Navigating Picky Eating

This is a HUGE topic that cannot be fully addressed in a single blog post, similar to most nutrition topics. I get asked about picky eating ALL. THE. TIME. And, guess what, I currently live with a recovering picky eater, a picky eater who, after two years, is starting to make a turn, and a kiddo who will eat anything. I’m sure that last kid mentioned will go through more than one picky eating phases over the next few years though!

Picky eating can be related to SOOO many different things. It can be tied to previous or current emotions, motor development, issues with different food textures, wanting to be in control, feeling too much pressure to eat, etc. The list truly goes on and on and on…

In this post, I am ONLY addressing very general picky eating. If you have a child who seems picky and these tips don’t work (or even if they do), it might be worth it to seek out a professional for help with feeding.

Here are my general tips for preventing and handling little picky eaters:

1) Have a feeding schedule. A lot of parents do this naturally but if you don’t, try to have set meal and snack times so children know what to expect. This can and should be flexible. The goal is to create a sense of security around knowing they’ll be fed. With that in mind, if a child is hungry before meal or snack time, use your intuition on what to do—use mindfulness and encourage intuitive eating. Children go through growth spurts all the time. And, like adults, some days they’ll be hungrier than others. It’s our job to honor that. Feed your hungry child when he or she is hungry. You can offer a healthy snack to tide them over until meal time. Or, offer lunch 30 minutes or an hour early.

2) Honor food preferences but don’t cater to them. Don’t be a short-order cook. Offer some foods you know your child likes AND encourage them to try some new foods.

3) Don’t react emotionally when your child rejects food. If you react emotionally, your child could end up with negative connotations around meal time. This also places pressure on them which we want to avoid when it comes to feeding.

4) Put food out just before you think they’ll be hungry, don’t wait til they’re super hungry and asking for all the things - the parent who’s with them the most seems to do this often but, in our house, even if I remind my husband that they’ll need a snack at whatever time, I’ll get home and everyone is fussy and no one knows why. Hmmm…

5) Practice Responsive Feeding. Try to recognize your child’s cues for hunger and fullness and respond appropriately by feeding them or not feeding them. If they’re old enough, talk to them about what hunger and fullness feels like. Essentially, this is practicing intuitive eating alongside them.

6) Enjoy food together. Have your children help make dinner, plan meals together, let them pick out new foods to try from the grocery store.