Tips for Feeding Families with Young Children

Children are naturally attracted to junk food that normally has high fat and high sugar content. It is alright to allow a bit of junk here and there but only keep limited amounts in the house and never allow it to be eaten in place of a meal. Here are some ideas of how to feed fussy eaters:

• Introduce children to a wide range of fruit and vegetables from a young age. Fresh is best but canned or frozen can be used out of season

• Try cutting and presenting fruits and vegetables in different ways. This can be done by slicing, dicing, boiling, roasting, adding sauce and combining two or more vegetables together

Introduce Foods with Different Textures to Children

The more textures children are exposed to at a young age, the less likely they are to be fussy eaters. Try the following ideas:

• Use different varieties of rice with meals. Each has a different taste and texture

• Serve a combination of textures such as a crunchy salad with soft pasta and smooth carrots in sauce

• Supply finger foods as snacks. Cut raw vegetables into sticks, and fruit into cubes

• Make sandwiches with different spreads such as crunchy peanut butter, humus and slices of cold meat

• Serve meat sliced, cubed, braised and fried

Ways to Prepare and Store Food for Families

If budgets allow, it makes sense to buy certain food items in bulk. It may be time consuming to repackage or cook and freeze these but long-term it will pay off. It will allow for more family time and the convenience of having food on hand. In a similar fashion, it is worthwhile cooking double portions of a meal and freezing the second one.

Five O'clock onwards is a difficult time in most households with young children. Dinner needs to be cooked, children are tired and need to be bathed and tempers may flare. If possible, cook the evening meal in the morning or do as much preparation as possible to reduce stress levels at night.

Healthy eating for families with young children is attainable and with some planning and preparation, can be manageable on most days. A little junk food here and there is alright but concentrate on introducing fruits and vegetables and multiple textures.

Reference:
101 Quick Tips - Surviving the Kids, Mary Lambie and Debbie Mayo-Smith, Penguin Books, 2007