Guide on Teaching Your Child to Have Healthier Eating Habits

Everyone knows that it is very difficult to raise children today. Especially when both parents work and by the time everyone gets home it is very late. The last thing that you want to do is cook dinner because you are tired and you still have to get the kids ready for bed. Fast food seems like a quick and easy alternative. However, you aren't doing your body or your child's body any justice if that's all you guy eat. Believe me; I've been there with raising a 10 year old, 3 year old and a newborn. I'm going to give you some tips on how to teach your child more healthier eating habits.

1. Don't keep sweets in plain sight. You want to let your children know that they can get sweets when they do something good. Use them for special occasions for a reward like when they bring home good grades from school or clean up their room.

2. When you go shopping, make it a point to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables. Choose a variety of fruits in different colors. Make your child interested in the different colors that they can choose from to eat.

3. I love fresh fruit and when my toddler daughter was starting to eat solids, I would always eat fruit in front of her. She was curious as to what I was eating and wanted to try it. Now she is 3 years old and she would rather have grapes, strawberries or banana's for a snack rather than candy or chips.

4. For dinner, cook a vegetable to go with your meal like corn or asparagus. Feed your children what you are eating and don't make a special meal just for them to eat because they don't like what you are eating. Encourage them to try the new vegetable. My husband likes to grill fresh corn and we cut off a small piece for my daughter and put butter on it for her to eat. She loves being able to eat the corn like mommy and daddy.

5. Follow the Jell-O jiggler's recipes and add fruit to the Jell-O and cut it into small squares. This way the kids are eating something they like with fruit hidden inside of it.

6. I like to freeze juice in my popsicle trays and add pieces of fruit to them. This way my daughter thinks she is getting a popsicle as a cold treat and something healthy at the same time.

7. Sometimes when I make sandwiches for the girls, I use cookie cutters to make star sandwiches for them. They think this is fun and neat because I tell them that they are my little star. Now that my three year old has some coordination, I let her help me use the cookie cutter and make her own star sandwich. She is proud of special sandwich and she eats it all up.

Basically, teaching your child healthier eating habits starts when they learn how to eat solid foods. Children will naturally imitate what you do. If you don't have healthy eating habits then your child won't either. Get rid of most of the junk food in your house and only eat fast food like McDonalds on a special day of the week. Start making your diet healthier with more fruits and vegetables and your child will follow. Trying something new is always difficult with children but they will think it is alright if they see mommy and daddy eating it too!