How to get your kids to eat veggies
Jenni Johnson, our resident ‘Baby Whisperer’, has been a practicing child-care practitioner for 15 years, and owns a busy ante and post natal clinic in Durban…
Communication is the key to a smooth running household. Many of you work full time and rely on your nanny or parents to look after your children. So don’t let situations build up and get out of control. Chat daily to iron out issues and invite your carers to communicate with you as well.
During a pregnancy, a foetus begins listening and responding to sounds at about 16 weeks of age. Voices reach the developing baby with the mothers’ voice being the most influential as it is heard not only from outside the womb but sound vibrations are carried through the body as well. The foetus reacts to pitch, tone and speech rhythms
I advise against saying “If you don’t eat your vegetables, you can’t have pudding” because you are teaching your child that he has to eat something supposedly nasty to get something that is supposedly nice. This does not encourage your children to love eating vegetables. It also makes them attach happiness to unhealthy foods. Offer pudding only occasionally.
* Catch Jenni on-air every day just after 10am with her tip of the day.
At Jenni’s ante and post natal clinic in Durban, parents are taught a system that gives them structure and routine to the baby and childhood years. Jenni has a nursing background. She’s a registered nurse, midwife, psychiatric nurse and private nurse practitioner.
Jenni’s online clinic, can be accessed online via www.jennisays.com. For appointments, e-mail [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter via @JenniSays or on Facebook by 'liking' The Berea Baby Clinic.