Got a Picky Eater on Your Hands?
Sometimes, despite your best efforts at cooking tasty, healthy meals for your child, your picky eater refuses to eat what’s on the plate. The hotdog octopus sitting on top of the whole wheat spaghetti just isn’t cutting it.
Toddlers who once ate everything in sight seem to suddenly thrive on nothing but air, and preschool and early elementary school children decide they want nothing but chicken nuggets for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Take heart: though frustrating, your fussy eater’s actions are usually normal as he starts to show his independence. As your child gets older, he’ll slowly begin to try more and more foods. Most likely, he’s getting all the nutrients needed from week to week. As long as your child is growing normally, there is seldom a problem.
Why Do I Have a Picky Eater?
It’s important to keep in mind that for most kids, pickiness and food refusal is a way of feeling in control of their environment, just like learning to run away from you, climbing on the highest furniture, using the bathroom, and saying things you might not like to hear. Like any independent behavior, it’s OK in moderation, but you can set some limits.
Oftentimes, a child will refuse a food because of its texture. Other times, a child may proclaim that he doesn’t like a food because of its color. Sometimes, there’s no reason at all.
Try These Mealtime Suggestions
- Slowly introduce varied foods into your child’s diet. When you offer your child a different type of food, be aware that he may refuse it. A child will sometimes refuse a new food 12 to 15 times before deciding to try it.
- Don’t put pressure on him. Eating is supposed to be fun and pleasurable!
- Don’t force your child to eat. In some cases, this will make the situation worse.
- Invite your child to prepare or cook foods with you. When a child is involved in the food preparation, he’ll be more likely to want to sample what you both have cooked.
- When trying to add a new food to your child’s diet, give him a choice. Ask, “do you want green beans or carrots with your chicken?”
- Introduce the new food at the beginning of the meal when your child is the hungriest.
- When adding a new food to your child’s plate, serve only a small amount. A child is often overwhelmed when he sees large portions of unfamiliar foods.
- Limit or eliminate sugary drinks. If a child drinks too many of these beverages, he may not be hungry at mealtimes. Also, while milk is a great source of nutrition, if your child is drinking more than about 40 ounces a day, it can crowd out other foods he needs.
- Try a “no thank you bite.” After your child tries a new food, allow him to discreetly spit it into a napkin if he doesn’t like it.
Make Mealtimes More Appealing
It’s important that you keep a positive attitude when it comes to your child and eating. There are several ways to make mealtimes more appealing to your picky eater:
- Make them as relaxing and free from distraction as possible. For example, don’t watch TV during meals, and don’t argue or discuss especially difficult topics during meals.
- Eat with your child. If a child must sit at the table by himself, the child is less likely to want to stay and eat the meal.
- Don’t punish or scold your child for not finishing his meal or for not trying a new food. Doing so may cause your child to develop negative feelings around food or abandon his natural sense of hunger and fullness.
There are a few situations in which you should contact your child’s health care provider:
- If your child is losing weight
- If eating some types of food causes abdominal pain, vomiting or diarrhea
- If your child’s diet becomes extremely limited for more than a few weeks, such as eating only one texture or one color of food
- If your child has been eating few or no fruits and vegetables for more than a few weeks
If you are concerned about your child’s eating habits, the pediatrician can offer suggestions, or visiting a pediatric nutritionist may be a good next step.
