Encouraging children to try new foods can be challenging, but there are several tips that can help:
- Introduce new foods gradually: Start by introducing new foods in small quantities, and gradually increase the portion sizes over time. Your child isn’t going to suddenly want to try a plate full of food that they have not tried before. Small steps make a difference.
- Offer a variety of foods: Offer a variety of healthy foods at each meal, and encourage your child to try a little bit of each. Don’t just presume it won’t get eaten, leaving them with the same foods that they would normally have. Always offer it and give a variety of foods.
- Make food fun: Get creative with food presentation by using fun shapes and colors. Involve your child in meal preparation, and let them help with simple tasks such as mixing ingredients or adding toppings. When they see what is involved and help to prepare it, it can be more exciting for them and children can understand food more and where it comes from.
- Be a role model: Children are more likely to try new foods if they see their parents and other adults eating them regularly. Be a good role model by eating a variety of healthy foods yourself. This is something that we try to do at St. John’s, being able to show children what a balanced diet looks like.
- Use positive reinforcement: Praise your child for trying new foods, even if they don’t like them at first. Encourage them to try again in the future, and celebrate their successes. Forcing them to eat something or punishing them when they don’t is just going to hinder their relationship with food, so take steps to be positive and make a difference with the foods that you serve. Praise and gentle steps will make a difference.
- Avoid pressure: Avoid pressuring your child to eat new foods, as this can create negative associations with food. Instead, offer encouragement and positive reinforcement. As above, small steps can work, and looking for ways to make it a healthy connection for them, not something that will put them off it for a long time.
- Don’t give up: It can take several attempts before a child will try a new food, so don’t give up. Keep offering a variety of healthy foods, and be patient. Sometimes, it can be a good idea to serve certain foods in different ways. For example, if you would normally boil carrots up and then serve the, how about roasting them with a little maple syrup instead? Some of the reasons children don’t want certain foods is because of textures, so trying the food in a different way, to give a different texture, can make a difference.
