A hungry child will not let you distract yourself with a toy or a fairy tale. He demands food and expresses this demand in such a way that he will not be confused with anything. But with age, this direct dependence of the body on food intake is reduced. The kid can already play and forget that the time for lunch or dinner comes. Up to 2 years, parents are still quite easy to control the frequency of food intake and organize it according to certain rules. Our baby is growing and we, the parents, are accustoming the child to new dishes.
Anticipation is a pledge of appetite.
Anticipation is one of the important elements of proper eating. The brain in advance sends a signal to the digestive system, setting it up for the best digestion. If you are interested in preserving and stimulating the appetite of a baby for a full-fledged, quantitative and qualitative eating, consider the following points:
- Do not feed shortly before lunch or dinner, because it certainly can kill the appetite.
- Try to organize the day so that you have time to prepare for food. Even after returning from a walk with a hungry child, one should not give him a drying or cracker from the threshold. Thus, beginning the dinner already in the corridor. Observe the order, at least in abbreviated form. It is very important. In such cases, especially child nutrition. It only needs to be heated up properly.
- Do not pull children out of the thick of events and do not put them at the table just because "the time has come." First, switch the baby to a quieter kind of activity. And only then invite to the table. This rule does not conflict with the need for regular meals. The account still does not go for minutes.
- Tell the child that he will eat, as it will be delicious. Try to ensure that the food you offer corresponds to your story. Porridge should not be burned, and meat - overdried. Vegetables should not be too fibrous, and fruits - sour.
- Let the child at first feel the aroma of food, evaluate its appearance. Only then proceed to eat.
It tastes good and looks beautiful.
To accustom the child to new dishes, you need to create the appropriate atmosphere. For example, a pleasant smell of food stimulates the appetite, activating the digestive function of the digestive glands. This is a clear and unambiguous signal to the body, perceived by receptors located in the nasal passages. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to slightly heat up the lure. And to offer the child first to assess its smell by specially fixing attention on it. During meals, it is better to exclude from the environment of the child too sharp, distinct from his main dish smells. For example, smells coming from other foods (chips, steak, etc.). Otherwise, a beginner gourmet can be disoriented. The sense of smell will not prepare him for the food that you intend to offer him. Also, make sure that sharp non-food smells (paints, washing powder, air aromatizers, etc.) do not accompany dinner, breakfast or dinner.
The baby is growing up, and the appearance of his dishes is gradually changing. But the main rule remains the same - careful and respectful design and supply of food. If you are going to offer puree from a jar, first carefully place it in a special children's pottery. Exceptions, of course, are "marching" conditions. For older children, whose diet includes different dishes, it will not be superfluous to use a plate-changer. At the same time, by offering different foods, pronounce its name, focusing on the appearance and taste. When meat dishes change their appearance - try to distinguish them on a plate, not mixing with garnish. For example, when instead of a puree-like mass dishes are served in the form of teftelek, cutlets, and then whole pieces. Direct the child's efforts to ensure that he has consistently tried different components of his menu. It is desirable to decorate the garnish with herbs, aesthetically design the contents of the plate.
Let's try again.
Many parents are worried that the baby will get enough food in quantitative terms. The practice of diverse nutrition in this sense is also more effective than when monotonous and monotonous. Practice also shows that at times you need at least 8-10 attempts to introduce a new dish before the baby takes it or rejects it definitively. The very same familiarity and habituation is formed only after fifteen times the reception of a certain product.
There is no need to turn every dinner into a sparkling show. Just the opposite. Quiet environment, slow pace when working with a spoon and create favorable conditions for eating. Avoid encouraging or pejorative comparisons with other children. Do not allow to be distracted by extraneous matters, but do not push food at the "waltz tempo". Goodwill and attention on your part should be unchanged. Even if the child refuses food, one should not be irritated. It is not necessary to draw his attention to a negative assessment, which he may well change to positive at the next attempt. Hard as it sometimes is, but the temper and the benevolent perseverance of a nursing parent can overcome childish whims. It is necessary to tune in to the baby and without too much trepidation again to offer him a dish that he once rejected. After all, the causes of displeasure may not be related to the taste of the product and to carry a short-term, temporary character. Suggest a new product again, if possible, changing the situation. For example, for dinner, and not for lunch.
The initial rejection of an unfamiliar dish is common. From parents depends, if not all, then very much. Try not to make a psychological thriller out of the introduction of a new product. Still avoid extremes. Do not take repeated refusals as a tragedy or a statement of one's own failure. The child will take it as seriously and will deliberately persist. Restrain your impulses and never discuss with a baby this problem with others. Even if they are the closest people - especially when eating and right after refusal. Emotional exclamations and other manifestations of passion, such as snatching a dish from the nose with a rejected food and demonstratively sending it to a bucket, it is best to leave it forever. Or then do not complain that the problem has become unsolvable. A baby requires an exceptionally sweet milk porridge.
At the same time, do not bring children (especially older ones) to madness with their irresistible optimism. Do not push through the joyful smile of food when the child is twisted and expresses an extreme degree of displeasure. By this you just fix in his mind a psychological dislike for the new taste. And your joyful perseverance will in time be perceived as a sophisticated mockery. If you cook the dish yourself, think after the many failures that may be wrong in your recipe. Just do not improve it due to the abnormal additions of salt and sugar! Do not allow the most common mistake. If you suspect that the baby is not "going to" baby food of a certain brand, try to offer him the same products of another manufacturer. The main thing is, do not fall into despair prematurely. If you will perceive the first few failures as final, your baby will soon learn to refuse you "out of principle". He does not want to get acquainted with the new tastes and their shades. It will focus on a specific and very narrow range of products. But this is not good for him at all!