Children's Nutritional Tips For The Picky Eater
Brad Smith • Jan 21, 2020
You are not alone if your child refuses to eat anything other than chicken nuggets and french fries or would rather play than eat anything at all.
If your child's eating habits are a sore topic in your household, don't despair. Many parents worry about what their children eat as well as don't eat. However, most kids get plenty of variety and nutrition into their diets over the course of a week. Until your child's food preferences mature, consider these tips for preventing mealtime battles.
Children's Nutritional Tips For The Picky Eater
- Stick to the same routine. Serve meals and snacks at around the same time each day. If your child chooses not to eat a meal, regular a healthy snack at the same time each day will offer an opportunity to eat nutritious food. It is acceptable to provide milk or 100 percent juice with the food, but offer water between meals and snacks.
- Don't bribe. It is tempting, but try to avoid bribing children with treats for eating other foods. This can make the "prize" food even more exciting, and the food you want them to try an unpleasant chore. It also can lead to nightly battles at the dinner table.
- Keep trying. Just because a child refuses a food once, don't give up. Keep offering new foods and those your child didn't happen to like before. It can take as many as 10 or more times tasting food before a toddler’s taste buds accept it.
- Make it fun and be creative. Cut foods into various shapes with cookie cutters or shake things up and offer breakfast foods for dinner. Serve a variety of brightly colored foods. Add vegetables to spaghetti sauce, top cereal with fruit slices, or mix grated zucchini and carrots into casseroles and soups.
- Let your child help. Take them to the store to shop and let them look and help pick out the healthy foods you will be eating. At home, encourage and allow your child to help you rinse veggies, stir batter or set the table. If you are able to grow food in a garden, let them help tend to it and watch it grow!
- Eat as a family. Share mealtime together as a family as often as possible. This means no media distractions like TV or cell phones at mealtime. Use this time to be a role model for healthy eating. Serve one meal for the whole family and resist the urge to make another meal if your child refuses what you've served. it is good to include at least one food that your child likes with each meal and continue to provide a balanced meal, whether it is eaten or not.
- Respect your child's appetite. If your child is not hungry, don't force a meal or snack. Likewise, don't bribe or force your child to eat certain foods or clean his or her plate. This might only reinforce a power struggle over food. In addition, your child might come to associate mealtime with anxiety and frustration or become less sensitive to his or her own hunger and fullness cues. Serve small portions to avoid overwhelming your child and give him or her the opportunity to independently ask for more.
The Takeaway
It is easy to get frustrated by the typical picky eating behavior in children. Just try to make healthy food choices available and know that, with time, your child's appetite and eating behaviors will level out.
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