Springing surprises

"It's too late when it's on the plate!" is the motto of child expert Lucy Thomas. "The time to introduce new foods is when you buy and prepare them, not when it's time to eat."

Lucy, founder of Mange Tout Kids, which runs classes helping youngsters to enjoy healthy foods, suggests involving children in the decisions with questions like: "Would you like peas or sweetcorn with your fish and mashed potato?" Then thank them for their great choice and remind them again later what's for dinner.

Giving up on new foods too soon

Just because kids say "Ugh" when they try something new doesn't mean you should stop trying. "Give your child lots of opportunities to try a variety new foods and eventually they will take to some," says Christine Bailey, a nutritionist and author of Top 100 Recipes for Brainy Kids. Remember too that your child's tastes change.

Nutritionist Susan B. Roberts advises parents to use 'food bridges' - similarly coloured or flavoured foods. For example, if a child likes mashed potato, mix in some mashed carrots. If your child loves sweetcorn, try adding some peas.

Keeping treats out of reach

Mums often worry that children will binge on sweet things, so hide them away. But research shows that when parents restrict a type of food, children just want it more.

"There's no reason for children to miss out on biscuits and cakes - there are loads of healthy recipes," says Christine. "You can also use healthy low sweeteners which don't hit blood sugar levels like sugar does. Make your own popcorn, or offer them dehydrated apple instead of crisps."

Overloading a child's plate

Kids may find it off-putting to be faced with mountains of food.

"Serve less so your child feels pleased they've managed to eat most or all of their meal," suggests Lucy. "Use the size of their hand as a rough guide to how much of each type of food you should serve."

Christine agrees. "It's best to serve less than you think they'll eat, and then reassure them that they can have more if they want."

Ordering kids to eat up 

In their desperation to get kids eat healthily, many mums end up trotting out phrases like "Just eat it!" or "How do you know you don't like it if you haven't even tasted it!" "Confrontational phrases increase a child's anxiety about a new food," warns Lucy. "Remember that no single food is vital to health and children have the right to express preferences.

"Healthy eating should be fun."

Being busy during mealtimes

Parents often use kids' mealtimes as a chance to catch up with chores like loading the dishwasher, so it's not surprising kids try to get your attention by acting up.

"A child does not want to sit alone and eat," says Lucy. "Where's the fun in that?" So, even if it's only for ten minutes, take the time to sit down and eat with your child, even if you're just having a snack. Better still, organise dinner time so that the whole family eats together.

Instead Lucy recommends telling kids vegetables make them strong. "Say: 'Let's have a few peas then after lunch we'll have a pillow fight and see who wins'. Let them win - then they will associate peas with something positive."

Many mums get so frustrated if their kids aren't eating that they take matters into their own hands and start feeding them themselves.

"It's like taking one step forward and three steps back," says Lucy. "Only some of the food makes it into the mouth, or worse, gets spat out again."

Instead, break the cycle by helping kids to load their fork or spoon with a small amount of food and explain they must put it in their mouths themselves. "Then it's like team work," says Lucy.

With boiling water and knives around, it's hardly surprising many mums keep kids out of the kitchen. But getting children to help in meal preparation is an important step in getting them to try new foods.

Lucy recommends asking a younger child to count pieces of fish on a tray or plate ready to cook, or letting older children put the butter and milk into mashed potato. "Thirty second activities that include your child can save 30 minutes of table tantrums," she says.

Faddy eating starts because food is the one thing toddlers can control. If it continues beyond that it's because you're allowing it to happen, says Christine. "Stay calm, but do allow them to leave the table," she advises. "If they leave without eating, don't let them have dessert.

"When your children get hungry enough, they'll eat the food. If they pass up a meal hoping for a snack, offer them the dinner they turned down."

Source: Daily Mirror