Tips for dealing with a picky eater

People eat with their eyes before they eat with their mouths, so it is important to make food look beautiful and enticing.  The next time you make your child a meal, take an extra minute to cut their sandwich into a heart, make a smiley face with breakfast foods or arrange a rainbow of fruit on their plate.  The trick is to keep healthy foods in the house. Then, allow your child to pick what he wants to eat.  No matter what they choose, you can rest assure that it will be a good, nutritious choice.  If your child says he is not hungry, chances are he truly is not hungry.  Children are human after all, and won't intentionally starve themselves to death. Trust your child.  Forcing your child to eat will only backfire, resulting in more resistance.View the list »
Tips for dealing with a picky eater

Parenting Issues newsletter

Maybe your child insists on eating chicken fingers and french fries every night for dinner. Maybe your child refuses to eat anything green. At some point, most children go through a picky eating stage. Naturally, parents worry if their child is eating enough or getting enough vitamins. This stage can seem to last forever for parents, so here are a few tips for dealing with picky eaters.

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  • If your child says he is not hungry, chances are he truly is not hungry.  Children are human after all, and won't intentionally starve themselves to death. Trust your child.  Forcing your child to eat will only backfire, resulting in more resistance.
  • The trick is to keep healthy foods in the house. Then, allow your child to pick what he wants to eat.  No matter what they choose, you can rest assure that it will be a good, nutritious choice.  
  • People eat with their eyes before they eat with their mouths, so it is important to make food look beautiful and enticing.  The next time you make your child a meal, take an extra minute to cut their sandwich into a heart, make a smiley face with breakfast foods or arrange a rainbow of fruit on their plate.  
  • Next time you prepare a meal, let your child help.  Let them choose what meal to make from a book of recipes.  Pre-measure out spices and ingredients and allow them to pour and mix them together.  Have your child serve themselves.  It may get a little messy, but they are more likely to be interested in what they are eating if they are involved.
  • Being the role model for healthy eating is extremely important.  According to a study in the ‘Journal of American College of Nutrition,’ mothers and their children had similar dietery habits, pickiness and food neophobia, the fear of trying new foods.  If you are refusing to eat anything green, why should your child eat it?  Eat the foods you want your child to eat.  
  • Don’t push them to eat, but be consistent.  Offer the same healthy foods over and over.  Make eating a positive experience rather than one both you and your child dread.  
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, Hunterdon County Motherhood Examiner

Abbie Copeland is a wife, mother and writer. She chronicles her adventures of being a stay-at-home mom on her blog, The Can’t Stay at Home Mom. (http://cantstayathomemom.wordpress.com) She is also a poet and her work can be seen in Off the Coast and River Poets Journal.

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