winter. He lost his appetite, and we got into a few bad habits because we were so desperate to get something –

anything – into that little body. Our first step to getting back to healthy eating was cutting out sweets and replacing them with fruit. We also weaned him off milk as he became lazy to chew. I’ll gradually start cutting down on the puréed food and introduce solids.

SURAYA FROM LENASIA:

We negotiate! Arjun (3) does not have to finish his whole plate, but he does have to take at least one bite of everything I’ve served up, whether he’s familiar with the food or not. If he doesn’t want to eat any of it, he knows that there’s no dessert and that he’ll have to wait until the next meal. Sometimes he asks if he can have a piece of fruit instead of his meal, and I allow that.