A MUM has come under fire for feeding her “fussy” son through the bannister as it was the only way she could get him to eat his food.
Mother-of-five Laura explained that her son “didn’t like the look of the food in front of him”, so she had to take drastic measures.
While the mum-of-five has to come up with interesting ways to get her kids to eat, she admitted that things were different when she was a childCredit: tiktok/@laurla_saunders
Many TikTok critics insisted she was “allowing” for her son to be “in charge” of herCredit: tiktok/@laurla_saunders
Determined to fill his belly, Laura came up with a “fun” way to ensure he has his tea – by feeding the through the bannister while he was sitting on the stairs.
According to the Laura, who posts under the username @ laurla_saunders , her son “tried it and loved it”.
“He then returned to the table and ate the rest. I’d much rather that than my child go hungry,” she explained herself in the comments section under the video .
Laura also revealed that she follows a similar strategy to feed her daughter – who will have her food if Buzz Lightyear is eating too.
While the mum-of-five has to come up with interesting ways to get her kids to eat, she admitted that things were different when she was a child.
“Desperate times call for desperate matters [measures],” Laura continued to defend herself and her “imaginative” kids in the comments.
“My child has the best and I have no worries about the man he will grow up to become,” she said.
“We made it fun and he ate the food. Everyone went to bed happy and full,” the TikToker wrote.
However, the video, which has racked up over 200k views, has sparked a fierce debate in the comments, with many insisting she was “allowing” for her son to be “in charge” of her.
“I would absolutely not be facilitating this. You either eat where you’re told or you can go without,” wrote one viewer.
“He’ll come back when he’s genuinely hungry.”
“How about saying ‘NO’?” another agreed.
“Seems like parents don’t have authority these days and kids rule,” a third chimed in, as someone else thought Laura was setting herself ”up in so many ways”.
How to get kids to eat their full five-a-day
WHEN children turn their noses up at everything from broccoli to bananas, it can be difficult to know where to turn. Why not try...
- Including fruit and veg that are a range of colours – just like the rainbow – to get kids excited about eating them.
- Adding fruit to each meal, especially breakfasts, salads and desserts.
- Making fruit as fun as possible for the family. That way kids can understand more about the textures and flavours of fruit. Have a go at mashing up berries and using them for fruit art where you can draw your favourite fruit.
But if these tips don’t work, Ciara Attwell, food writer and founder of My Fussy Eater , says you may have to resort to hiding vegetables from children if they point blank refuse to eat them.
She has several recipes to choose from, including:
- Baked meatballs – filled with sweet potato cut into chunks, chopped tomatoes, bay leaf and carrots – but the kids will never notice.
- Macaroni cauliflower cheese – this one contains hidden vegetables as an added healthy bonus.
- Shepherd’s pie – this classic dish is filled with veg including chopped tomatoes, cauliflower, and courgette.
- Beany enchiladas – vegetarian enchiladas are filled with peppers and they take just a few minutes to make.
- Sweet pepper frittata – peppers give a sweet crunch to this healthy dish.
But while many branded the extreme measures “absurd”, plenty of social media users hit back at the critics, saying that at least “he’s eating his dinner”.
“Hey the important thing is he ate and that is the only thing that matters,” said one TikToker.
“Honestly, at some point you’ve got to pick your battles lol. if this is a one time thing, I would just go along as well,” someone else agreed.
“He ate his food so I don’t see the problem how he ate it, a win’s a win,” another shared their opinion.
Parents are not to blame
Is your kid picky when it comes to food? According to experts, parents are not to blame if their children are fussy eaters.
Research suggests being picky about food is mostly genetic.
The bad news is that it means it can last well into their teenage years.
A study of 2,400 pairs of twins found it is significantly more likely for both siblings to be fussy if they are identical than if they are not.
It shows their DNA plays a key role as non-identical pairs can be brought up the same way but eat differently.
Scientists at University College London said their findings might “alleviate blame”.
But they added of having a choosy tot by having family mealtimes and introducing infants to a wide range of foods.
Lead author Dr Zeynep Nas said: “ fussiness is common among children and can be a major source of anxiety for parents.
“Parents often blame themselves or are blamed by others.
“We hope our finding may help to alleviate that blame.
“This behaviour is not a result of .
“Our study also shows that fussy eating is not necessarily just a ‘phase’, but may follow a persistent trajectory.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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