Eating and Feeding: Tips for Picky Eaters

May 3

Do you have a picky eater? It’s not uncommon for children to refuse to eat certain foods, suddenly become extremely picky, or fluctuate in their eating habits and quantities. Here’s some insight into the feeding and eating journey of toddlers and preschoolers and some tips for tackling picky eating.

Understanding Picky Eaters

Picky eating is common in early childhood. Our children are just beginning to explore the wide range of tastes and textures that exist. It’s crucial to recognize that picky eating behaviors are often a result of their developing autonomy and an expression of their preferences rather than a reflection of their overall health. Instead of viewing it as a problem, let’s approach it as an opportunity to encourage a balanced approach to eating.

Introduce a Variety of Flavors and Textures
Expose your child to a wide range of flavors and textures early on. The more variety that they are introduced to, the more likely they are to develop a taste for diverse foods. Offer a colorful assortment of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and healthy fats to create a balanced and nutritious diet. Experiment with different cooking methods to alter the texture and taste to make it more appealing to your little one.
Lead by Example
Children learn by observation, and as their caregivers, they are looking up to you! Make mealtime a family affair, sitting down together whenever possible and demonstrating varied and healthy eating habits. Try to model their plate after yours by providing the same foods with the appropriate portions. Be adventurous and try new foods and display a positive attitude toward different flavors. Your enthusiasm can be infectious and inspire your toddler to be more open-minded about food.
Create a Positive Food Environment- No Food is Yucky! No Food is Bad!
Maintain a relaxed and positive atmosphere during mealtime. Avoid pressuring or forcing your child to eat, this can create aversions to certain foods! Instead, encourage exploration and provide a supportive environment for them to develop their own preferences. Celebrate small victories, create lots of dialogue during this exploration, and respect their boundaries. Most importantly, never label foods as yucky or disgusting. At wBees, we never label food as yucky because all food is accepted. It’s ok not to like a flavor or food, but that does not mean it’s yucky. Someone else might think it’s delicious!
Another aspect of the food environment is making sure you’re creating a non-hierarchical food environment. While we don’t want children to be eating tons of candy and processed foods, we also don’t want to label these foods as bad/negative or veggies and fruits as good/healthy. Instead, teach kids facts about their foods and why it’s important to eat a variety of foods, such as: “Carrots have vitamin A, which helps our eyes see! We use our eyes to watch our favorite movies, read books, and play with our toys!”
Get Creative with Foods
Sometimes getting creative with cutting fruits, slicing veggies, and plating foods can be exciting for kids. Creating colorful meals is so fun and more engaging during mealtime. Allow your child to eat with both utensils as well as their hands. Getting messy with food makes it less daunting and is crucial for sensorial exploration. Allow your child to smell, squish, smash, chomp, and do a variety of sensory explorations with their food. We also encourage you to invite mindful eating practices like eating slowly, describing the taste, and making silly comparisons. “This sweet and juicy orange feels fresh and bright on my tongue! It feels like sunshine!”
Involve Your Child in Meal Prep
Kiddos love being involved! Bring them into the kitchen, and find some safe tools for them to become part of the process. This connection with food brings more exploration and builds a sense of ownership and investment. They can help by washing vegetables, stirring ingredients, setting the table, and so much more. Hands-on approaches foster positive associations and enhance the willingness to try new things.
Encourage Listening to Your Body
One of the most important lessons when it comes to eating and feeding is learning to listen to their own bodies to identify their own needs. You can encourage this by asking questions: Are you hungry/thirsty/tired/full/overwhelmed? Talk to your child about why we eat and the importance of feeding our body nutritional foods to create the energy needed to play and have fun. Don’t get offended if a child doesn’t want to eat. Allow some flexibility and create a safe space so that they can be candid when they are hungry and ready to eat.
You Can’t Control How They Eat, but You Do Control What They Eat
Many caregivers feel overwhelmed when their picky eater doesn’t have enough of this or that. That’s totally valid, but remember, you can’t control how they eat or how much they eat and sometimes even when they eat, but you ultimately have control of what they eat. When you’re at the grocery store or choosing a restaurant/take-out, you make the decision of what food your child has access to. Make sure the food provided to your child includes a wide variety that is appealing but also healthy. Make sure you create a balance that will allow your child flexibility to choose. One of the phrases we love to use is “You can eat it when you’re ready/hungry.”