We adopt more of what we see than what we hear and the same goes for the kids. Children observe the behaviour of their parents and people around them and their eating habits too are likely to reflect their parents’ habits. And since parents have the highest amount of influence on their children, it’s important to set a good example.
When children start eating a variety of food items and develop taste, the eating pattern goes through rapid evolution and food they eat play a central role in building the dietary habits and preferences. Parents influence the child when it comes to building their taste and eating habits by making the right food available for them. But if the same Indian parent makes mac and cheese too for her child, he/she is bound to develop the taste for it as well.
Raising a child with only healthy food habits can be a daunting task and it need not always be that the child would agree to consume only healthy meals. What is important is that the parent needs to expose their child to a wider variety of food items from an early age. But kids are bound to reject food items that are new to them and it may take some time before they develop a liking for it. Serving the appropriate quantity as per the age is very crucial. As the child grows, the size of the portion served needs to grow as well.
Children learn about food through direct experience of what is served to them and also from the eating behaviour of people around them. Parents’ feeding approach depends and varies as per their individual child’s growth goals and their culture. We also know that these cultural, social, and physiological factors form a base to identify the ideal weight for their child. Parents’ intervention is needed to improve the offering of healthy foods, avoid restrictive and coercive feeding practices, and also serve as a role model for healthy eating habits.
Experts state that 60% of a child’s growth and bone development is achieved by the age of 6, making it the most crucial growth phase for a child. We see a positive shift in their mental and physical health. Right nutrition at this time is the key to the right development.
But we also know that not all children are ready to eat food that is served to them and some have a very low diet as related to their age. This puts a parent in a dilemma. How to fix this problem since food is the core of growth and development in a child and needed to keep the energy levels high. And this is when food supplements come into the picture. A healthy and nutrient-rich PediaSure has been the answer to my problem.
The new PediaSure with growth nutrients with Arginine and Vitamin K2 is what a child needs to boost their bones to grow stronger. Arginine is found in protein-rich food items and it stimulates the growth rate in a child. Vitamin K2 which is present in dairy and meat items improves bone health, by activating osteocalcin, a protein that helps calcium reach bones- making them strong and healthy.
While we are building our child’s eating habits, we should not forget that as the child grows, more and more nutritional intake is required. This is to meet their energy levels and not all the needs can be fulfilled by food, and there can be nutritional gaps at times. What steps do you take as a parent to make sure your eating habits have a positive influence on your kids?
24 replies on “Parental influence on eating habits and growth”
This is true that parents have a lot of influence when it comes to eating habits of their kids. And if we want our kids to eat healthy food we should also eat the same food in front of them. I follow this too.
It is in our hands to develop good eating habits in our kids. As you said, kids are not always in the mood to eat what we serve them so we have to make sure that they get proper nutrients through variety and if needed though supplements.
Sadly nowadays many kids are picky eater and despite parental efforts they did not cooperate well to try new foods. in that case using a nutritional supplement is a great idea. pediasure is a good brand, I had used it when my girls were young and had a good experience with it.
absolutely, they do what they see. Eating healthy food is so crucial for kids and the habits comes from home. We too love our daily dose of pediasure
Very true that parenting eating habits create lot of impact on child eating habits yet few kids are picky fruit eaters but parents love it. And with Pediasure that gap can be filled very easily.
Oh yes parents eating habits do influence kids eating habits. But this is also true that as they grow they do develop taste for variety of food and it’s our responsibility to introduce food which are healthier and tastier.
You are so right. It is the ultimate responsibility of parents to ensure their children receive adequate nutrition. Thanks for sharing.
My daughter eats what we eat. So us eating healthy helps us make her eating habits healthy .A well balanced diet keeps her energetic and healthy .
This is simply fab, I make sure my boys have a balance meals and definitely parents have great role in shaping up their dietary habits
thats absolutely true .. kids follow what we do same in eating habits.. thats y i make sure i develop good eating habits in her ..
My Daughter loves pediasure in breakfast with cereal.. and i love the way it contains all the required nutrients and tastes good too..
Parental influence is much on kids on behavior both in terms of social and food habits. I make sure in being a good role model today kids. Pediasure is a favorite at home for kids
I am currently dealing with a picky eater and this has come at a perfect time. Just a question, how do we give this powder if baby doesn’t have milk
Try adding it to cookie mix or pancake mix. Will get the flavor n the benefits of PediaSure too.
I couldn’t agree more with this, kids observe and learn from their parents. It is important for grownups to eat healthy in order to teach kids about healthy eating habits.
This post resonates with me. True, parents influence their child’s eating habits. We had a rule, ‘Everything that is cooked at home has to be eaten and everything that is in the plate has to be finished’ This made such a huge difference in our son’s life. He eats everything and isnt fussy unlike so many kids around us.
I have also told many of my friends the same thing. They don’t want to eat fruits but they will complain if their kids don’t eat fruits. This blog has to go places so parents can understand how important it is to live as a good example.
As parents we are the first role models for our kids so it is very important to set a good example for them. And a nutritious support system like pediasure surely helps in providing that extra value to our kids when they get choosy and picky with their food.
That’s so true. We are what we eat and who better to inculcate good eating habits in our kids
Parents, indeed have a great influence on the eating habits of their children. Still remember refusing to eat ladies’ fingers as my dad did not like it and never ate it. Inculcating healthy eating habits is neccessary, and right balanced food with all required nutrients is the best. Sandy N Vyjay
Kids do learn a lot from parents and it is important that parents set right examples. And this also includes eating habits. So it is crucial to set those healthy eating habits.
Much of parental influence is reflected on kids social and food habits. As parents we should be a good role model. Pediasure is liked by kids
It is really important to create a proper eating habit and follow the same. Loved to read your post and the way you explained the post.
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