It's the start of a new school year! For some children, it is the time for them to embark on a new stage in their life and getting used to a new childcare centre or adapting to an unfamiliar primary school system. As a parent, while you can soothe your child's nerves at the prospect of meeting new people and learning new things, you can only hold the little hand up to the school gates and cross your fingers and hope that the day will turn out well.
Parents of picky eaters have additional worries. Children who cannot adapt well to a new environment could lose their appetites and usually do not eat well at school or even when they get home from school.
Eating complete and balanced meals is key to giving your child the energy edge to forge ahead as they venture out of the comfort of their home to the 'real' world. There are also several things that you can do to ensure that your child gets all the nourishment he needs:
Sandwiches are convenient for you to prepare and easy for your child to eat. Ask your child what his preferred filling is – tuna, cheese or egg and pack it with a lettuce leaf in between wholegrain or high-fibre bread slices. Add a piece of fruit to up the nutritious value of this meal.
If your child prefers rice or noodles, you can cook it with meat for protein and vegetables for fibre and vitamins and pack it up for him beforehand.
Or you can pack a meat bun with healthy finger foods like carrot sticks, corn cobs, bananas and apples.
Your child can also carry a water bottle with PediaSure Complete® to school and drink it if he does not feel like eating instead of drinking sweet soft drinks from the canteen.
If you know your child won't necessarily eat all that is served to him at mealtimes, ask if he can eat breakfast cereal or other preferred nutritious foods brought from home instead. Do not worry about him eating cereal with milk for lunch instead of breakfast. What is important is that he is eating something with good nutritious value instead of going without food completely.
Leave a tin of PediaSure Complete® at the childcare centre and request that a cup be prepared and given to your child instead of juice at meal times or snack times especially when he is not eating well.
It is easier to monitor and persuade your child to eat complete and balanced meals when he is at home. But, if school worries are causing him to pick at his food, don't force him to eat as it will only result in a fight that you cannot hope to win. Instead, serve him PediaSure Complete® as it provides him with the complete and balanced nutrition he needs.
PediaSure Complete® is also great as a favourite beverage in the morning before leaving for school or as a snack after a tiring day of learning.
PediaSure Complete® is the perfect solution for little picky eaters and children who are not eating well. It provides complete and balanced nutrition with 28 vitamins and minerals in great tasting vanilla and chocolate flavours.
A nutritious serving of PediaSure Complete® contains taurine, choline and omega 6 & 3 (AA & DHA precursors) as well as FOS (Fructo-oligosaccharides) and Probiotics. FOS is a prebiotic which fuels probiotics as they work to support a healthy digestive system, essential for the absorption of nutrients needed for growth and development.
So, ensure your little scholar has the right nutritional boost to breeze ahead, mentally and physically, in this new chapter of his life!
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Complete Balanced Nutrition for picky eaters with NEW Triple Sure System (1 to 10 years old)