Did you know that according to experts, children need to try the same food at least 15-16 times before they can accept a new food? So you shouldn't give up just yet. It would be beneficial to try non-consecutively. You need to allow around 10 days between your first attempt and your second attempt. If there is a dish that is strongly rejected, you should try cooking it in different ways. Because taste perception is not just about taste; Smell, sight and previous experience with the relevant food are also extremely effective. For example: Leek is a vegetable that is generally difficult to eat. Of course, there are many children who have difficulty eating leeks with minced meat or leeks with olive oil. However, when you use a small amount of leek as an onion and chop it into a salad or add it to any soup, children will be able to accept its taste more easily. If your child persistently refuses the same food despite doing all these, using a food that is equivalent to that food may be a solution. In this way, the child can gain the same nutritional values with another meal.
Rejecting food can also be an indicator of individualization and independence for children. If your child refuses to eat or eats little, this may be related to his individualization. Eating behavior may, in a sense, be an indicator of the child gaining independence. The child may want to show that they have their own choices by refusing to eat. If parents do not pay enough attention to the child, the child may refuse to eat to get attention. Eating behaviors in different environments should be examined to better observe whether the child really has a problem with eating or an emotional problem.
If your child is used to eating frequently and little, the food eaten in this way can have as much nutritional value as the one eaten at the main meal. You don't have to worry about not getting much nutrition. However, if your child has had no appetite and has gained insufficient weight for a long time, be sure to consult a doctor as this problem may be caused by intestinal parasites, constipation, anemia or urinary tract infection.
What Can Be Done?
Be patient, pushing your child is a sign. It will not give any results.
Give the foods he doesn't like with the foods he likes, for example, make a burger with vegetables. Always eat vegetables and vegetables You don't have to give it as i. You can create different recipes.
Patiently explain to children about healthy eating and what foods can do to their bodies.
Since children have no appetite when they are overly tired and sleepy, arrange meal times accordingly.
Play games with your child before sitting at the table. The child, who becomes cheerful thanks to the game, begins to enjoy eating more.
Do not use chocolate, candy and desserts as rewards. This time, eating vegetables seems like a process that the child needs to go through. As this behavior sets in, he will start eating vegetables for dessert. Reward the child, but not with dessert.
A peaceful family and dining environment is important. If the child is restless at the table, at a table where there is no conversation, or at a table where there is discussion, he becomes emotionally tense, tries to attract attention, or may try to draw attention to the food he is not eating.
You can change the dining environment. You can feed your child not while watching TV or playing games, but in a home environment where he feels peaceful and happy.
Your child should join the family table at meal time and learn by seeing that eating is a social event. The fact that older siblings and family members do not sit at the table, choose food and do not like the food may have a negative impact on your child's eating habits.
Do not give junk food and fruit juice between meals. Additionally, your child who you think eats little may actually not be eating that little. Keep a food diary of where, when and what you eat to understand whether you are getting enough calories.
Children can use forks and spoons after the age of 1.5, so after this age, to support self-eating, put the spoon in their hand instead of putting it in their mouth. , wait for him to eat. This way, he will think that he has the initiative to decide on the food he eats.
Keep the portions small, as filling the plate to the top may be unattractive.
Prefer foods that he can easily chew and swallow. Prevent them from becoming addicted to a single type of food by accustoming them to different types of food without forcing them. For example, excessive consumption of milk causes the child to reject many foods.
Your child does not have to adopt the meal plan and type you like, let him find his own type.
Feeding him in a hurry, not giving enough time to eat, or, on the contrary, extending the meal time too much (half an hour is a normal time). and reacting when he spills the food will negatively affect your child. Therefore, avoid such behavior.
Make sure the food is not too cold or hot. In addition, many children reject food that is mixed together and do not eat overcooked and bad-tasting food. Do not ignore this point either.
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