Much like adults, all kids have their own likes and dislikes when it comes to food. Given the picky nature of many kiddos, it can be especially difficult to come up with good food options for children suffering from diarrhea, as the foods that are recommended for supporting diarrhea are often bland and boring. Luckily, there are some easy ways to make bland foods more fun for kids.
First, let’s quickly recap the best foods to give your kids when they have diarrhea. When your child has diarrhea, it’s best to avoid foods that are spicy, fatty or overly greasy and stick to foods that are simple and easy-to-digest. Some of the best options include bananas, unsweetened applesauce, soups, stews and unsweetened coconut water. Avoid foods and drinks that are high in fructose, especially fruit juice and other processed options that have added sugar.
Without further ado, here are five fun ways to liven up bland foods and nourish your little one when they have diarrhea.
Let Them Mash
Kids are constantly learning new skills and love to do things themselves. So why not let them have some fun and take the mashing into their own hands? Let them go nuts with a masher and a banana or two. Or peel and steam apples and let them mash their own applesauce. If you don’t have a masher, a fork works just fine on softer fruits like bananas and steamed apples.
Use Colorful Plates and Bowls
Invest in fun and colorful plates, bowls and silverware to keep on hand for challenging occasions, like when your kids are sick. Consider dishware with characters from your child’s favorite movie or TV show or spoons in your child’s favorite color. Who doesn’t like finishing their soup to find their favorite cartoon character at the bottom of the bowl? Using fun dishware can make an otherwise challenging situation seem like a special occasion.
Get Creative with Soups
While soup is often considered a more boring food, encouraging your kids to use their creativity and allowing them to help make the soup can get them excited about eating it. Let them know that their mission is to create the craziest soup possible, using any veggies they see in the fridge. The brighter the color, the better! Add a broth base, a little salt and let them help to cut and blend, according to what’s appropriate for their age. Then, give the soup a funny name like “green goblin soup” if you use spinach, for example. Get creative!
Make Shapes and Designs
Whether it’s a slice of bread served with soup, or a banana for an afternoon snack, have fun cutting otherwise boring food into shapes or arranging it in fun designs on the plate. Arrange fruit into a funny face, using banana for the eyes and blueberries for the mouth. Or cut toast into stars and geometric shapes and let your kiddo dunk them into some warm broth.
Allow For Some Fun
We all have fond memories of the fun part of staying home sick, and it’s likely they have to do with being allowed to do things we weren’t normally allowed to do! Let your kids drink soup from the bowl without a spoon, or drink it out of a cup using a straw. Suggest they dip their banana in honey, and tell them that just for today, it’s ok to curl up in bed while they eat.
Being sick with diarrhea is a drag, so try to find ways to infuse some fun into sick days and put a smile on your kiddo’s face. An easy place to start is livening up the otherwise bland and boring food that’s best for sick kids. You can also keep DiaResQ for kids on hand to help quickly and safely relieve your child’s diarrhea. Made of naturally derived ingredients, DiaResQ is safe for children as young as 1YR of age.