Feeding a child is similar to taking the proverbial horse to the stream but lacking the ability to make it drink water.
As adults, we know how much they need the food regardless of their response and tantrums which stems from ignorance and immaturity.
It becomes the duty of the parent or caregiver to find out ways to encourage the child to take the food.
I have once seen a picture of a father who had to put the already expressed milk under his shirt and pretend it was coming from a breast just because the child was refusing to feed from a bottle and interestingly, the child agreed to take the same food he had been rejecting not knowing the difference.
I had a similar experience while babysitting my nephew. The young boy would not want to eat or would prefer to run around while eating.
I realised that if I gave him food, he rejects it but when I am eating my own food, he comes around to eat it.
So this became my strategy; I would put his food in my plate and pretend to be eating it. Then he would come around to eat my food not knowing it is actually his own food.
By so doing, I would feed him and he would eat more than he usually eats.
This strategy is one I loved so much because I don't need to stress any longer or chase him around the house before he gets to eat his food.
I also noticed that when he comes to eat my food and I deny him meat, he begins to cry until I give it to him. Now, my nephew doesn't eat the meat in his own food, only mine.
So my second strategy involved pretending to deny him meat and then he cries for it and I give it to him.
He is happy,I am happy.
The product of this is a healthy growing child with good appetite. He doesn't need all these drama now as his understanding keeps increasing.
They were just strategies that helped a few years ago whenever he was left in my care.
