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Getting your child to eat fruits and vegetables can be a tricky task for parents, but there are some strategies that can help make your child eat fruits and vegetables, such as:
- Tell stories and play games with fruits and vegetables to encourage the child to eat them;
- Vary in the preparation and presentation of the vegetables, for example, if the child does not eat cooked carrots, try to put them in the rice;
- Make creative, fun and colorful dishes with fruits;
- Do not punish the child if he rejects any vegetables or fruit, or force him to eat them, as he will associate that food with a bad experience;
- Set an example by eating the same dish with vegetables or fruits that you want the child to eat;
- Let the child help prepare meals, explaining which vegetables he is using, why and how to prepare them;
- Invent funny names for vegetables and fruits;
- Take the child to the market to choose and buy fruits and vegetables;
- Always having vegetables on the table, even if your child does not eat, it is important that you become familiar with the appearance, color, and smell of vegetables that you currently do not like.
The child's taste buds change over time, so even if they reject some fruit or vegetable for the first time, it is important for parents to offer that fruit or vegetable at least 10 more times. It is an exercise for the tongue and the brain. Read more at:
- How to whet your child's appetite
- Rejecting food may not be just a child's tantrum
See other tips to help your child eat better by watching the video below.
To improve your child's diet, it is important to remove soda from the diet, so here are 5 reasons not to give your child soda.
Tips for the meal not to be a tense moment
For meal times to be a good time for the family, including those with small children at the table, it is necessary to make the time for meals:
- Do not exceed 30 minutes;
- There are no distractions and noises like radio or television (ambient music is a good alternative);
- Conversations are always about pleasant topics and never a time to remember anything bad that happened during the day;
- Do not insist that the child, who does not want to eat, eat, just that he does not get up from the table while the family is at the table;
- Have rules of good table manners such as: use the napkin or not eat with your hands.
In homes where there are children who do not eat well or easily, it is very important not to make the meal time tense and bad, it must be a time when everyone yearns to be together and not just for food.
Blackmails like: "if you don't eat there is no dessert" or "if you don't eat I won't let you watch TV", they should not be used. The meal is a moment that cannot be changed, there can be no option or negotiation.
