If I can't be superwoman, at least I want to be a supermother. Well, that is my 101% goal. Like mentioned many times in forums, seminars and encounters, a woman is accepted to fail in other areas but not as being a mother. True!
As a working mother, I see to it that I got all covered before I go to bed - grocery stock, food for lunch and dinner, snacks, a little of housekeeping and feeding bottles.
Having picky eaters in the family is not new to me. I myself is a picky eater and I don't see being a mother as an excuse to swallow grasses and trash for lunch or dinner. I just can't, please! So for the benefits of all mothers out there, here are some tips on how deal with picky eaters:
A healthy balanced diet provides your kid with all the vitamins and nutrients that he needs to grow, but sometimes it can be hard to achieve.
Keep calm and offer your kid nutritious foods, but let him decide how much he will eat. Be confident that he knows better than you how much food is enough for him.
Keep to regular meal and snack times. Offer three regular meals and two or three small nutritious snacks. Examples of nutritious snacks are: • fruit • egg sandwich and cheeses• yoghurt with berries or fruit slices • a small sandwich ( chicken, egg, ham, bacon) • fruit and milk smoothie • pancake or puddings.
It's a good idea to avoid giving your kid a main meal just before he is due to have a nap, as he is likely to be too tired to eat. Give him a small snack or drink instead and a meal when he wakes up. Snacks which are evenly spaced between meals will help to avoid the frustrations of being over-hungry. Make meals interesting and fun. Always give both main dish and sweet course with main meals. This gives your kid two opportunities to consume nutrients, and increases the variety of foods your kid is eating.Eat with your kid as often as possible and eat the nutritious foods that you want your kid to eat. Kids learn to like foods by trying them but will often only try new foods that they see other people eating. Kids have individual tastes for the flavour and texture of foods. Some like their food bathed in sauces, while others prefer it dry. Some like every food to be kept separate from the others on the plate. Many kids do not like stringy meat or foods that are difficult to chew. Respect your kid's preferences but don't cook him a completely separate meal. Always offer the same foods that everyone else is eating whenever you can, but make sure at least one of the foods is something you know that he likes. Ask his preferences.
Each day, offer a variety of foods from the four nutritious food groups:
1. Starchy foods (carbohydrates) Offer these at every meal and some snack times. They include breakfast cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and any foods made from flour such as bread, crackers, and pancakes.
2. Fruit and vegetables Kids may take some time to learn to eat a wide variety of these, particularly vegetables. Keep offering them at each meal so that your kid learns that they are always part of a normal meal. Fruits are often more popular - cut them into finger foods to make them easier to eat and always include fruit as part of the meal.
3. High iron and high protein foods Offer these at two to three meals each day. They include meat, fish, eggs, nuts and pulses. Pulses are foods like kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils. Offer soft, tender cuts of meat as some kids find hard chewy meats challenging.
4. Milk, cheese and yogurt Offer your kid these foods about three times a day. Dairy products provide plenty of calcium for growing bones but they are quite low in iron.
** Limit excess sugar and junk foods because this may affect his appetite.
** Meals should be relaxing , fun and pleasant. Don't nag you child on what to eat.
** Get your child involved in food shopping and preparation and teach them the benefits of eating nutritious foods.
** When introducing new foods, serve them at least 5 different times before giving up. Don't take his first "NO" for his final answer.
Picky eaters are hard to deal with even for a stay home mother so what more for a working mother like me. Secret is having all these things planned out. Be sure to organized all the motherly activities for a stress-free everyday with your family.
