Parenting Decoded: Feeding Kids Right
We could start this post by telling you about how important a role food plays in your child’s life. After all, food is the fuel that powers all their antics and makes them grow strong and healthy. Well, kids don’t know that, and run away from it faster than Superman escapes from Kryptonite. In this edition of Parenting Decoded, we try to give you tips and tricks to get your child love food without being mollycoddled or forced to do so, because the relationship with food is one for life.
1. Raising a Happy Eater
A baby’s relation to food starts at 6 months, when parents start introducing him/ her to solids. The habits and tastes that you develop at this age will set the tone for the child’s lifelong preferences for food. Sharon Colaco D’Souza and Aloka Gambhir tell us how to raise non-fussy eaters with these simple tips.
2. Early Start To Healthy Eating
Getting kids to eat is one thing, but getting kids to eat ‘healthy’ food is another matter altogether. Kids don’t know the difference between healthy and unhealthy. They just want their meals to be fun and tasty. Shubhangi Srikanth tells you ways in which you can make sure your kids get their daily dose of nutrition.
3. Food Games People Play
Kids cry when they are hungry, but run away from any mention of food. Then the spoon becomes an airplane to get some food in their mouth. As they grow up, these food games need to evolve and get more complicated. Prasad NP elaborates on the food games that take place in his house.
4. Healthy Recipe For Beginners
It’s common knowledge that children should start eating all food groups and not eat junk food, but the question remains – ‘What do i cook for my toddler every day?’ Gita Gosavi gives six options to get you started. You can try these and make your own recipes with this inspiration.
5. Develop Healthy Eating Habits
Parents not only fuss over kids’ eating habits, but also compare notes with other parents about what and how much kids of a certain age are supposed to eat. Dr. Chander Asrani asks you to steer clear of such thoughts, and gives you some tips that ACTUALLY work.
6. Force Is Not The Answer!
Households with kids have seen this situation – The child is strapped down and is flailing his arms, while an elder shovels mashed food into his mouth, till it comes out the same way it went in. Fabida Abdulla tells you the dangers of stuffing your child, so that your child doesn’t look at food with a feeling of disgust.
7. Dealing With Fussy Eaters
There are times when all your efforts to feed your child come to nought and you just don’t have the time to run behind them. Divya Rao has been through this and has come up with a few tips that have helped her deal with a fussy eater. Try them!
8. Calendar, Dabba Do!
Kids look at their tiffin box with hope, wishing that it packs a treasure trove of goodies every day. Parents also plan and make efforts to give variations in the dabba, which go to waste if the child brings it back untouched. Usha Menon and Yamini Vijendran have some solutions to increase the chances of your child finishing the tiffin.
9. Stay Away From Junk Food
In a bid to make packaged food healthier, companies are now required to put the nutrition information on the package. Even then, for people who are not familiar with these terms, it can seem like Greek. Gauri Kamath tells you how to decode these terms, and steer clear from the unhealthy ones.
10. Food For Thought
Packing your kid’s tiffin might seem exciting at first, a way to experiment in the kitchen. Pretty soon it starts becoming tedious, and downright daunting if the school has rules and regulations about what to feed the child. Anandam Ravi expresses her thoughts, in a poem!
This was an attempt on our part to make sure your children eat healthy, enjoy food and grow healthy, with the least effort on your part. Tell us which article you liked the most! If you have any such tips, please tell us in the comments section below!
