Is Your Child A Picky Eater?

Is your child a picky eater?  Does your child refuse to eat anything other than chicken nuggets?  Would your toddler rather play than eat anything at all?  The staff at Mayo Clinic advises you not to prepare a separate meal when he/she refuses to eat the meal on the table, and not to excuse him/her from the table during mealtime.  Consider these strategies from the Mayo Clinic, to avoid power struggles during mealtime.

Respect your child’s appetite.  If your child isn’t hungry, don’t force a meal or snack and don’t bribe or force your child to eat certain foods or clean his/her plate. Your child may associate mealtime with anxiety and frustration. You do not want a power struggle over food.  Serve small portions to avoid overwhelming your child.

Stick to a routine.  Serve meals and snacks around the same time every day.  Do not allow your child to fill up on juice or milk during the day, offer water between meals and snacks, and juice or milk with  meals to increase his/her appetite.

Be patient when introducing new foods. Serve new foods along with favorite foods. Talk about the food’s color, shape, aroma and texture, not taste. Your child may need repeated exposure to new food before taking a bite.

Make eating fun by serving veggies with a favorite dip or sauce. Serve a variety of brightly colored foods, cut in various shapes, using cookie cutters. Offer breakfast foods for dinner. 

Let your child help in the grocery store, by selecting fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. Let your child help prepare the veggies, and set the table.

Set a good example by eating a variety of healthy foods.

Be creative by adding chopped broccoli to spaghetti sauce, top cereal with fruit slices, and mix grated zucchini and carrots into casseroles and soups.

Take away distractions.  Turn off  all electronics, including the television, during meals.

Do not use dessert as a reward.   Redefine dessert as fruit, yogurt or other healthy choices, and select one or two nights a week as dessert nights, with no dessert the rest of the week. 

Don’t be a short-order cook.