Keep Foods Simple for Your Child

As complex as human development and physiology are, your young children are actually rather simple creatures. They need love, attention, directed stimulation, food, and sleep. They like their books filled with pictures and popouts, their television programs bright and filled with songs, and their food bland and easy to eat.

Your children will rapidly become more sophisticated in their literature, music, and food tastes, but don't push them. Children resist trying new foods that are too spicy or ones they can't identify. Avoid mixed dishes such as casseroles and instead stick to plain dishes that are easily identifiable, such as macaroni. Advance your child to macaroni and cheese, then add some pepper. Don't be afraid to push the envelope, just don't push your kid over the edge.

More on: Healthy Meals for Families

Excerpted from:

From Raising Healthy Eaters: 100 Tips for Parents by Henry Legere, M.D. Copyright © 2004. Used by arrangement with The Perseus Books Group.

To order this book visit perseusbooksgroup.com.