How to encourage a fussy eater?

Dear parents, you're undoubtedly well aware that proper nutrition is incredibly important for your little one's development. Thanks to the minerals and vitamins found in food, we reduce the risk of unwelcome guests – infections and certain adult diseases (such as obesity and diabetes). It's also worth knowing that in the first year of life, your baby's birth weight can even triple – so pay attention to proper nutrition from the very beginning. Later, during their preschool years, their motor skills develop and improve, and your little one begins to imitate us and observe our behaviour – including our eating habits. So, let's remember not to snack on too much chocolate and to serve our little ones healthy meals that meet all their needs. But what if you have a fussy eater at home... we've got an effective solution for that too!

Our children are incredibly observant. Their eyes are drawn to things that are pretty, colourful, and attention-grabbing. It's worth making sure that the meals we serve them look good and are appealing to children – perhaps a set of children's dishes with their favourite superhero will do the trick? You should also consider the consistency of the food being served.

If your child...

doesn't have a favourite bread, firstly – don't worry, and secondly – don't give up! You might lose a battle, but you'll win the war in the end. Your weapon will be motivation. When we offer a child something for the first time, don't be discouraged by their initial refusal. Sometimes it takes a day of struggle, sometimes two weeks – the most important thing is not to throw in the towel. Furthermore, make sure that dinner for your fussy eater, as well as their other meals, are colourful – and their consistency matches the child's preferences.

Accessories for fussy eaters...

Besides the appearance and consistency of food, equally important – if not more so – is the way it's served. So, pay particular attention to the accessories you use. A cup with a funny animal image might convince them to drink a fruit smoothie, while a colourful bowl or a charming plate might encourage them to eat a sandwich. Children's kitchen accessories are one of the best ways to tackle a fussy eater. When we add our commitment to the mix, we can truly achieve success. Pack their packed lunch in a colourful children's lunchbox, and place a pretty placemat under the plate. All these little extras will capture your child's attention and lull their guard. Then it's much easier to attack with chicken soup or a healthy sandwich :)

When we decide to use the weapon of a colourful plate or bowl, it's also worth ensuring the right children's cutlery. Each of us eats with our eyes, which is why as adults we appreciate a beautifully decorated table and dishes served on new tableware. However, our children also pay attention to details. A spoon with a character from their favourite fairy tale can therefore work wonders – a hated soup will start to taste good, and a carrot will lose its enemy status. Every parent with a fussy eater at home dreams of at least one dish capturing their child's heart. Of course, avoiding salty sticks and sweet snacks. By choosing cutlery that encourages eating, the range of these dishes can surprisingly expand. Before serving a meal, it's worth presenting the fussy eater with a new spoon or fork – let them touch them, get to know them better.

An ideal way to encourage a fussy eater to eat is also cooking together with parents. Children are naturally incredibly curious – so let's make them want to try the dishes they help us prepare. Cooking or baking together also has many other advantages – we show our children interest, develop their culinary skills, but above all, we foster a love for food. Spending time together in the kitchen is also great fun, and as is commonly known – play is the best way to learn. We can prepare soup together and then serve it in colourful bowls – let it be a meal for the whole family.

Cooking together is truly great fun – we wrote about it in the Magazine: How to encourage your child to help in the kitchen?

However, before we encourage our little one to prepare and taste soup, we can try something a little simpler. A perfect idea seems to be baking cupcakes or gingerbread together. Sweets are usually something even fussy eaters adore. Therefore, let them both decorate the baked goods and shape the dough. It's also a good way to help a child release various emotions. To encourage your child to help, it's worth using various baking and sweet decorating accessories. Multi-shaped cookie cutters or a special decorating pen will work well here. This way, we will both convince fussy eaters to help and encourage them to taste. The prepared cupcakes or gingerbread will be the perfect dessert after a meal.

To interest a fussy eater with an interesting form of decoration, you can check out our suggestions: Ways to decorate cakes.

When baking and cooking together, it's worth using clever kitchen gadgets. They will make spending time in the kitchen even more fun – for both children and adults. When baking, we can use dough portioning accessories, and when making breakfast – fun toast or egg moulds. As we mentioned earlier, playing with shapes is very important in a child's diet. This time, we can use various gadgets so that our fussy eater can prepare a beautiful meal for themselves.

Both when cooking together and eating the prepared dishes, as parents, we should remember to exercise particular patience.

In such situations, it's worth taking a step back. Above all, let's remember not to force fussy eaters to eat or to try new flavours. Such behaviour can lead to completely unintended effects – the child will eat less and become pickier. So, let's give ourselves and our little one a bit more leeway.

Preparing meals together can therefore be one of the best ways to encourage a fussy eater to enjoy food. Furthermore, colours and shapes are extremely important – both for the dishes served and the way they are presented. In all of this, our persistence, mobilisation, and patience prove to be crucial – just like in a war. Our opponent is not the child themselves, but their reluctance to eat. A seemingly difficult enemy is ultimately defeated. Dear parents, today you've learned the best ways to fight effectively. Now that you know how to encourage your child to eat, it's time to prepare for a showdown with "hunger," but such a duel is undoubtedly the fulfilment of your dreams.