All about the Mujaheed: Picky young eaters!

Assalamualaikum,

Alhamdulillah, dah ramadhan ke-14. Sekejap sangat masa berlalu kan. Hopefully within this period of holy months, we have instilled the good deeds. Ok, saya nak share pengalaman saya sebagai seorang ibu kepada si cilik saya Husna Zahra. Husna is 8 months and she LOveS eat. When I mentioned LOVE, bukan sekadar suka, but she like to explore new food. Although the food seem tasteless for her (despite her 'yucky' face expression), she manage to finish all the food. Nevertheless, some mothers may face a difficulty time feeding her child.

" Haah madam, Saya ada adik umur 2 tahun, berlari satu kampung nak suruh makan. Is it normal?
"My niece would rather eating bread but not chicken/meat, vegetables/fruits or drinking milk, normal kah?"

" That is what we called the PICKY EATERS. I would rather say a normal situation for SOME children. Believe it or not most of the case is due to the parents. We, PARENT tend to be afraid of the rejections, as been discussed in Link (2013)"

BUT WHY SOME OF THE CHILDREN TEND TO BE PICKY EATERS?

Picky eater habits start at the age of 2, when the children start to test their limits. This is the period whereby if the child reject the food once or twice,we as parents will NEVER go back to that particular food.

Sebagai ibubapa, ada beberapa clues to detect the child's pickiness:

Is the TV on? Adults tend to overeat when they're watching TV, but that's not true for picky children. Research shows that kids who watch television during meals can become overstimulated, making it harder for them to try new foods.

Is the whole family eating together? Children may be more likely to relax and try new flavors if everyone else is enjoying the same meal. Children shunned most meats, fruits, and vegetables when they were very young. A child who eats alone may also sense your anxiety about their pickiness.

Are you setting a good example? Taste at least a little bit of everything that's served, and show a good attitude about it. Kids are smart, they can tell by the look on your face.

(Fields, 2011)

HOW TO TACKLE THESE PICKY EATERS?

"Macam mana ya madam, it tends to be difficult to encourage this child to eat wide range of healthy food"

"Ha... we have discussed the cues of picky eaters. The keyword is ENJOY. Kalau kita enjoy what we eat, Insyaallah the toddler will too"

Forcing is not the best thing to do. Forcing a toddler to eat a food he doesn't like or a quantity he can't handle may set him up for problems later on. Kanak-kanak yg tidak diberi pilihan untuk memilih makanan sendiri ( contohnya mereka tak dapat tentukan samada mereka dah kenyang atau tidak) adalah berisiko untuk OBES.

TAMBAHAN PULA, memaksa kana-kanak untuk mencuba sesuatu makanan yg baru akan menyebabkan mereka menjadi lebih DEGIL dan menutup peluang untuk mereka mencuba sesuatu yg baru. yg baru pada masa akan datang.

" Jadi madam, what is the best solution for these little pickies?"

"Ok, to handle these little fellas tak adala susah sangat. Cuma kena tahu taktik dan tekniknya . Few techniques can be applied:"

LOOK WAYS TO BOOST UP THE NUTRIENT VALUE OF YOUR CHILD FAVOURITE DISH: Kalau anak anda suka makan roti, apa kata anda tambahkan sesuatu yg berkhasiat seperti tomato, ayam yg diracik, kepingan keju.
STRUCTURE THE MEAL: Pastikan anak anda makan sekurang-kurangnya 3 kali sehari, with TWO healthy snacks in between the meals. Snek sihat ni termasuklah kraker, buah-buahan, yogurt dsb. Kenapa kena struktur? Sebab, kebanyakan kanak-kanak yg memilih makan ini adalah 'peragut' (grazers) who eat a small quantity of food throughout the day. With this structure, parent should ensure that the kids has set meal and snack time so that they eat when they are hungry and lessen the chance of them to eat snack too much.
INTRODUCE NEW FOOD IN SMALL AMOUNT AND ONE TIME: Bila nak memperkenalkan sesuatu makanan yg baru, cuba dalam kuantiti yg sedikit dahulu. Pastikan semasa intro itu, ensure to put his/her favourite food.
SCHEDULE NEW FOOD WHEN YOUR CHILD IS HUNGRY: Contohnya kalau anak anda lapar, cuba beri dahulu sehiris mangga atau buah2han/sayuran.
DON'T OFFER DESSERT AS A REWARD OF EATING VEGGIES! Anda telah menyebabkan kekeliruan kepada anak anda tentang makanan yg sihat. We want to improve the child's sensory, not to sweet her tooth.
EMPHASIZE STYLE: Pelbagaikan cara hidangan anak anda dengan meletak sayuran yg berwarna warni, susun makanan mengikut corak. BE CREATIVE MAMA.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS AT TABLE: If the sibling running around, TV blasting with cartoons, the child might easily distracted from her meal. Cuba jadikan masa makan tenang.

(Fields, 2011; BBCM advisory board, 2011)

"There's a lot technique in tackling such issues. Yang penting, anda perlu FAHAM kelatah anak anda. Make the eating environment MORe JOYful and HaPPy!"