Dr Radha Rajagopalan         
 HOD-Pediatrics         
 Apollo Hosptials, Chennai

Eating is an art! Kids imitate their parents in most issues and table manners & eating are no exceptions. Generally kids do not like foods that their parent don’t eat (the key word is generally, later on friends and peer pressures take over)

            It’s at a particular age (usually 9 months) that kids bring their thumb and forefinger together to pick up foods and put them in their mouths. This is called as the ‘Pincer Grasp’. This is when, if you place small pieces of food in their plates, they tend to pick up and eat. Of course there will be a few spills, but that’s alright. Just because your kids spill food while trying to eat is no reason for you to physically place the food in their mouth. Especially after the age of 5, there should not be a reason to feed your kids. It is proven that such practices affect the kid’s individuality and not to mention, makes them lazy. Some parents tell me that their child does not eat unless they feed them. Well, at times you have to teach them certain habits even if your child is adamant.

            Timing of meals is extremely important. Set times for breakfast, lunch and dinner for you kids and stick to these times. Even if there is a change in the time of one meal, it affects the time of the next meal and hence kids will not eat properly at the next meal. If there is an undue delay in the time of one meal, try not to force the meal to your child later. As, in if you miss breakfast which is usually had at 8 AM, do not force breakfast at 11 AM. Try to give your kid a fruit juice (and I mean fruit juice, not aerated drinks) or biscuits and give the next meal at the correct time. Thus the meal times for the rest of the day do not get affected. Also avoid stocking up chips and biscuits at home at the child’s reach. This way they tend to eat often at non-meal times and end up not eating their regular meals. This also affects their nutrition so do be careful.

           Do not place a huge heap of food on your kid’s plate. Always serve little at a time and encourage them to take more. This way your kids will not feel intimidated at the amount of food and will eventually eat to their fill. So parents who complain that your kids do not finish their meal, the next time, place a little less on their plates.

          Also a balanced diet is very important for you kids. Try to make sure there are two types of vegetables for every meal and do not repeat the same vegetables every day. Even when you serve meat or chicken or fish, try to make sure that there is at least one vegetable also in their meal.

            Though it is important to teach your kids about food timings, do not force your kids to eat if they do not feel like eating. It is important to maintain the balance of teaching your kids and not forcing them. If they miss a meal as they are not hungry, it is alright. But of course it should not become a habit for them to keep missing meals or eat at unearthly hours. If you kids do not eat properly on a consistent basis or if they are losing weight, take them to your pediatrician to diagnose worm infestations or other problems at an early stage.

            And yes avoid junk food for you kids at an early age. Its ok to have chips and biscuits once in a while, but make sure that they do not gorge on it and skip meals. And  the lesser they see of carbonated drinks, the better!