As parents, we know that picky eaters are a challenge to feed, especially when we are nervous that they are not getting enough calories and nutrients to fuel their growth and development. If growth is slow or delayed your child’s pediatrician or dietitian may order bloodwork to make sure there are no deficiencies causing the delayed growth. If there is no delay in growth or development, the situation is less urgent, and you have time to discover why the child is picky. There are many reasons, and it is important to evaluate the cause before trying to solve it.
Some children are slow to try new
experiences in general. Others may may have had negative experiences with food
in the past such as stomach pain, vomiting after eating, or tooth pain from
food. If there an ongoing power struggle between the caregiver and child, food
can be an additional point of struggle. Or, a child with sensory sensitivity
may have a hard time with new tastes, smells, textures, etc. Finally, a child
who has difficulty communicating his/her needs in general, may have a hard time
expressing food related needs as well.
Even with the vastly different
reasons behind picky eating, it is easy to fall into the habit of giving in to a
picky child because “at least they are eating.”
Tips to Try
Here are a few tips to try to get
your picky eater to eat more at home. choose the ideas that work for your child
and their reasons for being picky. Don’t cook separate meals for your picky
eater; that will encourage the problem. Always encourage the child to eat the
same dinner as the family. If they don’t like it, they can have a sandwich – no
special treatment.
·
Tell your child they only
have to take one bite of a new food. They don’t have to eat it, they don’t have
to like it, just give it a try.
·
Don’t force your child to
eat something s/he is refusing to – it will just create stress and is likely
give them negative feelings about that particular food and possibly food in
general.
·
If your child refuses a
food or claims they don’t like it, offer the new food multiple times over
several months before giving up on it.
·
Offer new foods along with
favorites; the child is more likely to try it if it is with something else that
they like.
·
Eat the foods that you want
your child to eat. Show them that you enjoy these foods.
·
Let children eat “your”
food – as proven from real life experience, they are more likely to eat/try
something off your plate than if you give it to them. Once they get used to the
food, they will probably take it on their own plate.
·
If they don’t like a food
you have been preparing in a specific way, try preparing it differently; cooked
instead of raw, sautéed instead of baked, etc.
·
When serving a meal, don’t
serve everything at once; it is likely to be overwhelming for them. Try
offering one food at a time; they are more likely to eat more overall than if
they get a plateful of different things.
·
Get your kids to help
prepare meals. They are more likely to try the food if they had a hand in
preparing it.
·
If your child doesn’t like
vegetables, serve them with a sauce they can dip them into.
·
Adding vegetables where
they won’t be noticed doesn’t solve the problem in the long run but may be a
place to start if you are very concerned about nutritional status. For example,
add cauliflower to mac-n-cheese, pureed veggies to pizza sauce, soup, or sloppy
joes, etc.
·
Keep the time before meals
positive. Children are more likely to eat when they are happy and not stressed.
·
Make sure they are not
drinking too much milk or juice or snacking a lot during the day so that they
are not hungry for meals.
·
Add sweeteners to food if
they prefer sweet foods. Once they get used to the food, you can decrease the
sweetener gradually. Or add spice to food if they prefer spicy flavors.
·
Don’t have too many
non-healthy options available at home. If they aren’t there, it won’t be a
battle when s/he wants that and nothing else.
·
Make food look more fun: Cut
fruits and vegetables into fun shapes, using lots of different colors. Make “faces”
on the plate with fruits, veggies, and sandwiches. Make pinwheel sandwiches,
meatball lollipops, etc.
·
Try cooking healthier
alternatives to popular highly processed foods, such as homemade chicken
nuggets.
·
Avoid using food as a
reward or punishment as this can create stress around food in general.
The Picky Eater at Camp
Sleepaway camps can be difficult
to navigate for the picky child. Without parents around to offer healthy
choices, your child may end up living on junk food for the month he/she is in
camp. If intake is a real concern, a parent can reach out to camp staff ahead
of time to find out what options are available if the child doesn’t like a
meal. It would probably be beneficial to your child to discuss the food
situation at camp before going. Foods will be different than they are used to
seeing at home. For instance, camp schnitzel may look very different than it
looks at home, etc. There may also be a lot of new options that have never been
tried at home.
Try to find out what is served at camp
meals and start exploring these new foods at home. Most camps will have bread available
at all meals to be eaten with peanut butter (or pb substitute). Some camps will
have hot water available for a child to make their own oatmeal for breakfast,
noodle soup for lunch, etc. If growth or weight status is a real concern,
parents can arrange for someone at camp to be looking out for the child to make
sure that they are eating enough food.
Interestingly, some children
actually eat better in camp than they do at home. Frequently, due to the
increased activity levels at camp, children come to meals hungrier. This can
help some picky eaters be more agreeable to try foods that they won’t try otherwise.
In closing, it is important for
parents to understand the reasons that children are picky eaters. Make sure you
are in touch with your child’s healthcare providers in the case of extreme
pickiness or concern for nutritional deficiencies. Many children do eventually
grow out of this phase, but not all do.
Sora Mandelbaum is a Registered Dietitian through the
Berry Street platform. She helps both children and adults learn to make healthy
choices to balance their weight and appetite appropriately. She can be reached
at 267-225-4564 or sm@sbmnutrition.com.
Resources for Parents
http://www.parents.com/recipes/nutrition/picky-eater-strategies/
http://www.parenting.com/article/picky-eater-kids
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/childrens-health/art-20044948
