Recently while I did nutrition counselling of mothers of preschoolers all the mothers unanimously admitted their child being a picky eater.Some children do not like the taste of vegeatbles, some take not less than an hour to complete their food , some are fussy over eating only if they get their favourite chocolate or chips giving an idea that preschoolers are generally very fussy about eating food.

Preschoolers are children below the age of six. These years are important in child's life because they form a foundation for lifetime of good nutritional and lifestyle practices. As in everything parents and elders are the most important influence in child's life as a parent you can do a few things to ensure that your child develops good eating habits:

Make mealtime a pleasent experience: Do not make a big deal about your child's food choices. Making your child eat something that he doesn't like or forcing your child to stay at table till he eats his food will only lead to more food battles.

Try the one bite rule: It may be too much to expect your child to eat an entire serving of a particular food . The try one bite rule works for a lot of children . Many foods are acquired tastes and more the number of times he tries it the more likely he will like it.

Serve appropriate portion size: Parents are sometimes unrealistic about how much their child should be eating.Toddlers need about 1000 to 1300 calories a day on an average. Be realistic about how much the child is capable of eating and do not expect the child to eat consistently the same amount.

Serve a variety of foods and give your child choices:Look at what is being served to the child. See if the meals are monotonous. It is okay for the kid to eat their favourite food but try having several choices at mealtime for them.

Let you child help with shopping and cooking: Kids like to be involved in thefood decision . Involve your child in food preparation. If a child has helped in making a meal or snack he or she is more likely to eat it. The mothers can involve child in shelling peas etc.

Make meals fun for the kids: Try cutting up sandwiches in fun shapes or making the foods look more appealing to your child . Be creative by offering a lot of variety in terms of colour and texture.

Do not use food as bribe: Avoid offering some foods such as sweets or chocolates as rewards. Children get mixed messages when food is used as a reward or given for emotional comfort.

When to be concerned: Sometimes picky eating is caused by underlying health issue or may require an evaluation from a doctor .If your child is losing weight , has difficulty in chewing or swallowing the food , vomits after meals or completely refuses foods or liquid foods then your child may have a feeding disorder and you need to discuss it with your pediatrician.