Parents can do many things to cultivate good eating habits in young children and they should refrain from force feeding them.
Susan Chen
MOST three-year-old children do not enjoy eating vegetables but Wee Leeann is an exception. She eats only vegetables – pumpkin, cauliflower, carrots and fruits – and rejects all meats such as chicken, pork, beef and fish.
While she enjoys snacks like ice cream, chocolates, sweets, french fries and yoghurt, she is not interested in burgers and nuggets.
Her mother, Ms Lee Huixian, says: "She has been like that since we started introducing meat into her diet after she turned one. We even tried to give her fried chicken wings, meat pies and nuggets, which we thought were interesting dishes for children. Still, she rejected them."
Ms Lee and her husband, Mr Stephen Wee, a civil servant, have also tried to use meat to make broth for her porridge without much success.
"Mealtimes can be a tedious two-hour affair with Leeann spitting out the meat which we mince and add into her food," adds Ms Lee, 28, a sales manager. "She will insist on having biscuits and candies sprinkled on her food before she eats."
The couple, who has two other younger daughters aged 18 months and one month old, was concerned with Leeann's behaviour. But, when they consulted a paediatrician, they were told that the picky eating phase will pass.
Unconvinced and worried that Leeann's younger siblings might pick up her picky eating habit, Ms Lee started giving meat to her second daughter, Leeia, before she turned one. She also put Leeann on PediaSure Complete, which is for picky eaters and children who are not eating well.
An Abbott Nutrition survey conducted in 2007 showed that more than 40 per cent of parents said their child was a "picky eater". These children can exhibit tendencies such as accepting only a few types of food, unwilling to try new foods, avoiding vegetables and fruits and preferring drinks to foods.
It is often thought that children will outgrow their picky eating phase, but if left unchecked, those who are picky eaters may miss out on some nutrients in foods. For example, milk is rich in calcium, leafy green vegetables are high in iron, while meat and eggs are good sources of protein.
In a study involving toddlers aged between 12 and 33 months, it was found that the healthy eaters scored significantly higher than the picky eaters in the Mental Developmental Index (MDI).
On picky eaters, paediatrician Dr Chan Poh Chong (left), says: "It can be a passing phase if it is mild and parents continue to encourage variety and trying new and healthier choices constantly."
The head and senior consultant in ambulatory and adolescent paediatrics at University Children's Medical Institute, National University Hospital, adds: "If the picky eating habits are allowed to continue or worsen, there may be nutritional problems in the long run."
Dr Nancy Tan, paediatrician at SBCC Baby & Child Clinic, Gleneagles Medical Centre, says long term follow-up data suggest that there are some children who do not outgrow the picky eating problems and may display persistent eating problems, including growth limitations and developing a chronic aversion with socially stigmatising meal behaviour.
To accurately identify and manage children with picky eating habits, some doctors use the IMFeD (Identification and Management of Feeding Difficulties) diagnostic toolkit. It classifies common picky eating conditions in the following categories: limited appetite, sensory food aversion, underlying medical condition, fear of feeding, neglect and undue caregiver concern.
"If the child is not growing appropriately or healthily, falling sick constantly, and feeling lethargic and tired all the time, these may be a consequence of his feeding problem. A consult to the doctor is advised," Dr Chan adds.
Dr Chan advises parents to cultivate good eating habits in their children early in life as their fussy eating behaviour tends to get more entrenched and difficult to reverse as they grow older.
"Being patient and persistent in trying different food types and varieties would allow the child to accept different tastes and textures better," Dr Chan explains.
"Mealtimes should preferably be regular and standardised to allow for routine and structured feeding habits in early childhood."
Dr Tan says that parents should try to give their children food in different forms "to teach them variety". But, she adds, they should not force feed their children.
"Forcefeeding also negatively enforces that feeding is an unpleasant experience. It can also lead to oral hypersensitivity and further feeding difficulties," explains Dr Tan. "Younger children then push bottles away or gag at the sight of food or milk," At the same time, Dr Tan urges parents not to be overly indulgent.
"If a child does not want to feed, he often 'wins' in that the parents will give in with letting him have his favourite foods, letting him run around or have the iPad," she adds.
"All these may result in the child opening his mouth for a few more times but eventually contribute to more bad eating habits, compounding the problem of a fussy eater."
For Mrs Mary Grosvenor and her husband, Mr Barnaby Grosvenor, 38, a chief information officer, mealtimes are always fun and exciting.
"When we eat our vegetables, we make it a point to talk about how yummy or crunchy it tastes," says Mrs Grosvenor, whose daughter Isabella (above, right) is five years old and son Ethan (above, left)) is two. "We tell our daughter that they make her hair shiny and help her to grow tall."
Mrs Grosvenor also realised the importance of exposing Ethan to a wider variety of food after she saw that cooking porridge for Isabella continually when she was a toddler made her a fussy eater.
"We try to be fair and include the vegetables that the kids like," adds Mrs Grosvenor. "I also try not to pass my preferences to the kids. I dislike cauliflower but they love it so I include it in our meals."
A picky eater can display one or more of the following characteristics:
|
Limited Appetite Mealtime Behaviour |
Pick and choose |
Teach your kids to enjoy their meals:
• Avoid distractions during mealtimes - no toys, TV, books.
• No grazing between meals - no snacks, just water.
• Do not force feed.
• Feed in a high chair or at a table; do not extend meal beyond 30 minutes.
• Serve smaller potions and age-appropriate foods.
• Use timeout to discourage disruptive feeding behaviours.
• Eat together as a family to allow kids to learn their older siblings' and parents' good eating habits.
Read more about it at www.pickyeating.com.sg.
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Complete Balanced Nutrition for picky eaters with NEW Triple Sure System (1 to 10 years old)
Complete Balanced Nutrition for picky eaters with NEW Triple Sure System (1 to 10 years old)
Complete Balanced Nutrition for picky eaters with NEW Triple Sure System (1 to 10 years old)
Complete Balanced Nutrition for picky eaters with NEW Triple Sure System (1 to 10 years old)