8 Tip's To Help Your Picky Eater
It's Just A Phase
Picky eating is a common phase in children . When this phase pops up it can be hard to deal with however not impossible. Here are some tip's to help your child try more things while also reducing the stress of having a picky eater.
1.) Respect your child's appetite — or lack of one.
If your child isn't hungry, don't force a meal or snack. Forcing foods or snacks can lead to not only a unhealthy relationship with food but also cause a trauma surrounding that food and could later cause a eating disorder.
2.) Stick to the routine.
Serve meals and snacks at about the same times every day. You can offer choice's or ask in advance if there is something they would like. Sometimes something as simple as choosing what they want can help a toddler or child eat a meal they might not of before.
3.) Be patient with new food
Young children often touch or smell new foods, and might even put tiny bits in their mouths and then take them back out again. Your child might need repeated exposure to a new food before he or she takes the first bite.
Encourage your child by talking about a food's color, shape,and rather it tastes good or not.
Children need to be offered a new food as many as 10-15 times before they will eat it. Track your child's food sensitivities and keep them in mind when preparing meals.
4.) Offer options but don't become a short-order cook.
Making you child a separate meal after they reject the original meal might promote picky eating. Instead encourage your child to stay at the table for the designated mealtime — even if he or she doesn't eat. However one thing that helped my kids a lot with their picky eating was allowing them to pick 1 dinner meal a week or month but the catch was it had to include a vegetable. My daughter chose mac and cheese and steamed broccoli the first time and my son picked spaghetti and meatballs with green beans and garlic bread.
5.) Make it fun
One of my favorite way's to do this is through books and companion crafts on the weekends! Hit up your local library and grab if you give a mouse a cookie and make cookies with it! Then go from there. Maybe make a disney recipe like a dole whip or peter rabbit and make a fun little garden. You can grab more ideas from my pinterest board here.
Another suggestion is to Serve broccoli and other veggies with a favorite dip or sauce. Cut foods into various shapes with cookie cutters. Offer breakfast foods for dinner. Serve a variety of brightly colored foods and if you child see's a weird or new fruit in the store encourage buying and trying it together!
6.) Get Your Child In The Kitchen & Helping
At the grocery store, ask your child to help you select fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. Look at recipes together and find things to make with one another. At home, encourage your child to help you rinse veggies, stir batter or set the table. Get a kids plastic knife set from the store or amazon and get them in the kitchen to help prepare meals. This teaches a life skill but also makes them feel needed and valued . Some children are more likely to eat if they played a part in making the food.
7.) Set A Good Example & Change The Food Mindset
If you eat a variety of healthy foods, your child is more likely to follow suit . The more they see you eating regularly the more likely they are to try it or want it. For me my daughter swore she hated avocados so she must hate guacamole. Now? I must hide and guard it with my life. Joking, but not at the same time because if I let her she would now eat the entire container.
The same helping them change their mindset around food helps so much.
Teach that they can not like something but that doesn't necessarily mean its "disgusting" just that its not for them.
8.) Minimize distractions
No eating in front of the t.v its time to turn off the television and other electronic gadgets during meals. This is important for parent's too. We have a no phone's at the table rule, the only exception being a emergency or work . This will help your child focus on eating and provide quality time for the family as a whole. Its been shown that children who have regular family dinners ,maintain a healthier body weight, lower the risk of disordered eating, less use of alcohol , drugs and cigarettes later in life and fewer behavior problems as well as less depression and better self esteem . healthier eating into adulthood. Keep in mind that television advertising might also encourage your child to desire sugary or less nutritious foods which is why it's important that electronics are off and dinner is a distraction free zone.
Picky eating is something we all go through and for some kids it's just a cry for some sort of autonomy. My kids picky eating use to be so frustrating because he would like something, I'd buy more then he'd say " I don't like that today , ill like that tomorrow" *Insert face palm here* It was incredibly frustrating however when I started offering options as well as letting him and his sister pick 1 meal a month which has turned into 1 meal a week a significant amount of their picky eating disappeared.
If after implementing these tips for a couple months you still find yourself concerned that picky eating is compromising your child's growth and development, consult your child's doctor. He or she can plot your child's growth on a growth chart. In addition, consider recording the types and amounts of food your child eats for three days to a week in a food diary . The big picture might help ease your worries. A food log can also help your child's doctor determine any problems. In short please remember that your child's eating habits won't likely change overnight — but the small steps you take each day can help promote a lifetime of healthy eating.
If you would like to learn more about child nutrition and cooking they are offering a FREE course from Stanford Online via Coursera.org which I completed in November of 2020 and highly recommend; you can find it here.
Coursera.org is an American massive open online course provider founded in 2012 by Stanford University computer science professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller. Coursera works with universities and other organizations to offer online courses, certifications, and degrees in a variety of subjects.
The course professor Maya Adams, M.D has a youtube account with fun & healthy recipes for the whole family but they are especially loved my kid's. My favorite is her stir fry recipe
Remember almost all parent's will at some point experience picky eating with their children , its a phase, try not to stress about it too much and encourage healthy eating and reward/desserts in moderation and someday I'm sure that beautiful child will be eating you out of house and home soon enough.
Author Note - Thank you for taking time to read this article! If you enjoyed it I appreciate you tapping that cute little heart at the bottom , encourage and appreciate shares or tip's!
About the Creator
Misha Alsleben
Wife & Mom Fueled by ;
Caffeine & Gratitude, when I’m not writing you’ll find me raising awareness about our planet’s needs , in the kitchen ,outside with the family, taking photos or in a bookstore.
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