Have you ever wondered what a nutritionist or dietitian would say about your picky eater? You have probably heard everything from ‘eat a variety of foods’ to ‘five a day’. Your kids have probably heard everything from ‘clean your plate’ to ‘just one bite’. Picky eating is normal in childhood isn’t it? I suggest that yes, picky eating is normal but it doesn’t have to be.
Food jags, where your child only wants one food and a lot of it, are perfectly normal in toddler and preschool age children. However food jags usually wear out on their own after a few weeks. Picky eaters eat a limited number of foods and won’t willingly try anything else. The difference between a food jag and picky is the number of foods and the duration.
I am not a dietitian, but I do have great interest in nutrition. I have taken many college nutrition classes. Nutrition is something that I love learning about. Since the advice is to eat a variety of foods every day, how do you help your picky eater to branch out? Here are a few ideas that have been suggested to me that I would like to share.
1. Have regular meals and snacks. This is not just because young children have small tummies. Regular mealtime and snack time means that both you and your child know that there will be another opportunity to eat in a few hours. If your child doesn’t like what there is to eat now, that is alright there will be more food offered later.
2. Eat with your child and have family meals. Monkey see, monkey do. Children will notice what, when, and how their parents eat even if you parents don’t realize that they are noticing. If they see you always eat standing up, they will wonder why they have to sit at the table. If they never see you eating veggies they will wonder why they have to eat them. Additionally eating together is important social interaction for both you and you child.
3. Don’t cater to your child’s pickiness. If you always get up and fix them what they want they will learn to expect that (and you will always be eating your meal cold). This also diminishes the likelihood that your child will try new or unfamiliar foods. It is ok to fix the food that they like now and again, but if what your picky child wants is not on the menu don’t make them something different.
4. Always have something familiar on the table. For example, always have bread and butter on the table. This will accomplish two things. First, your child will know that if he/she does not care for what is being served for the meal they can just have some bread. Second, this creates an opportunity for exposing your child to new and unfamiliar foods in a way that doesn’t seem threatening to your child. If left to their own devices, eventually children will try new foods on their own. It can take 12-15 times of just seeing an unfamiliar food on the table before a child will ask to try it. No forcing, coercing, or bribing involved.
Underlying all of these suggestions is the principle that you don’t turn eating into a power struggle with your child. Eating can be an uplifting and wholesome experience every day for you and your child.
Good ideas. One other thing is to make an effort to make the veggies appealing in different ways like cutting them in fun shapes.
ReplyDeleteFun names adds another varition;like carrots could be sunshines, broccoli-"trees" celery-moons, have fun with it.
Don't forget the charm a little ranch dip can add!
To tide them over while you finish fixing dinner,cut up a plate of various veggies with ranch dip and it usually disappears like magic, guilt free.