Babies, Parenting, Child Health, Infant Nutrition

Child Nutrition - Feeding the Picky Eater

10.23.2007 | 11:10:46 pm | Posted by mummums

By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Expert

Has your child decided to boycott all things green? Is he refusing fruit of any kind? Is he in a food jag of eating only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crust cut off? Sounds like the makings of a picky eater. You want your child to eat healthy, but you also want to make sure he eats. Having a picky eater can be frustrating, especially for new moms. Here are some Do’s and Don’ts for making sure your picky toddler eats healthy:

Don’t Punish

First and foremost, although the temptation is there, do not punish your child for not eating. The same goes for rewarding- do not reward her when she does eat. She most likely does not understand why you want her to eat healthy foods or may not even know what “healthy” means. Letting the pickiness escalate into a battle only encourages poor mealtime behavior. If she knows it gets to you, she may act out at the dinner table only for attention and punishing gives her the negative attention she is seeking.

Don’t Make it a Restaurant

If he doesn’t like what you’ve made for lunch, avoid the temptation to run back into the kitchen to make him something you know he will eat. Let him know that lunch is served, if he doesn’t like it he doesn’t have to eat and he can wait for dinner. When he is hungry, he is much more likely to eat what is served at the next meal.

Don’t Rush

Let her take her time with her meal, eating slowly is a good habit to have

Don’t Dwell On It

If he didn’t want to eat what you served, don’t go into lengthy discussion about why he needs to eat or beg and plead with him - this may only start a battle. Simply let him go back to playing and assure him he can eat at the next mealtime.

The Do’s of providing nutritious foods for kids:

Be Sneaky

When introducing a new fruit or vegetable, serve it with a food you know she already likes. You can also sneak in fruits and veggies- blend fruits into a smoothie or puree veggies into a pasta sauce

Limit Liquids

Offer only 100% juice and limit it to 6-8 oz per day. Too much liquid will fill him up and take the place of food

Be Creative

Kids love to play with their food. Try cutting veggies and sandwiches into fun shapes; make a smiley face with raisins on a peanut butter sandwich or with veggies on a pizza

Go shopping

Take her with you the next time you grocery shop and let her pick out a veggie or fruit she’s never tried before

Have a 2-bite rule

Make it a house rule that everyone has to try to eat at least 2 bites of what is served for a meal; those 2 bites may eventually turn into a serving

Keep healthy kids snacks accessible

Have cut and washed veggies available for a snack and keep fruit in a dish on the table. If it is around, he will be more likely to eat it

Offer healthy “seconds”

If your picky eater has managed to eat what is on his plate and is asking for seconds, offer only a fruit or veggie. If she is truly still hungry, she’ll eat what is provided

Have healthy options, but set a limit

Kids like to have choices, just limit those choices to healthy foods. “Would you like grapes or pears with lunch?” is a win/win question. Your child gets a choice, but both options are healthy

Give him some praise

Be sure to congratulate him for trying something new

Although this may be a trying time, it is important to try to limit picky eating behaviors. Tastes do change over time, and she may begin to like new foods later if you encourage her to try new things now. See our “Tips for Feeding Your Toddler” post for additional ideas. It is important to maintain regular check ups with your toddler’s physician to make sure she is growing and developing properly. Also, be sure to contact her physician is you have any questions or concerns about her diet. As mentioned on Today's Parent, parents need to continually challenge their kids to try new foods, and never give up.

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