👧👦Children's 🥦Nutrition👨🍳 Tips: How to spread healthy, even to the picky eaters; 🕵️♀️ - it's so hard to want to 💪empower your children's drive for independence when you are trying to "break" them of a poor habit. However, empowering 💪 your child is exactly the key to your success in preventing the mealtime battles and creating the change necessary for long term lasting healthy habits!!!!
TIP 6️: Minimize distractions:
Kids are experiencing sensory overload with “too many trinkets, too many choices and too much information.” Children flourish when they have the time and space to explore their world without the constraints of “too much.” This overload is not only overwhelming it's stressful to not only the kids but the parents too.
✅ Electronic OFF - Remove external stimuli. Turn off the television and other electronic gadgets during meals. This will help your child focus on eating. Keep in mind that television advertising might also encourage your child to desire sugary or less nutritious foods. Use a electronic basket and have everyone have to put their personal electronics in there before sitting down at the table.
✅ SIT DOWN- Encourage the child to stay at the table for the designated mealtime — even if he or she doesn't eat. The routine of the actual act of sitting down, focused on the task at hand (giving our bodies the fuel it needs to feel good and perform as we desire) has a huge impact. Consider this critical family time. Try to stay consistent, so the child understands they need to sit there regardless if they are choosing to eat the items. Also leading by example is huge in this area - so be mindful if you are joining your child during these eating times what are you eating. Discuss what you are all eating and how it fuels your body. Letting them feel in control and that their opinion matters.
✅ Again Routine helps- remove internal stimuli (like always needing to go the bathroom during meals, talking instead of eating, daydreaming instead of eating, or sensory issues [cold, hot, food touching, etc]) by adding routine. Perhaps each child goes the bathroom and washes their hands before every meal/snack, this is a good habit and then the meal isn't interrupted by the need to go the bathroom and washing your hands isn't an after thought. Be sensitive to the child's concerns, something is too hot, something is too cold something is touching, as needed empower the child to blow on an item to cool it off, or use compartmental plates so items don't touch, encourage kids to eat the items that might cool off the fastest first, etc.
✅ Stick with it - Studies show it takes 21 days to work a new habit it so you have to stick with something that's working for at least 21 days, we say a roughly a month, in order for it to become a healthy habit that sticks long term.
Quick review - Tip # 1️: Stick to the routine; Tip # 2️: Respect your child's appetite; Tip # 3️: Be creative; Tip # 4: Be patient with new foods; Tip # 5️: Don't be a short-order cook; Tip # 6️: Minimize distractions.
Stay tuned for the next health tip # 7️: Involve kids in food prep. This one always goes over well in my family. In the meantime, remember that your child's eating habits won't likely change overnight — but the small steps you take each day can help promote a lifetime of healthy eating. To truly acknowledge how hard it is to want to 💪empower your children's drive for independence when you are trying to "break" them of a poor habit. However, empowering 💪 your child is exactly the key to your success in preventing the mealtime battles and creating the change necessary for long term lasting healthy habits!!!! Remember these kids will be the leaders of tomorrow. Thank you again for your support!!! #HealthyWarner #HealthyEatingForKids #ChildrensNutrition #ParentingTips
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