Mealtimes can be hard when it comes to feeding your children! Here are 6 points to help you try to make things easier.
1. Give Them A Choice
One of the things about kids is that they like to make their own choices. They like to be the ones to decide what they will and will not eat. While seemingly a no-go for many parents, giving your kids a choice in what they eat is actually a good idea, but it must be done with care and careful consideration. Let your kids choose between two healthy options instead of just forcing one healthy option onto them. By giving them the option of making a choice, they are much more apt to eat the healthy item they chose, and feel proud about it to boot.
2. Hide Vegetables and Fruits In Meals
One of the best ways to get your kids to eat healthier is to sneak in fruits and vegetables whenever possible. A few ways of sneaking healthy items in meals include putting broccoli in macaroni and cheese, placing tomato in a grilled cheese sandwich, or giving your kids a piece of pizza with vegetables piled on top. At the end of the day, when you hide fruits and vegetables in meals your kids already love, they probably won’t even notice the vegetables too much anyway, and will eat the meal without hesitation.
[clickandtweet handle=”” hashtag=”” related=”” layout=”” position=””]Make the meals you serve your kids fun and just watch them eat everything on their plate, no matter how healthy it happens to be.[/clickandtweet]
3. Make It Fun!
Now, what could be better than food that is fun? According to your kids, nothing. And, this is why the best way to get your kids to eat healthier is to make mealtimes fun. This means making foods you serve them into fun shapes like vegetables shaped in a funny face and placed on a plate, or toast cut out into happy shapes using a cookie cutter, and then topped with almond butter. Make the meals you serve your kids fun and just watch them eat everything on their plate, no matter how healthy it happens to be.
4. Focus On The Environment
The environment in which your kids eat their meals is paramount to how easy it will be to convince them to eat healthy foods. Your kids should be eating in a positive and relaxed atmosphere, free of distractions and noise. When you serve your kids food in a relaxed atmosphere, they are much more apt to focus and listen to what you have to say. And, if you ask them nicely to eat the food on their plate, they are much more apt to actually eat it if they are in a relaxed state of mind.
[clickandtweet handle=”” hashtag=”” related=”” layout=”” position=””]When your kids know that they are going to get junk food, they will refrain from eating the healthy food on their plate.[/clickandtweet]
5. Cut Out Unhealthy Foods
There is nothing that ruins your kid’s desire for healthy food more than knowing they will get junk food served to them sooner or later. And, this is why it is important for you to cut out as much junk food as possible when attempting to get your kids to eat healthy foods. When your kids know that they are going to get junk food, they will refrain from eating the healthy food on their plate. But, if they don’t expect junk food whatsoever, they are more apt to eat whatever is on their plate.
6. Be A Good Example
This last point is very important, and something that many parents often forget. Kids learn by example. They copy what they see, and they follow what their eyes show them. This means that you, as their parent, must refrain from eating unhealthy food (at least in front of them). You should never expect your kids to eat healthy food if you are eating junk food yourself. Be a good example and just watch your kids trying to copy you by eating healthy.
Bonus: Get some new ideas with the HeyFood app!
We all know that children get bored very easily. Serving the same meals each week is a surefire way to cause tantrums. Download our recipe app HeyFood to get thousands of free recipes matched to your family’s tastes. It’s the number one way to eliminate mealtime repetition!