Mealtime mistakes: What Parents Should Avoid to Help Kids Eat Happily

Feeding young children can sometimes feel like a challenge. The real struggle isn’t just about what you feed them but how you approach it. Understanding what not to do is just as important as knowing the right things to do. Here’s a guide to common mistakes parents often make when encouraging their child to eat and simple, effective ways to improve your child’s relationship with food.

1. Don’t force feed your child
One of the most common pitfalls is trying to force a child to eat. Force feeding can create negative impressions about meal times, making children resistant and anxious about eating.What to do instead:Respect your child’s hunger and fullness cues. Allow your child to decide how much they want to eat. Trust your child’s ability to judge their appetite.

2. Avoid using screens during mealtime
Many parents rely on gadgets to keep their child engaged and distracted so they will eat more. By doing this, children don’t realise what they’re eating –what the food tastes like and how the texture feels, often leading to mindless eating.What to do instead:Create a calm, screen-free eating environment. Mealtimes should be used for family connections. Encouraging conversations and eye contact helps children be more mindful of their eating and promotes social skills.

3. Don’t make a Purée or over process food
It is easy for parents to think to mash all foodstuffs to ensure a child eats without any fuss. However, offering only purées delays development of their chewing skills and the child’s exploration of different textures. Children are unable to experience the true taste of the food.What to do instead: Gradually introduce food with varying textures. Offer finger foods which allow them to pick up easily and explore its texture. Talk about the colour of the food item, its name, whether it’s a fruit or vegetable.

4. Don’t pressure, bribe or use food as a reward
Don’t pressurise your child to eat more or as per your expectations. Do not bribe them by saying, “if you finish these veggies, I’ll give you a chocolate or a cookie”. All these tactics are misleading. Children will eat based on the rewards you offer them rather than their original internal hunger.What to do instead: Make mealtimes positive and stress-free. Inculcate a habit of praising your child for trying new foodstuffs, encourage curiosity and let your child explore and enjoy what’s served on their plate on their own. Do not have an intention of them finishing the entire plate.

5. Don’t ignore your child’s appetite signals
When children say that they are full, respect that opinion rather than insisting on finishing whatever is served. It should be considered as an achievement when children can recognize whether they are hungry or full.What to do instead:Encourage your child to listen to their body. It is okay if they don’t finish everything. Next time you can ask your child to serve themselves by saying“take in your plate as per your hunger”.

6. Don’t compare your child to others
Every child is unique and has its own eating habits and preferences. Parents shouldn’t compare their children with their siblings, cousins, children of their friends etc. in order to avoid unnecessary pressure and anxiety. Comments made by parents like “why can’t you eat like your sister?” create a negative impression in your child’s mind and it will lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.What to do instead:Embrace your child’s progress and preferences. Focus on encouraging small steps rather than comparisons which helps build confidence and a positive attitude towards food.

7. Don’t expect perfect eating every day
It is normal for young children to eat varied quantities of food every day. They might eat a large quantity one day and very little the next and that’s absolutely okay. This fluctuation is part of their natural growth and development process.What to do instead:Observe your child’s overall eating patterns. Make alterations in the menu asper what they ate in the previous meal. Trust that their bodies will regulate hunger and fullness naturally.Helping children build a healthy relationship with food starts with creating a positive, pressure-free mealtime environment. By avoiding these common pitfalls and supporting your child’s natural instincts, you’re not just ensuring better nutrition but also fostering lifelong habits of mindful eating, independence, and self-trust.

Written by: Early Bounce Team