Don't Let Your Child Develop a Bad Eating Habit

Kids are really so easy to influence and will mimic things that they see other people do. As a result, if their playmates are consuming junk food most of the time, they will most likely do the same thing. After all, eating habits are something that is acquired; kids are not born with them. And once these habits form, it is hard for anyone to change them. It is therefore important for parents to make sure their own eating habits are good since they will be emulated by their kids.

A healthy diet does not have to be a pain. It is better if parents focus on the pleasure of it instead of threatening their kids when the veggies are left untouched. Sadly, modern day living leaves little time and patience for parents to be this focused on the eating experience of their children. Kids are usually very picky and may not want to try new food that they are unfamiliar with. What a lot of parents do is to force feed their kid and this can be quite a negative experience for some children that would make it harder for them to try new healthier food. Some parents will try to bribe their kids, telling them that they will get a treat or something nice after they eat their food. Though this technique might be effective at first, in the end, kids become very manipulative and find ways to get things to work for them no matter if they are disobeying their parents or otherwise.

There can also be problems with parents since they may sometimes have problems trying to figure out just how much is enough to feed their kids. Sometimes, parents feed too much since they give adult sized portions. If a child gets fed too much, his or her stomach will expand and it will be harder for him or her to get satiated with smaller portions. This will lead to obesity in adult hood since they will form a hard to break over eating habit.

A lot of parents nowadays do not like getting through all the stress of arguing with their kids about what to eat so they just let their kids have their way and buy from a fast food restaurant. Fast food is very popular since not only do kids love it, it is also inexpensive and easier for the parents. And this is another bad habit that kids form from their younger years up to their adult years. Fast food to them becomes a staple part of their diet which becomes a kind of comfort food. Of course parents are not the only people that kids emulate. However they form a very large part of the way a kid forms his or her eating habits. Thus, if a kid develops bad eating habits, the parent is still very much responsible for it.

Also read: Child Development - Does Your Child Measure Up