Children don’t need bland food
We have become scared to give children meals they won’t eat and if we restrict the flavour we think we will have more success in having the dinner eaten. By setting up a pattern of bland food means it will be more difficult to introduce full flavour in meals as they grow older.

Asian cooking use a number of herbs and spices and thus their babies are used to eating meals with lots of flavour from a young age. Indian babies eat a mild dhal while Thai babies eat lemongrass and coriander. So let’s not limit the flavour in our children’s meals.

Yuck to Yum recipes use herbs and spices, garlic and onion as the basis of flavour for each meal.  We offer suggestions for parents of how to spice up the meal as we understand that parents need more flavour in their meals than children.

‘Anytime’ and ‘Sometimes’ Foods
We all know what food we should and shouldn’t eat. Talk to your child about food as being ‘anytime’ and ‘sometimes’ foods. Explain to your child that healthy bodies can have anytime food any time of the day and sometimes food aren't off-limits, but they shouldn't be eaten every day and in smaller portions.

If you can get into the habit of ‘anytime’ and ‘sometimes’ with your kids it becomes easier to say no when they ask for a packet of chips or an ice cream by saying it is a sometimes food. You are providing them with an answer they understand rather than a straight no without an explanation.

Don’t limit your child’s curiosity
When a child says “Can I have some of that?” please don’t say ‘you won’t like it! My nephew asked for some camembert cheese, his mother quickly adding “no you won’t like that”…and guess what his response was after tasting it? His grandfather was always eating blue cheese and one day he asked for some. Now he eats blue cheese because his grandfather didn’t say anything except fulfil his request.

How much food should I serve my child?
Children can be easily overwhelmed by too much food on a plate. They have small stomachs so allow approximately one tablespoon of protein, vegetable and carbohydrate per age of the child. So at three years of age a suitable portion is approx three tablespoons of each food item. This is a good measure this until they are adolescents. They can always ask for more!

It’s a kids right to be messy.
Toddlers learn about their food by touching, playing, squashing and eating it so unfortunately mess is just part of the eating process. Every year they’ll make less mess!

Kids love eating with their fingers, they think it is fun to dip or scoop their food into another food and enjoy taking matters into their own hands by adding things to their food such as sauces.  We have incorporated these fun ways of eating into our Yuck to Yum recipes.

Our Yuck to Yum recipes show you how to hide vegetables for each meal.

The art of negotiation
Offer choices to your kids so they feel they are part of the decision making process of what's for dinner. Only offer 2 or 3 options so it's not confusing. If they are not keen on vegetables put 3 choices on their plate and when they whinge negotiate that they only have to eat 1 or 2 of the vegetables. They think they have won but you have encouraged them to eat at least one vegetable.

This is a strategy we use a lot in our Yuck to Yum recipes.

If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t let your child eat it
Before handing food to your child ask yourself these questions; would I eat this, does it taste good? For example: cheese sticks, manufactured baby food, fruit extrusions, fizzy drinks, rusk sticks, instant noodles, sugary cereals.

Child minick adults and as parents you become their role model.  If they see you eating vegetables at dinner regularly they will be more inclined to try what you are eating.

Get in early
Between 2 and 3 years of age children begin to exert some independence and may start rejecting some foods. So before they reach this age offer a wide variety of foods so they are familiar with different tastes and textures. Even though they may start rejecting some of these foods they will eventually come around to eating it again because they have had prior exposure.

Gourmet Dinner Service kids meals and our Yuck to Yum recipes include a wide variety of foods to help kids become 'good eaters'.