Every one needs to eat to satisfy his/her hunger.Hence , one should not attempt to force the child to eat a particular food at a particular time.
A toddler who is playing would not like to stop that pleasurable activity and start eating.Especially if he is not hungry.A young infant would like to put his hands into the plate to explore and satisfy his natural curiosity.This should be encouraged.If he is able to take hold of a morsel and put it in his mouth, it is an achievement for him that he will relish.The child should be offered variety of foodstuffs and one should remember to serve him foodstuffs that he likes.
The caregivers should not run after a child to coax him eat.If the parents do this, the child learns to say 'no' so that he can play fora longer time.One should not be too obsessive about the quantity and the frequency of feeding of the child as long as the child is otherwise healthy and well.
