How to Handle a Picky Eater

Picky eating can be very tough and can make meal and snack times extremely frustrating. But it’s important to understand that more often than not, picky eating is normal and is a phase that a lot of children go through. At a young age, familiarity is comforting to children, and this pertains to food, too. That doesn’t make dealing with it any easier, but in this post, we’re going to talk about the best approaches for handling a phase of picky eating with your child.   

Avoid the term “Picky Eater” 

We know what you’re thinking. “How are they going to write a blog about picky eating and then tell us not to use the words picky eating?” But hear us out! Your child totally may be a picky eater, but it’s a problem when kids know that they are referred to as a picky eater. It can cause them to see themselves as picky eaters too, and behave accordingly. That is to say, if they’re known as the “picky eater,” they’ll continue to play that role. Children may come out of the phase sooner if their picky eating habits aren’t acknowledged.   

Structure meal times:  

We’ve talked about this before, but having set times for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks helps children understand the appropriate environment and patterns, so they understand when food will be available. It’s an important step in gearing them toward trying new foods in a safe and supportive environment. Also, this is important for presenting them with new foods. If you give them a new food to taste when the child is actually hungry, they’ll probably be more willing to try it! 

Introduce new foods- more than once! 

It can feel wasteful and discouraging to keep giving kids food that they refuse to eat, but research suggests that it can take up to 10 attempts of introducing a new food to a child before they’ll accept it and begin to eat it regularly. Of course, this doesn’t mean giving your child food they won’t eat every time they’re hungry, but rather presenting them with a meal you know they will eat some of, and maybe introduce one new food along with it. This can be a helpful way to slowly get them accustomed to a new food so they’ll eventually start to eat it. 

Introduce new foods- in different formats! 

Not only is it important to introduce new foods more than once, but it’s also helpful to introduce foods in different formats. For example, maybe you’re trying to get your kid to eat steamed green beans, and no matter how many times it shows up on their plate, they won’t touch the stuff. Why not serve it cooked differently? Instead of steamed, roast the green beans with some garlic and olive oil, or with slivered almonds. Different methods of cooking can give foods a different texture and even taste, and one method of cooking might be more appealing to your child. 

Give them options- but not too many 

Remember, you’re not a restaurant that takes orders for different entrees for each member of the family every night. You’re the mom, so you get to decide what dinner is, and allow your kid to make some choices about what parts of dinner they want to eat- with you guiding them of course. For example, the expectation may be that everyone try everything being served that night, but if they don’t like it, they don’t have to eat a full serving. Or, if you serve multiple sides at dinner, have them taste both and then decide which one they would like. This encourages their autonomy, or their ability to make choices for themselves, and also is a good way to have them taste some new foods. 

 But what about food waste? 

Of course, we don’t want you buying and cooking food for your child that they won’t eat and you ultimately end up throwing in the garbage. But even this can be handled when properly planned. Buying and cooking frozen foods is a good idea here since it’s easy to cook small amounts at a time. Another idea is preparing new foods according to how you and the rest of the family like them, so you know they will get eaten. Not to mention, we know that parent diet matters, and that kids are more likely to try foods that they see their parents and older siblings eating and enjoying!  

Consider your approach 

Above all, we want the approach to getting kiddos to try new foods to be positive and encouraging. Forcing a child to eat something may result in them rejecting it even more strongly. Try to be calm in your approach and calm when they reject a food. If they feel supported and like they have some autonomy, they’ll be more empowered to try something in the future. You can also try reasoning with the child, saying something like, “Remember the last time you tried roasted carrots and ending up liking them? Maybe give this a try too- you never know, you might love it!” But again, if they reject, let it go, and try again another time. 

We know that’s a lot of info, but we hope that some of these tried-and-true strategies help with your little one who’s going through a picky eating phase. What else do you want to know about picky eating? What are your best strategies for handling a picky eater? Let us know in the comments!