Do any other families just absolutely shudder at the idea of mealtimes? Well trust me, you are not alone.
Did you know that in a study done by HCF, 70% of families reported that they were having stressful mealtimes. With that, a further 41% of parents reported that they have to cook more than one meal to accommodate for fussy eating in their household.
What we want to do with those numbers is normalise the fact that mealtimes can be really hard for families, as well as reduce the amount of parent guilt that you might be feeling. It is difficult for a LOT of families out there, and we’re here to help!
Now, nothing is going to ‘cure’ fussy eating. We wish we could take this pressure away from you and your children, but unfortunately we only have tips and tricks we’ve learnt along the way that might be of help.
1. Take the pressure off yourself and your children. We want mealtimes to be completely neutral, which basically means that we don’t want positive excitement when they try a new food, or disappointment if your child doesn’t. As the caregiver, it’s our job to choose and present foods, and your child’s job to choose how much they eat (if any), how they engage with the food and if that is something that they would like to do that day.
2. Try and involve your children in the preparation of the meal. This will allow your child the ability to interact with the food, giving them more time to look, smell, hear, touch and potentially taste the food, before they see it again during the mealtime.
3. Use a learning plate so that your child can pop any foods that they’re not ready to try on. This gives them an opportunity to interact with the food, without the pressure of needing to eat it yet.
4. Start small; one singular piece of carrot is much less overwhelming than a big spoonful. You can even adopt a ‘tasting spoon’ policy in your house where your children can get a teaspoon to explore or try new foods.
5. Have fun with it! Remember that kids learn and explore through having fun. Can we use cookie cutters to make stars out of our chicken schnitzels, or even use fun cutlery during the meal? How can we make mealtimes a fun and joyful time for our children?
And never forget that if you need further support, reach out to your speech therapist or occupational therapist! We would love to help you get more joy in your mealtimes.
Sources:
https://healthdispatch.com.au/news/new-hcf-survey-reveals-the-mealtime-challenge-for-parents
