Struggle around making kids eat food is real or created? Is it too much a paint point for parents of small kids? Are they stressing a little too much over kids and their mealtime? It is not that difficult, sharing a few pointers for parents of small kids to have a fuss free mealtime for kids.

Fixed Meal Times

It is definitely a must to have fixed meal time for kids. Following a set routine sets up their biological clock and their stomach would send signal to their mind that its food time. Also a good gap between meals of the day makes them hungry around the mealtime. Introduce the words like breakfast, lunch and dinner in their vocabulary. Make the concept of breakfast, lunch and dinner more relatable through various story books.

You become what You See

“Practice what you Preach” is a common saying and that goes so well in this scenario. Kids are keen observers, they do what they see. So if they see their parents opening a pack of Lays, holding a big glass of coke in their hand or ordering a maharaja burger. In no time you would see them replicating you. So how you want your kids to enjoy and eat a nutritious meal, first start doing it yourself. When it means no gadgets during meal time, it not only applies to the kids it obviously goes for the parents first.

Invest in Meal Time Accessories

It is a good idea to invest in a high chair to have a comfortable, convenient and enjoyable mealtime for your kid. Kids develop an association, they know that when its food time they have to be on their high chair. Habit of sitting and eating on high chairs also makes eating in restaurants convenient, as majority of the restaurants have the option of high chair for kids. Though the idea of a high chair is subjective as per cultural and traditional habits. Also invest in colorful aprons to avoid the mess. A lot of colorful options in utensils are available in the market, keep experimenting. Do not compromise with the quality, prefer steel over plastic. If buying plastic utensils look for food grade plastic utensils only.

Break the Monotony

Don’t make meal times boring and too predictable. Come up with interesting nutritious recipes or present the same dishes differently. Like you can play with the shapes, making a simple roti sometimes in round, square or triangle shape.

Make a red roti using beetroot or a green roti using spinach. You can use different shape molds to make cutlets, bake cookies or muffins or even cut fruits like watermelon, mangoes, papaya in different patterns.

Sometimes offering the fruits in the raw form or at times making shakes and smoothies from different fruits brings in variety. Pick up some quirky, colorful kids friendly cutlery and keep offering them food in different plates, tumblers, sippers, lunch boxes. Even introduce them with the concept of eating out at restaurants occasionally, in order to avoid an embarrassing situation when they do not know how to behave and become too overwhelmed with the entire place.

Do not Introduce Wrong Habits

I have seen moms, blending the food in a mixer to make it into a puree and feed them. Imagine a roti and a bowl of vegitables going into a blender, thinking of the end product makes me go yuck! And I wander for how long is it going to sustain and the kind of inconvenience it is going to cause. Kids find it easy to swallow and gulp the puree. They keep rejecting whole food because of the effort they have to put in chewing it.

Here comes the crucial role of parents, they need to be patient and persistent to make the kids eat the food in its normal form. Also it is very convenient to give them screen while feeding them food. In no time it becomes a habit and becomes very difficult to withdraw screen from them while eating.

So, be wise..!! Follow the age old wisdom of your mothers and grandmothers, do not run after your kids offering them food, but be innovative. Make mealtime a simple part of your routine, where everyone in the family sits together to eat and chat.