Helping children grow and develop healthily is a wonderful task that parents are privileged to enjoy, but feeding babies and toddlers healthy food in the right way is a huge challenge. In China, young parents, especially the older generation in the family, generally lack knowledge about infant and toddler feeding and overfeeding is very common. As long as a child refuses to eat properly, parents will be anxious about this, fearing that the child will be malnourished. If the child is willing to open his mouth to feed anything, they take the opportunity to “stuffing”, believe that as long as more food, the child will be able to grow up healthy. But parents never expected that this way of feeding infants and toddlers on the one hand, leading to a significant increase in the incidence of childhood obesity, on the other hand, there are now many children’s indigestion, loss of appetite, picky eaters is caused by their desperate “stuffing” type of feeding. Parents should follow the laws of their children’s growth and development and let their children learn to control how much food they want to eat. In order to build healthy eating habits for children, parents should do the following: 1. Respect children’s food preferences and use the “Rule of 15” to overcome children’s caution When children are introduced to solid foods (usually after 5 to 6 months of age), pay attention to what kind of foods they like. Because little babies have preferences too! When a child tries a food for the first time, give her a small bite to give her time to relish it, and parents can observe the child’s reaction to the food. Don’t be too quick to give her a second bite. If the child quickly opens her mouth again, it means the food interests her; if she has a confused look, frowns, or spits the food out it means she is not interested in it – try again in 1 to 2 weeks. Some studies show that offering up to 15 times is the only way to get your child to accept and enjoy a food. 2. Respect your child’s independence at the table and accept that a fussy eater is not harmed by being hungry. Most parents find that their child’s appetite decreases dramatically after their first birthday, they start to pick at their food and turn their head after just a few bites, or they resist going to the table at mealtimes. This is because toddlers become more independent and their growth rate begins to slow down. They need about 1,000 calories a day to meet their growth, energy and good nutritional needs. 1,000 calorie meals are not a lot of food, but just enough for a child to have three small meals and two snacks a day. But young children’s eating habits are always difficult for parents to figure out, varying from day to day, eating everything at breakfast but nothing at lunch and dinner; or eating only their favorite foods for several days in a row and then never again; or having a significantly higher or significantly lower meal intake on a given day. So don’t expect your child to always eat in one way. A young child’s food needs depend on his/her activity level, growth rate and metabolic level. Some studies have shown that infants and toddlers regulate their nutritional intake on their own over a period of time. So, instead of simply complaining that your child didn’t finish his/her Chinese food or dinner, parents will most likely be surprised to find out that your child is not hungry or lacking in nutrients when you think back to his/her overall performance for the day or week. Never force your child to eat, and never force your child to empty his or her plate; if he or she is full, let him or her stop eating. When a child’s appetite is overwhelmed and subdued by outside forces, she instinctively associates physical signals with the pressure to eat. 3. Establish a regular meal schedule and create a relaxed eating atmosphere Snacks are as important as regular meals in meeting the growth needs of young children. Establish a regular meal schedule that includes breakfast, breakfast, lunch, lunch, dinner, and late lunch so that children know that food will be available every 2-3 hours throughout the day to ensure they do not go hungry. Avoid giving out food between regular 2 meals. If a child does not eat one meal, he/she will have to wait a few hours for the next meal. Don’t watch TV or argue during meals. Forget about conflicts with your child about meals. Avoid distractions during meals. Turn off the TV at mealtime and do not allow books or toys to be taken with you. Letting your child eat on his or her own can help boost his or her excitement and appetite. Parents should prepare foods that babies can eat with their hands, such as fruits, vegetables, bread buns, etc. Never use desserts for coaxing and luring, or withhold them as punishment. Do not use food as a form of comfort, e.g., using cookies to comfort a child who has fallen. This may cause the child to use food as a comforting object and to comfort himself with food in case he encounters something unpleasant. If your child doesn’t like or doesn’t eat the food you prepare, don’t force it. Even if they want to eat again later, do not rush to reheat the meal. If your child doesn’t eat this meal, there will be another one in a few hours, so let them wait until then. When children feel hungry because they didn’t eat the last meal, the next meal will be ready to eat. Intentionally let your child experience hunger or hunger crises. Children tend to eat when they feel and are hungry. If you are not hungry, do not force additional meals or give snacks. 5. Provide good imitation behavior Remember that children often do not do what we ask, but are happy to imitate our behavior. They are influenced by their parents’ eating behaviors and habits. Therefore, parents should first correct their own eating behavior, do not always take drinks and snacks from the refrigerator before or after meals, and do not always be overly anxious about weight issues, always yelling to lose weight. As children grow older, parents will gradually discover the joy of eating with their children. Nevertheless, don’t let eating or cooking be the only center of family life; going for walks, swimming and outings is far more important than education at the dinner table. Teach your children that eating is part of life, not all of it!