Physical Wellness

Helpful Tips To Overcome Fussy Eaters

By Abbie Kraft | Update Date: Feb 28, 2017 06:45 PM EST

Feeding a fussy eater can be very challenging for most parents. According to health pediatricians, one of the best ways to encourage the child to practice healthy eating is to establish and build their relationship with food.

Parents are often caught in a dilemma when it comes to feeding their toddlers veggies. They would often end up with a deal wherein they would either bribe their kids with dessert, or they would just give up. Big kids would often fall for bribery, thus they would finish up all the good food. According to CNN, however, bribery should not be an option as it can potentially do more harm than good when it comes to a child's diet.

Bribery would often result to junk food and excess sweet consumption, which can be unhealthy. Other parents would trick their kids by hiding their veggies inside other meal courses, which does not usually work. An article covered by Daily Mail mentioned that bribery works, wherein a research-backed method explores the function of bribery among young children, which can go as far as depositing funds into their bank accounts.

"Green vegetables have a bitter taste to children but they must understand from an early age that not everything is sweet," Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum charity stated during an interview. "It is a tangible reward for children eating their vegetables but allows them to understand the value of money and how to save it for later in life. It is also a way of introducing them to another aspect of growing up and becoming responsible."

Bribery may work according to Fry, but a study done in 2016 pointed out that good things may come to an end as it was mentioned that kids eventually stopped eating veggies after the deposits were stopped. It was then added that one of the most effective methods when it comes to teaching children proper eating is building their relationship with food.

Starting them young when it comes to eating and exploring different taste can be highly effective. Eating with the kids can also go a long way as seeing their parents eating healthy can positively affect their eating habits.

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