SOS – picky eater ahead!

"Oh God!  My baby wouldn't eat anything and I mean anything at all!!!"  If you are a mother, you'd definitely be able to relate to these words, so much so that it almost becomes a national dilemma. And why not? All the mothers in the world are complaining about the same thing- Bangladesh, Japan or Germany!

What we must realise is that children and newborns are not like adults, they have not yet mastered the art of being a phony. If they are not gulping down the food, it usually means three things – either they are genuinely not hungry or they do not like the taste of what has been served or perhaps they are not feeling well.

We must not assume 24 / 7 that our children are gluttons, always on the lookout for food. Every child needs a spacing of 3-4 hours in the least, in-between every meal and that's just a general statement, some may require a few more hours.

The major provision for infants should be milk, whilst solids are introduced to begin the weaning process. 7 months onwards, the milk schedule comes down to at least three servings a day and the quantity intake for solids increase.

For seriously fussy eaters, milk can be the major food item as long as they are comfortable with it. We'd just have to make sure that they do not have any physical problem associated with swallowing and gulping down solids. After a while-- they usually come around!

 Plus powdered milk, these days are of the highest quality, containing about everything a tiny body requires for the perfect physical and mental development.

Another idea to make children interested in their food is to decorate it in a playful and attention-grabbing way with smileys on sandwiches and fake sunglasses on boiled carrots. Of course, the materials used are also consumable. That's what makes it more fun!

There is one thing most of us don't realise—it's that kids do recognise their taste. If you thought of just making a slimy, gooey ingredient and forcing it down your toddlers' throat, then you are definitely an amateur in this field. You'd be surprised at how much they have an affinity towards good taste.

So, after preparing anything for your little tyke, taste it yourself before serving. Because if it doesn't taste good to you, it probably doesn't taste good to the kiddo either!

Lastly we'd like to say there's simply no cheat route for mums. But the good part is there's no reason to panic, if they aren't having food right at the moment, let them be.

They'd get back on track soon.

Just be prepared for that prized moment, when they do want something to feed on! Keep something nutritious stored in the fridge. You may also try capturing the instance on camera.

Just Saying!

Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed