"My child doesn't eat properly"..."He makes such a fuss about meals." Well, it's natural for parents to be worried if they feel that their child may not be getting enough nutrition. But there are other aspects to the situation too. Sometimes, it takes a very few simple measures to find a solution.

• Examine the reality. Is your child really a fussy eater or are you about his eating fussy? The body of a human being does not naturally allow itself to starve. Perhaps your child is eating sufficiently for his needs but you may have a different idea of what is sufficient. So examine the reality. Take a doctor's opinion if need be. Is your child underweight or suffering

from malnutrition in any other way? If not, then you are probably worrying needlessly.

• Establish a routine. Let proper meals be the rule in your house. Don't encourage calorie-filled snacks between meals. Make sure the meals are both tasty and nutritious, but don't unnecessarily press your child to eat and eat.

• Find the reason behind the fuss about food. Maybe he is just not hungry. Maybe you have given him too big a portion. Perhaps it is not the food your child is objecting to but the way it is prepared. So try cooking different

variations. If he doesn't like daal, try lentil soup, or try baked vegetables instead of normal sabzi. Serve small portions which he can manage

easily.

• Involve your child in menu planning. Ask him what he likes. Tell him to decide which sabzi should be cooked or which raita should be made. When the food is what he has taken a decision on, he will eat it more enthusiastically.

• Interest your child in the food. Present it in intriguing ways. Change the shape of the roti, colour the rice differently, make round sandwiches. Instead of regular plate, try a thali with built-in katoris.

• Sometimes children fuss about food in order to gain attention. So don't make a habit of running behind the child with the plate. If he does not want to eat, let him be. Missing a meal or two will not hurt him. If he does get hungry, guide his appetite towards proper meal times. Give him something nutritious like carrot sticks and make him wait till the next meal time.

If there is no medical reason behind your child's fussiness about food, then chances are that you have allowed wrong habits to develop. The sooner you inculcate healthy food habits the better it will be for your child in the long run.