Mealtime Tips - Little Changes Mean Bigger Appetites for Kids

Little Changes for Bigger Appetites

Is giving a cat a bath easier than feeding your kids lunch or dinner? Making some small changes can make a world of difference!

Try to set the tone by playing some relaxing music along with making sure all toys are put away. This will help keep the distractions to a minimum.

The color of food could can either stir an appetite or diminish it. Try replacing bland looking foods with more vibrant choices, such as apples for bananas, and broccoli for celery sticks.

Serving a variety of foods will broaden your children's horizons and at the same time is an excellent opportunity for learning new words. When introducing a new food include it with a familiar one. This way the children won't leave the table hungry.

Remembering how much a serving is for each age is also important. Often children feel overwhelmed when their plates are too full. A good way to measure for preschoolers is one tablespoon for each year of age for fruits, vegetables, and meats. A full glass of any beverage would be too much for a preschooler. Try 1/2 to 3/4 cups with sips in between bites to prevent a belly full of drink and not food.

When serving sandwiches, a preschooler should only have 1/2 a slice to one slice of bread. It doesn't seem like a lot to an adult but a full sandwich is too much for most small children to finish.

There are many other mealtime tips that have been suggested to help children eat healthier.

All children have different tastes and attitudes toward food so some of these might not work for your family. Mealtime should be enjoyable and spent getting to know each other better.

About the Author
Katrina Cramer-Diaz is a working mom with a background in education and plenty of experience in parenting. She lives in Virginia with her four children.