In India, we tend to equate food with love. Jitna aur khilao utna better. So we either force them to eat or we go with kuch to gaya pet main. Feeding kids is tricky. Most of us try these techniques – Insisting on a certain number of bites, pressuring, rewarding or bribing kids to eat etc. This can kick off food battles that make things worse.
As a mom who has struggled to get my child to eat food, have I branded him as a picky eater because he was not eating what I wanted him to eat and when I wanted him to eat. How do we strike a balance so that we don’t end up raising picky eaters and in turn fussy adults? Are we being picky adults when it comes to our child’s food choices?
In the past, we have conducted webinars on a number of topics that parents have requested like the importance of early education and are kids at risk if schools open. We conducted a FREE webinar yesterday to address a topic that concerns all parents – from toddlers to teens – kids and their eating habits.
Mansi Zaveri, Founder of Kidsstoppress chatted with moms and experts in their own fields. We talked about a topic that interests us all
‘Are Millennial Parents Guilty of Raising Picky Eaters’
Our panel consisted of
Dr Manjari Rao – A Gut Health expert & a Homoeopathy Practitioner. Her personal experiences with food are what set her on this journey which is why she wants to help mothers understand that children can’t act out or do drama all the time.
Chinu Vaze – A Chef, Mom, Cookbook Author. Her culinary journey has been a long and interesting one. She strongly believes in the importance & magic of local and seasonal vegetables.
Thara Shenoy – Paediatric Feeding Therapist. It is crucial to know and understand why a child struggles to try new food. That is where Thara steps in.
We asked Dr Rao about what to do with a child if he or she doesn’t eat what is served? And what could the long term repercussions be of this?
She doesn’t agree with the term picky or fussy eaters. As per her, kids behave the way they do because of what is happening to them internally. For her identifying the connecting links is important.
We addressed a lot of other questions like
- Do you think parents today give in to their child’s tantrums and demands too easily? Which in turn could be making them fussy eaters?
- Do you think it’s ok to use food as a reward or punishment?
- How do you manage to balance food habits in your home as a multi-cultural family?
If you would like to know what else they talked about and you should watch the video below
Vanaja Katrapak
Janani S Koushik
KLAY Play Schools
Chandni Bhagat
Mansi Zaveri
Shruti Divecha
