Blog from Cheshire Franchise
Mince pies, roast potatoes, foil-wrapped chocolates, Irish cream, cheese boards, and shortbread biscuits are all synonymous with Christmas, but for children, their focus is on Santa and whether he’s going to update their toy collection on December 25th.
Young kids won’t be familiar with some foods we associate with the festive season, even if they are used to tucking into it every winter. And others who are fussy eaters struggle with the selection of different foods at this time of the year, particularly if there is pressure to eat them.
Here are some tips on how you can take the pressure off children this Christmas, and hopefully this will get them to look forward to festive foods as the years go on.
Prepare them in advance
To you and me, a roast dinner with all the trimmings is usual on Christmas Day, but this meal may take them by surprise if they are too young to remember previous years’ meals.
So start talking about Christmas foods in the lead-up to the Big Day, including what sides you might serve, what you’ll have for pudding and when, and what they can expect for breakfast.
You can take them to the shops or simply flick through supermarket magazines to look at the different options.
A good idea is to make an activity out of it, letting them choose some foods and cut them out to make a collage of things they would like to eat over Christmas. This gives them a sense of control over these unfamiliar dishes, and lets them feel they can have things they enjoy as well as trying some new flavours.
Other food-related crafts you could try include potato printing on to wrapping paper or making reindeer food out of oats and seeds, as this will boost their confidence around handling food.
Family dining
Although you might be worried about how your little one will react to a table full of different foods on Christmas Day, the good thing about the season is there are lots of opportunities to sit down and eat as a family.
According to The Baby and Child Nutritionist Charlotte Stirling Reed, it is important to learn about commensality (eating together with friends or family) and conviviality (the social aspect of enjoying food) at a young age, and Christmas is the perfect time to do this. They can see meals as festivities and how food can bring people together.
They also learn by role-modelling, so let them see how you, your partner, their grandparents and other relatives enjoy a balanced diet and take pleasure in eating, and they may mimic the behaviour.
Give them choice
Some parents don’t want to face a food battle on Christmas Day and give their children a choice over what they eat on December 25th, and that’s absolutely fine. Whatever makes your Christmas easier and more enjoyable!
But if you do want to enjoy a traditional roast dinner, you can still give them choices when it comes to their meal. For instance, instead of cooking a separate dinner, offer the same foods as everyone else, but let them serve themselves.
This encourages their independence and autonomy, and with these they are more likely to try new flavours.
Avoid having battles around food on Christmas Day, and accept they might not be hitting their five-a-day but you’ll have a stress-free lunch and build their confidence around choosing and eating Christmas foods.
Some ways to help them feel confident around unfamiliar ingredients, whether they are honey-roasted parsnips or brussel sprouts, is to only have a few options to avoid them becoming overwhelmed.
Something else that works well over the festive period is a buffet, as this allows children to eat what they want without any pressure. This makes them feel more relaxed and gets them to enjoy eating socially, as well as giving them the freedom to try different flavours and textures without worrying about having eyes on them.
Don’t expect too much
Although we might like to enjoy a leisurely Christmas dinner, don’t expect your children to sit down for hours, as they’ll get bored. Once they have finished their food, let them open their crackers, tell jokes, do an activity book, colour in or go and watch TV.
Don’t forget to involve them in conversations by asking them about things they like or play games, such as naming things using the alphabet.
A good idea is to stick to their usual dinner time routine, which can be difficult if visiting family or friends. For instance, if they have a meal at their usual time before going to a family party, you know they’ve had something nutritious that they will eat, so you don’t have to worry about what will be on offer at the gathering.
For a traditional Christmas dinner, you might want to ask for the food to be served at their usual mealtime or bring something pre-prepared so they can have something to eat when they normally expect it.
Offer a variety of food
Yes, they’ll probably be chowing down on a chocolate from their Advent Calendar throughout December, and yes, it’ll be hard to peel those bags of sweets away from them that they seem to get at every club or party over the season. But you can still make sure their diet is well-balanced by offering plenty of healthier options too.
For instance, cheese and crackers, nuts and dates, so encourage them to try these Christmas favourites as well.
Get them involved
The easiest and probably most effective way to encourage fussy eaters to feel more relaxed about the festive snacks and Christmas roast is by getting them involved.
You could start simple by asking them to help prepare the table, put out the crackers or choose where people sit. Or, they could help you make some of the accompaniments like gravy and bread sauce.
They could even assist you in the preparation of other snacks and meals, from making Christmas biscuits to cooking the stuffing with you; from making cranberry sauce from scratch to baking the cake.
Older kids could even help with chopping and peeling and make something on their own that they know they will like, such as Yorkshire puddings.
Cooking is the best way to get children interested, more familiar, more confident and more adventurous around food. Encourage them to try new flavours but don’t be discouraged if they don’t and don’t tell them off if they nibble during the cooking process. They should feel safe and comfortable around new foods.
And when something they have made is served on the table in front of everyone, it will boost their confidence and sense of pride, making it more likely they will give it a try themselves.
If you want to encourage your fussy eater to become more adventurous in the kitchen by attending children’s cookery classes in your area, get in touch with us today for more information.