Building up healthy eating habits for kids is easier said than done.
Aside from teaching the little ones how to love vegetables, parents also have to teach them to finish eating their meals.
For celebrity mom Marian Rivera, she and her daughter Zia Dantes have a simple way of making that happen through a reward system.
“Hindi ako yung tipong nanay na very strict,” Marian told the press during the recently-held Mega Prime Mom Club event. “Kapag nakapag-ubos ng pagkain, may reward siya sa akin.
“‘Ano ang gusto mo anak?’
“‘I want juice, I want candy.’
“Yes, definitely ibibigay ko yun, pero kailangan tapusin mo muna pagkain mo.”
And so far, that kind of system has been working for Marian and Zia.
“Hindi naman ako nagkamali.
“Yung anak ko medyo skinny, pero kapag binuhat mo mas mabigat pa yata sa akin.”
In addition to the mother-daughter tandem's reward system, Marian also makes the extra effort of offering different food options to her daughter.
This way, the celebrity mom makes sure her toddler eats exactly the kind of food she wants.
“Minsan pinapamili ko siya.
“Minsan naman kasi ayaw niya naman, baka pinipilit ko.
“So, [ang] ginagawa ko, binibigyan ko siya ng options.
“Siya ang mamimili kasi minsan ang bata puwede naman 'yan lambingin, e.
“Kapag binigay mo isa lang, ['tapos sabihin niya] 'Ayoko.' Walang choice.
“Pero kapag binigay mo, ‘O, may broccoli ka. May cauliflower ka. O, meron kang cereals. Anong gusto mo sa tatlo?’
“So, pinapakain mo pa rin, pero naikot mo do’n ayon sa nutrisyon na gusto mo ibigay sa kanya.
“So, ayon, bigyan mo ng option.
“Saka huwag susuko.
“Ako kasi, mahilig ako magluto, kaya lahat gagawin ko para maging healthy anak ko.”