A nutritionist has offered her top tips for parents wanting to help their fussy-eating children develop more adventurous palates, explaining why kids should be using all their senses during mealtimes.
As any parent of a fussy child will undoubtedly know, dinnertimes can be very tricky to navigate, and it's tempting to offer up dessert as a reward for getting through their main course.
But this isn't the most effective method according to one nutrition expert, who encourages parents to concentrate on making sure eating is an enjoyable experience for their little ones, not a "chore" they have to push themselves through.
Child nutritionist Sarah Almond Bushell has explained how children can change their eating habits when they find eating enjoyable and has stressed the importance of helping kids to use all their senses.
Sarah, who is working with TUI to offer advice for parents travelling with children, said: "Eating shouldn't be a chore and repeatedly encouraging experimentation through discovery and play and involving kids in their food choices is the key to expanding picky palettes."
1. Make sure to follow a pattern
Keeping to a schedule can help young children feel full and secure. Sarah advises taking the time to plan for mealtimes and snacks, and to ensure you keep at least a two-and-a-half-hour gap between each one.
2. Make sure to find the time to eat together as a family
According to Sarah, making time to dine together as a family can help introduce children to unfamiliar foods as they have the chance to see how you eat and follow suit.
3. Try not to stress
Ensuring the dinner table is as stress-free as possible will help encourage kids to eat more. Sarah urges parents to focus on providing the food, allowing their children to choose what to eat.
4. Serve meals family-style
Sarah has suggested setting the table with a selection of serving dishes, allowing your kids to serve themselves and you from what's been laid out before them
5. Introduce a 'learning plate' for kids to explore
Sarah advises parents to put out a 'learning plate' filled with a small amount of new food for children to explore using their five senses, as well as their taste buds, encouraging them to learn through play.
6. Try the food before you serve it
Making sure children see you trying out new foods and remarking upon how tasty it is can make all the difference. Sarah advises against pressuring them to try something new and to instead engage their curiosity.
7. Make food more fun
A reported 30 per cent of parents have tried using cookie cutters to make sure their kids' food looks more fun and interesting, a factor that is particularly important given that children 'eat with their eyes'.
8. Talk about the food
Sarah has encouraged parents to focus on the food on the plate, and not the action of eating, talking with their kids about where the food has come from, as well as the taste and smell.
9. Select daily desserts
Although a reported 41 per cent of parents will use tempting desserts as a reward for adventurous eating or cleaning their plates, Sarah advises that it's far better to make pudding a normal part of mealtimes.
10. Get active this summer
Sarah has encouraged families heading off on holiday this summer to plan a high-energy activity each morning, for example, a trip to the pool or the beach, helping to ensure they've built up an appetite by lunchtime.
This advice comes after TUI BLUE announced the launch Adventurous Appetites, an initiative that intends to help kids be more adventurous when it comes to their food at its family hotels, ahead of the summer holidays.
Do you have a story about fussy eaters to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
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