Keys For The Child To Lose The Fear Of Trying New Foods
Children can get picky and refuse to experience the flavors of foods they don’t know. This behavior can have different causes, which we will analyze below. In addition, we will review how parents can make their children lose their fear of trying new foods.
During childhood, little ones face many new sensations. Often, we sin to offer them little understanding, since we take many things for granted and that, for logical reasons, they are still novelties without understanding.
A very graphic example is that of food. You’ve never asked yourself ‘how come I don’t want to eat spinach, if it’s a nutritious and tasty vegetable?’ Actually, it may not be so much for him.
Children are discovering tastes, aromas and textures almost constantly. It is perfectly normal that it is difficult for them to adapt to them and that, as a consequence, they feel a certain fear of trying new foods.
Disorder or misconduct?
Parents must know how to differentiate a simple rejection from something deeper. There is a behavior called eating neophobia that, although it is not considered a disorder of the mind, produces this type of problem in boys. It is a primitive mechanism by which people distrust foods they do not know. It can have different causes, such as traumatic experiences (poisoning or suffocation), and is characterized by rejecting all kinds of food without giving it any opportunity.
On the other hand, it can also happen that the child wishes to express his will and, by a certain desire for independence that is not such, reject the suggestions of the parents ‘just because’.
In any of these cases, it is necessary to be patient and observe their behavior well. Here are some tips that can help you overcome this stagnation successfully.
How to overcome the fear of trying new foods
1. Be creative
Humans are very visual beings. If something that enters our eyes pleases us, it is very likely that we will accept it without further ado. Therefore, it is very useful to ‘transform’ the appearance of certain foods, especially vegetables, so that little ones can eat them. A good example is a fun sandwich, with ingredients that form a face and are more child-friendly.
2. Let them participate
If we like to choose our meals, why don’t we let the children also have a say? We can come up with healthy alternatives for them to choose. In addition, it is also a good idea to take them to the supermarket or the greengrocer and allow them to collaborate in the kitchen. Thus, they will feel proud of making their contribution and eager to try that food that they prepared themselves.
3. Short but firm steps
Filling the plate will not do any good if you want your child to overcome the fear of trying new foods. On the contrary, you should introduce them into their meals very little by little. Some options in this sense are creams and soups, cakes and sandwiches, as long as they contain other ingredients that they know and like. For fruits, smoothies and shakes are exceptional.
Then tell the little one what they have tried. In this way, he will realize that the food he hates is not really that bad.
4. Lead by example
It would be a real injustice to force children to eat vegetables when we ourselves do not. Therefore, if you want your little one to eat everything and adopt positive habits, the first step should be to do it yourself. Sure, do it in front of him and without complaining. Many times, even inadvertently, we are educating our children: we are their role model and they constantly look at us.
5. Don’t push them
Putting pressure, conditioning an activity they like to ‘finish the vegetables’ or, worse yet, forcing them, is the last thing we should do. With these practices, we will only be reinforcing the negative association of certain foods with unpleasant situations for the little one.
That is to say: ‘if I don’t eat what I don’t like, I won’t be able to play with the console’. Thus, food becomes an obstacle, an imposition that must be faced even if it does not like it.
6. Insist, do not change the menu at the first complaint
If our response to a child’s fear of trying new foods is to give him another food that he likes better, he will hardly be able to overcome it. We must be patient, give him his time and, as we said before, not yell at him or make a fuss if he does not want to eat.
In conclusion, the main recommendation is that you be understanding. Childhood, especially from 2 to 7 years old, is a stage of discoveries that each infant goes through in their own way. You will see that, with time and example as the main tool, he will follow your advice and vary his diet properly.
