How to Get a Child to Eat Meat
Meat is a good source of protein, and can provide your child with vitamins and minerals essential for healthy growth and development. However, not all children like meat, and some may be fussy about what kind of meat they eat. If your child is turning her nose up at meat, the last thing you should do is panic. Gently encourage her to accept it as part of her diet. The most important thing is making sure she is getting all the nutrition she needs from the foods she does eat.
Instructions
Experiment with different types of meat. Your child may dislike red meat, but enjoy chicken or turkey. Cut meat into small pieces to make it easier for your child to chew and swallow. Diced meat will look a lot more palatable to a child than large chunks. Give your child a meal containing meat when she is well rested, content and hungry, advise Maya W. Paul and Lawrence Robinson in the article, "Nutrition for Children and Teens," on the Help Guide website. Limit snacks to two per day so she is ready for her main meals. Don't let her fill up on liquids (particularly milk), which could make her reluctant to eat solid foods. Encourage your child to eat meat, but don't insist if she's not keen. Be aware that it can take parents up to 10 attempts before a child accepts a new food, say Paul and Robinson. If she doesn't eat her meat, wait a few days, then try again. Patience is key. Don't give her meat on the same plate as another new food or a food she hasn't yet accepted. Dish it up with something you know she enjoys, and she is more likely to accept it. Make eating meat fun by creating a funny face on your chid's plate. Use potatoes for eyes, carrots for hair and peas for a nose. Fashion a smile out of diced pieces of meat. Your child will enjoy eating the "face." Eat the same food as your child as much as possible. Kids love to imitate their parents. Show your child how you cut up your own meat and make appreciative noises as you eat it. Never force your child to eat meat if he doesn't want to. He may not like the taste or the texture. Offer him meat occasionally, but don't push him if he hasn't changed his mind. According to Paul and Robinson, toddlers and young children should eat two servings of protein a day, while school-age children should eat two to three 2- to 3-ounce servings of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish per day. However, a wide range of foods besides meat provide protein, such as eggs, beans, lentils and peanut butter. If your child eats dairy foods, he'll get plenty of protein as well as vitamin B12, says Heidi Murkoff, author of the best-selling pregnancy book, "What to Expect When You're Expecting."
