Is my child eating right?

What do women discuss when they congregate? One of the subjects surely is the eating habit of their children. Not only mothers are disturbed about their children’s eating behaviour but also fuss around it. The fact remains that no child stays hungry. But, we have to ensure that the children are eating well, after all growing kids need more nutrition. Dr Rajeev Chabbra, consultant Pediatric and Neonatal Intensivist at Artemis, Gurgaon says, “Roughly children’s meals should be divided as: morning breakfast, mid day snacks, lunch, afternoon snacks, dinner and post dinner feed.”

“Offer your children milk, as soon as they wake up and before they retire to bed,” advises he. As it has been proven in the studies that if a child is given milk before sleeping they have sound and peaceful sleep. Breakfast of cereals is good as it contains complex carbohydrates which provide slow release of energy to sustain longer, the other options being poha, paranthas, sandwich,idli etc.

• Mid day snack portion may contain fresh fruits, handful of dry fruits


• Lunch should have a portion of vegetables, bowl of pulses/legumes, chapati/rice along with salad so as to fulfill the requirement of carbs/proteins/fats and fibres.


• Afternoon snack may include a glass of juice or some snacks which may be puffed rice/bhel puri/sweet potato/sweet corn/steamed peas,etc.


• Dinner should be the same as that of lunch and one should change the dal as different dals contain different proteins. If you are child eats non-vegetarian, give him/ her chicken and fish.


• To increase protein intake especially in growing kids, 5 eggs per week is recommended or for vegetarians cheese slices/cubes should be consumed.

Picky eaters

“Children who are fussy eaters are most of the time otherwise normal and it is always a behavioral problem. Stop fussing over their eating pattern,” Dr Neelam Mohan, consultant incharge Pediatric Gastroenterology at Ganga Ram.

Try to make mealtime a joy time for the family and as far possible sit together and eat same type of food.

Avoid offering food alternatives to the child. You should be firm but polite in your rules. Once a while junk food should be allowed but not regularly. Try to eat everything yourself as your child is watching you and will follow your eating behaviour.

Do not eat in front of the TV. If the child refuses to eat don’t shout or scream, just remove the food from there and do not offer any other alternative.

What should I buy?

The market is flooded with various milk food drinks for children. Each brand promises much more than the other, which leaves the consumers (in this case harried mothers) very confused. “Despite the tall claims made by each manufacturer, a closer look at the ingredients in these drinks shows they are more or less similar for all. They all contain milk solids, malt extracts, a sugar source (liquid glucose, dextrin, etc), flavouring, and are fortified with vitamins and minerals. Almost all the drinks are fortified with the B- Complex vitamins - thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and B12. The common property of B- vitamins is that they are essential for the metabolism and proper utilisation of energy, carbohydrates, proteins, and fat,” says Dr. Mohan.

Sail through the school interviews

These days there's a lot of hype surrounding the school admissions process. Entering into the school life is one of the many exciting milestones of childhood. However, it can also be a stressful time for both children and parents. When it comes to getting children admitted to formal schools, most parents take it very seriously. No wonder, you feel anxious about how you and your child will perform in the interview.

Admission at nursery level is generally based on an oral test of the child and interview or the parents. The main objective of the oral test is to observe the child to see what all qualities the child has; whether the child is active and really interested in studies: whether the child has got the capabilities to understand what the other person says and if so, how much receptive the child is, etc.

Known and unknown syllabus

• Identification of alphabets, colours, etc.


• Identification of birds and animals, vegetables, fruits


• Identification of common objects like household articles such as table, chair, pen, pencil, car etc.


• Recitation of one or two nursery rhymes


• Finding out missing alphabets and numbers: a, b, _, d, e, _ and 1, 2, 3, _, 5,6,7, _, 9, _, 11.


• What is your name?


• Name the days of the week, etc.

Preparing for the day

Get tension free

Your child will be judged according to her speech, perception of the world, and basic skills of reading and writing. So, do not take tension. Talk to your child enthusiastically about the big school, her admission and positive aspects in an interesting and friendly manner. Your worries will travel to her. Remember it is the first and not the last interview. So don’t punish her and always try to encourage with positive motivation.

Licensed to think

Preparation for the school interview is not an overnight activity. Interview or no interview; let your child express herself freely. Children shy away from neighbours, guests and relatives. This tendency should be curbed. The child must be able to express her thoughts and knowledge well, of course without being overconfident. This will ultimately help her to create a good impression in the 15 to 20 minute short interview.

More interactions

Make your child alert to the environment around her. Give satisfactory answers to her questions. Habits like greeting visitors, shaking hands with new acquaintances, saying hello to neighbors, wishing a New Year to a loved one, will help the child to not only do well in the interview. But these will be lifetime gifts.

Be neat and clean

Teach cleanliness as a matter of principle. Be strict with the child when it comes to maintenance of hygiene. Teach the child to clean hands before and after every meal. Do not allow her to fancy long nails. Stop him from spitting in public places.

Handle with care

Teach the child to take care of her belongings and manners. She should know the importance of discipline and punctuality in her life.

Before you hit the school

• Listen for any expressions of anxiety.
• Talk with your toddler about their feelings.
• Brainstorm with them to find things she can do to feel better.
• Make sure she is getting enough sleep.
• Make sure you are not over scheduling her.

Inputs Dr. Arti Anand, consultant clinical psychologist, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi.