I often see mothers of young children including myself complaining about how children are fussy about eating these days. Many times I feel it is just a phase. Many toddlers just don’t feel the need to eat at predefined times of the day, unlike grownups. They are more instinctively tuned to their body’s need for food and energy supplies. They eat
when they feel hungry. But what can explain their refusal to eat new foods or insist on having the same dish every day, or refuse to eat at all? Different children behave differently and such things are seen because of many reasons like:

1. Toddler rebellion.
2. Testing the limits of their parent’s patience.
3. A disguised cry for attention.
4. A physiological phase.

The phase could begin as early as age one year and continue through the next couple of years too. This developmental stage is typically characterized by toddlers being negative about most things, and this naturally extends to their eating habits too. During this phase, the child tests the limits set by the parents in all facets is it eating, sleeping or playing. In case of working parents, a preschooler’s rebellious behavior could also be an attention-seeking device. Kids this age grow at a much slower rate than they did in the first year of their lives and don’t require as many calories as they did previously.

Forcing your child to eat just won’t work. A desire to eat comes with what’s on the menu. Different parents have fashioned different workarounds for this phase in their child’s life. They give them limited options. Distract them with a story and pop the food in their mouths when you have got them, hook, line and sinker. If both tactics fail, negotiate or to put it plainly, bribe them. Here are some handy tips to make feeding your child a relatively pleasant experience for both of you:

1. Make meals fun: Forcing your child to eat can end up making mealtimes a chore. The more you force-feed your child, the more they will associate eating with drudgery. Combine food with some play at the table, maybe a favorite game or a story.

2. Don’t make it an issue: Kids are just about discovering their own independence and any attempt at curbing it will elicit extreme reactions. Although it is important to draw the line somewhere and establish yourself as the parent figure.

3. Eat along with them: Get your child to sit at the table, stock up her plate with bite-sized portions and let her eat on her own. It gives kids a sense of individuality and responsibility. Eating with your child also helps enormously, since mealtime becomes a shared experience, especially when the family gets together.

4. Build an appetite: Let your child build up an appetite for mealtimes; indulging her demand for a cookie half an hour before lunch can only backfire.

5. Be creative: Be creative with food your kid’s likes while ensuring she eats right. The more attractive the food looks, stronger the chances of getting them fed, provided the taste matches the looks, that is. Serve small portions in fun plates; make funny faces on that slice of bread, etc.