Parenting Article:

Helpful tips and advice to help improve your child's eating habits

Courtesy of: Stokke

Research tells us that the family dinner is an ideal place for the development of your child's language and social skills (Tarkan 2005).

Here are some helpful tips and advice to help improve your child's eating habits at mealtime.

1. One bite at a time
   Fill your own plate with pieces of fruit, vegetables, and other cut-up morsels of food. Sit next to your child and offer one bite at a time. As your child learns to eat one bite before wanting the next, you can consider when to allow your child to have their own plate with food pieces.
   
   
2. Laughter is a messy medicine
   Your child seeks attention and reaction. When you react by laughing at your child's eating behaviour and mess, this invites an unwanted encore. Try to consider mealtimes as opportunities to encourage development rather than entertainment.
   
   
3. Control the mess
   If mealtime gets out of hand, end the serving until it calms down. Once the baby understands the effect of his or her actions, the food will stay where it belongs.
   
   
4. Use utensils
   Put a plastic spoon or another utensil into each of your child's hands to occupy them while you feed your child with a third utensil. This will associate eating with kitchen utensils and help your your child become accustomed to them.
   
   
5. Eating together
   Many infants and toddlers become easily distracted and fidget in a highchair. A highchair that allows your child to sit close to you, allows your child to focus on eating rather than screaming, crying, or other efforts to get your attention.

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