{"id":2939,"date":"2011-03-05T08:04:43","date_gmt":"2011-03-05T06:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/zaparents-blog\/?p=2939"},"modified":"2022-06-22T13:09:03","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T11:09:03","slug":"you-are-what-your-child-eats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/baby-to-teens\/toddler-health\/you-are-what-your-child-eats\/","title":{"rendered":"YOU are what your child eats…"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am often confused when a parent complains about the poor eating habits of their child but doesn\u2019t realise that the problem is usually their own eating habits.<\/p>\n

Be honest now, how many times have you placed a plate of veggies and all things wholesome in front of your toddler for supper and then you\u2019ve sat down with a meal that has the complete opposite amount of nutrition?<\/p>\n

We have a profound influence on our children\u2019s personalities and habits and even though their menus differ from ours for the large part of the first year of their lives, it is important to soon meld the kiddies and adult menu to provide a meal that will suit the tastebuds, development and health of all family members.<\/p>\n

In our household, we managed to introduce our toddler(almost 3 years old), Isobel, to just about every food there is from sushi to salads, beetroot to braaivleis. I\u2019m a huge fan of the \u2018Baby Sense\u2019 and \u2018What to expect\u2019 series of books so I used those as guidelines when introducing her to solids but we also realised that the only way we could really get her to eat something was if we ate it ourselves.<\/p>\n

We let her play with her food and encouraged her to eat without stressing if she refused a meal from time to time or threw her food-tray on the floor. It was a wonderful and hugely rewarding experience as we now can sit at the dinner table with her and enjoy a meal together most evenings \u2013 being flexible to allow for the mid-meal wanderings of a toddler.<\/p>\n

Isobel\u2019s fond of veggies but not at all keen on raw tomatoes \u2013 and guess what… neither am I. She loves tinned tuna and pilchards but steers clear of prawns when daddy is around \u2013 could it be because dad never touches them because of his shellfish allergy?\u00a0 She has a penchant for raw onions and can handle spicy food \u2013 is it just a coincidence that I love onion and dad orders \u2018extra hot\u2019? I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n

It may seem obvious but sometimes we try so hard to make our kids eat the \u2018right\u2019 things with no luck and just don\u2019t see that they are just copying us most of the time…<\/p>\n

Many \u2018lazy\u2019 parents will simply say, \u201cI grew up drinking Coke\/ eating junk food every day\/ I\u2019ve always hated vegetables…\u201d etc… \u201c…and I\u2019m still alive.\u201d And some of these families may have excellent genes that carry no risk for heart disease, obesity, high cholesterol and the numerous other silent diseases that plague millions of people. But isn\u2019t a change in your attitude to food worth it if it\u2019s going to help you mould your child into a healthy eater and an overall happy being?<\/p>\n

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Credit: www.eatright.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This article was originally written for Jozikids by Sholain Govender- Bateman<\/em> in 2011.<\/em><\/p>\n

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