Eating habits of children in the preschool period constitute an important aspect of development
. What children eat affects skeletal growth, body shape and the level of immunity against diseases. (Santrock, 2011) Therefore, it is extremely important to create a correct eating habit in the child. The most important factor is the behavior of the person who cares for the child, that is, his/her parents. Eating behavior in early childhood
occurs when the child's caregiver eats with the child on a regular
eating schedule; It develops when the child is modeled for healthy eating,
makes mealtimes enjoyable, and participates in certain nutritional styles
. (Santrock, 2011)
It is extremely important for children to have basic needs such as nutrition and sleep in a certain
routine. Research shows that adults who eat and sleep regularly acquire these habits
largely during their childhood. In addition, children whose eating and sleeping habits do not adhere to a certain routine may experience behavioral problems in terms of eating and sleeping. The reason for this is that children, especially in the preschool period, have a structure that constantly tests the limits in terms of
socio-emotional development and
they do not forget what is said and done to them. If a child goes to bed at 21:00 one night and is not allowed to go to bed at 23:00 the next night; When the child is asked to go to bed at 21:00, he will object to this limit and become stubborn because he knows that he was not heard about it before. The same goes for food. For example, if the family does not have a regular
eating routine, the child will create problems when the parents want to feed him at the time he wants.
For the child, what the parents do is as important as what they say. It is extremely important.
For example, if the mother puts broccoli on the plate at the table and eats it herself, but the father does not eat this food, most likely the child will not eat broccoli either. Because here the child learns by taking a model. A child finds out that his father does not eat broccoli It is not right to expect flour to eat broccoli. This is what it means to model healthy eating
as a parent. Children copy their parents' eating habits. In a
family that always eats meat, if the mother tries to get her child to eat vegetables from time to time, but has difficulty in achieving this
, this is because eating vegetables does not occur in a certain routine and the child copies the family's
eating habits.
Turning on the television while eating and keeping the child entertained with devices such as iPads and phones are among the wrong attitudes. Children can eat with such distractions at first
but after a while even these may not be enough for them to eat. At the same time,
children who have such an eating habit are likely to maintain this attitude in their
adulthood. Eating in front of the television; It can lead to health problems such as obesity and high cholesterol. According to Leann Birch's research, the problem
is not caused by watching television, but by overeating because you do not pay attention to the amount or taste of food while watching television. (Birch, 2006)
What Can Be Done?
Nowadays, reasons such as mothers' participation in working life, longer working hours, and working mothers being tired require adjusting meal times to a certain routine.
has made it difficult. However, children are a family's most valuable treasure, so it is very important to make sacrifices for them. For this reason, care should be taken to ensure that breakfast, lunch and dinner
are in a certain routine.
Parents or other caregivers should be a model for healthy eating
. Parents should not be picky eaters either. In addition, it should not be forgotten that if the parents do not sit at the table for dinner because they
had a snack on my way home, or if they sit and eat one or two
things, their child may imitate them.
While eating, the child only tries to eat. Devices such as television and telephone should be turned off and kept away while eating. Meals
should be eaten at the table, and feeding should be avoided while sitting on the sofa in front of the TV or while the child is playing with his/her toys.
A special cutlery and plate can be used for the child to make eating attractive.
For example, if the child likes the Spiderman character, his/her meal can be served on a Spiderman plate.
If the child has not acquired the habit of eating vegetables. It should not be forgotten that gaining this habit may be difficult
and may take a long time. As a starter, vegetable dishes
can be added to the main dish as a tasting. It should not be forgotten that, as a parent, you should definitely eat this meal at this time. While eating the meal, as parents
you say to each other, "Mmm, how delicious.", "This food is very useful, it will
protect me from illness." By saying sentences such as: Depriving the child of something because he does not eat makes eating a condition, a duty for him. If the child insists on not eating a meal, do not insist. But first, it should be explained to him in a way that he can understand that he will not be able to eat until the next meal
and that he will be hungry. If, despite this, the child persists in not eating, food should not be given to the child until the next meal. For example, if your
child has not had lunch, do not let your child eat anything until
dinner. Avoid giving your child junk food such as chips and chocolate, especially between these meals. Otherwise, it will be as if your child has been rewarded
for not eating. If your child has the habit of eating fruit as a snack, continue it
but do not feed him more fruit than the normal routine because he does not eat. It should not be forgotten that if the snack is given close to
dinner, the child's appetite may be blocked. At dinner, the plate should not be filled to the brim
since he did not eat lunch. Give him the normal amount of food, add more if he wants
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