My daughter is a fussy eater. At the young age of 8 months, she was already showing her likes and dislikes for certain foods. The problem is that what she likes changes every single day. Today, she may like her chicken porridge, tomorrow she will hate it. So there were many times when I'm at a loss of what to feed her. Furthermore, she's a very active child and wants to play all the time. So, here's how I try to get her to eat her food. As all parents would know, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Sit in a Highchair
First, I get her to sit on her highchair. A highchair was one of the best investment pertaining to baby items I have made. Once strapped in her highchair, there is very little room for her to move away from her food.Play!
Despite what experts say about playing while eating, I find that this strategy works with my daughter. Since she wants to play all the time, I let her play while I feed her the food. She gets distracted by the toys in her hands and opens her mouth more voluntarily.Watch TV
I know that the suggestions here may seem to be against the principles of some parents here. But hey, whatever works for me and my daughter! I let her watch her favorite Elmo's World VCDs while she eats. She loves Elmo! Here's an article which highlights the educational values of Elmo's World.Variety in her Food
My daughter seems to like a variety. When we eat at restaurants and there's nothing specific for my baby, we will give her what's on our plate. It could be a mixture of chips, carrots, fish, pasta and so on. She loves to savour in the different food flavors. My mum always say that my daughter has adult taste when it comes to food.Fingerfood
Sometimes, when she refuses to eat her food, I give her finger food to hold while I feed her. Whenever she opens her mouth to eat her finger food, I jump in and stuff her food in her mouth. But this method can't be done every day or she will know the tactic and refuse to eat anything. So do this only on alternate weeks or so.Keep Trying!
I sometimes have problems introducing new food to my daughter. She refuses to eat them. The only thing I could do is keep on trying because it is mentioned that you need to give the new food to babies at least 20 times before they could accept the taste. There were times when I introduced a new food to my daughter but she doesn't immediately like it. A few weeks later, I tried again and she seems to like it. So sometimes, we just need to try and try again!
Although these strategies and tips are based on my personal experience handling my active and fussy eater, I hope you will find them useful. Leave a comment if you have other strategies to suggest.
