How to help my fussy eater? 5 Tips!
We at POOW know that it can be very frustrating for you as a parent when your child is a fussy eater. The meals take longer, and a lot of anxiety and stress is often involved, both for parents and children. Therefore, we have developed POOW The Food Hero, a tool for all parents who are struggling to get their fussy eaters to eat more and better food. Our application has been developed in close collaboration with parents and dietitians to provide parents and the healthcare system with a solution that really works.
We at POOW strongly believe that basic tips and suggestions are not good enough to really make an impact on a family’s mealtime situation. But first and foremost, basic tips put a lot of pressure on the parents to manage the situation on their own. But with POOW by your side, we help you as a parent to manage the situation in a more efficient way. Below, you will find 5 common tips on how to manage your fussy eater, including how we at POOW have incorporated these tips in our app and “POOW-Method.”
1. Involve Your Child in Meal Planning and Preparation
An efficient way to break down barriers between your fussy eater and foods is to involve them in the cooking process. To involve your child all the way from deciding what to eat, to going to the grocery store together, and then preparing the food together will increase the chance that the child will eat and try new foods.
Functions in POOW:
The Nutrition game – Let your child build different meals by combining different ingredients as they are learning about nutrition. Maybe your child’s creation in the game can become your meal for tonight?
Recipes – Browse between our +60 recipes created uniquely for families with children age 2-5. The recipes involve the whole family in the cooking process when you as a parent, through clear instructions, can get your child involved.
2. Make the Mealtime Fun
🎶 And kids, they wanna have fun, Oh kids just wanna have fun 🎶 To make the mealtime situation fun for your child is an effective way to increase the chances that your child will try new food and flavors. If your child connects food and having a meal with joy and happiness, you are on your way to improving your mealtime situation. The struggle when having a fussy eater is that the mealtime situation is often connected to stress and discomfort, both for you and your child.
Function in POOW:
Fun, joy, and happiness are the core of POOW. Through interactive games and functions, we bring joy to the dinner table of your family.
3. Introduce New Foods Gradually
If your fussy eater is hesitant to try new foods, don’t force them. Instead, take small steps together. This will make your food journey way more pleasant. You can, for example, combine foods that your child already likes with new foods. We recommend you keep the foods separated as the child is getting used to new flavors. Remember that introducing new foods only once will not make a difference, so keep trying and introduce the food and flavors many times.
Function in POOW:
The Eating Game – Through the eating game, you can decide how much of the meal your child can eat. We always recommend setting 100%, but based on your situation, you can take small steps. Start with 10% of the meal and work your way up to 100%.
4. Be a Good Role Model
You are your child’s biggest idol and role model. To lead by example by eating all kinds of food could, therefore, increase the chances that your child will do the same. Try to avoid making negative comments about foods that you don’t fancy. Instead, try to speak only positively about food.
Function in POOW:
The Eating Game – Be a role model during the mealtime by leading by example. Show your child how the eating game works. You as a parent could, for example, eat some food from the child’s plate and then erase it in the app (See video below). This will encourage your child to do the same.
5. Don't Use Food as a Reward or Punishment
You as a parent play an important role in how your child’s relationship with food looks like. By using rewards and punishments, an unhealthy relationship between your child and food can be created. Instead, focus on positive reinforcement for healthy behaviors and when the child is brave enough to try new flavors.
Function in POOW:
The core concept of POOW has its foundation in motivation, not rewarding. Through the “POOW-Method,” your fussy eater gets motivated to eat food and try new flavors. Rather than forcing themselves to eat because they want.
Don´t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about POOW and how you can get started with the app! // Team POOW
How to help my fussy eater? 5 Tips!
We at POOW know that it can be very frustrating for you as a parent when your child is a fussy eater. The meals take longer, and a lot of anxiety and stress is often involved, both for parents and children. Therefore, we have developed POOW The Food Hero, a tool for all parents who are struggling to get their fussy eaters to eat more and better food. Our application has been developed in close collaboration with parents and dietitians to provide parents and the healthcare system with a solution that really works.
We at POOW strongly believe that basic tips and suggestions are not good enough to really make an impact on a family’s mealtime situation. But first and foremost, basic tips put a lot of pressure on the parents to manage the situation on their own. But with POOW by your side, we help you as a parent to manage the situation in a more efficient way. Below, you will find 5 common tips on how to manage your fussy eater, including how we at POOW have incorporated these tips in our app and “POOW-Method.”
1. Involve Your Child in Meal Planning and Preparation
An efficient way to break down barriers between your fussy eater and foods is to involve them in the cooking process. To involve your child all the way from deciding what to eat, to going to the grocery store together, and then preparing the food together will increase the chance that the child will eat and try new foods.
Functions in POOW:
The Nutrition game – Let your child build different meals by combining different ingredients as they are learning about nutrition. Maybe your child’s creation in the game can become your meal for tonight?
Recipes – Browse between our +60 recipes created uniquely for families with children age 2-5. The recipes involve the whole family in the cooking process when you as a parent, through clear instructions, can get your child involved.
2. Make the Mealtime Fun
🎶 And kids, they wanna have fun, Oh kids just wanna have fun 🎶 To make the mealtime situation fun for your child is an effective way to increase the chances that your child will try new food and flavors. If your child connects food and having a meal with joy and happiness, you are on your way to improving your mealtime situation. The struggle when having a fussy eater is that the mealtime situation is often connected to stress and discomfort, both for you and your child.
Function in POOW:
Fun, joy, and happiness are the core of POOW. Through interactive games and functions, we bring joy to the dinner table of your family.
3. Introduce New Foods Gradually
If your fussy eater is hesitant to try new foods, don’t force them. Instead, take small steps together. This will make your food journey way more pleasant. You can, for example, combine foods that your child already likes with new foods. We recommend you keep the foods separated as the child is getting used to new flavors. Remember that introducing new foods only once will not make a difference, so keep trying and introduce the food and flavors many times.
Function in POOW:
The Eating Game – Through the eating game, you can decide how much of the meal your child can eat. We always recommend setting 100%, but based on your situation, you can take small steps. Start with 10% of the meal and work your way up to 100%.
4. Be a Good Role Model
You are your child’s biggest idol and role model. To lead by example by eating all kinds of food could, therefore, increase the chances that your child will do the same. Try to avoid making negative comments about foods that you don’t fancy. Instead, try to speak only positively about food.
Function in POOW:
The Eating Game – Be a role model during the mealtime by leading by example. Show your child how the eating game works. You as a parent could, for example, eat some food from the child’s plate and then erase it in the app (See video below). This will encourage your child to do the same.
5. Don't Use Food as a Reward or Punishment
You as a parent play an important role in how your child’s relationship with food looks like. By using rewards and punishments, an unhealthy relationship between your child and food can be created. Instead, focus on positive reinforcement for healthy behaviors and when the child is brave enough to try new flavors.
Function in POOW:
The core concept of POOW has its foundation in motivation, not rewarding. Through the “POOW-Method,” your fussy eater gets motivated to eat food and try new flavors. Rather than forcing themselves to eat because they want.
Don´t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about POOW and how you can get started with the app! // Team POOW
Don´t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about POOW and how you can get started with the app! // Team POOW
