Picky eating often surfaces around one year, when many children are beginning to feed themselves. They can choose what they want to eat, how much to eat. So, some days they may eat a lot of everything. Other days they may not seem to eat much at all.
In addition, while children usually grow a lot and quickly in their first year, growth slows down in the second year. Toddlers are also learning lots of new skills, like talking, walking, running, climbing, and more. During a time of great change, children often seek “sameness” as much as possible, including sticking to the same small group of foods. This consistency can help them feel safe and secure during a period of rapid change. It is unrealistic to expect a toddler to eat a large amount of food at each meal every day; after all, a toddler’s stomach is approximately the same size as her clenched fist.
Ellyn Satter, MS RD LCSW BCD, a researcher and practitioner in the field of pediatric feeding practices, explains that both parents and children have their own “jobs” to do when it comes to eating. Parents are responsible for providing healthy foods at meal and snack times. Children are responsible for what and how much they eat. This helps children learn what it feels like to be hungry and then full and how to make healthy choices based on this awareness, for example, eating when hungry and stopping when full. Familiarity with foods is key, as a child may need to be exposed to new foods more than 10 times before they try it.
What can you do to help your child enjoy a range of foods?
Eat a range of healthy foods yourself. Make sure that your own choices are in line with the foods you want your child to eat and enjoy.
Prepare meals together. Having a hand in making the meal increases the chances that your child will taste her “creation.” Have your little one assist with measuring, pouring, stirring.
Avoid showing disgust or disinterest when trying new foods. A study found that mothers who showed with their facial expressions, body language, or words that they didn’t want to try a new food had children who also tended to refuse new foods. In short, young child will probably be less willing to try something new if you haven’t tasted it. if you are a “picky eater” yourself, then your young child is likely to imitate you in this behaviour, just as she imitates the way you talk on the phone or the way you wave goodbye to her each morning at child care.
Some children are sensitive to the taste, smell, or texture of food.
You can:
Offer several healthy food choices among the foods your child does like at each meal.
Gently but frequently offer new kinds of foods. Children need to be offered a new food as many as 10-15 times before they will eat it.
Track your child’s food sensitivities and keep them in mind when preparing meals. Does your child have trouble with “mushy” foods? Then offer apple slices instead of applesauce, or a baked potato instead of mashed. If you’d like your child to try a “mushy” food, combine it with a crunchy food that she does like.
Talk to your child’s health care provider about any nutritional concerns you may have.
Some children are simply less likely to try new things based on their temperament their individual way of approaching the world. You can:
Put new foods next to foods your child already likes. Encourage him to touch, smell, or taste the new food.
Avoid becoming a short order cook and preparing special meals for your child. But do make sure that at each meal, there is something he knows and likes on the plate. Also give him what the rest of the family is eating in toddler sized portions. Over time, these choices will become as liked and familiar as her favorite mac n cheese.
Use healthy dips such as yogurt, hummus, ketchup, or low-fat salad dressings to encourage children to eat fruits, vegetables, and meats.
Some children can seem “picky” because they want to feed themselves.
You can:
Offer safe “finger foods” that your child can feed herself.
Offer your child a spoon to hold while you’re feeding her. This lets her feel in control.
Let your child decide where foods go on her plate the peas there, the turkey there. If you’d like, you can also let your child serve herself (put your hand over hers to help her handle the bigger serving spoons).
Some children are very active. They may seem picky because they don’t like sitting for long. You can:
Set your child’s meal out before he sits down.
Keep mealtimes short 10 minutes or so. Let your child get up when he indicates he is finished eating.
Put healthy foods, such as a bowl of strawberries or bananas, where your child can reach them so when he gets hungry, he can easily get to good foods.
What NOT to Do About Picky Eating
There are two big pitfalls to avoid encouraging healthy eating behaviour. They include:
Forcing your child to eat.
The fact is that forcing children to eat usually leads to the child eating less. Forcing also teaches children to rely on others to tell them how much to eat and what they are feeling. This does not lead to healthy eating habits or good self-esteem.
When it comes to eating, it can be helpful to see it as you and your child each having your own jobs. Your job is to provide your child with healthy food choices and pleasant meal and snack times. It is your child’s job to decide which of these healthy foods to eat and how much to eat. When you approach feeding this way, your child learns to listen to his body and make healthy food choices. It also leads to fewer power struggles between parent and child around food.
Nagging or making deals with your child.
“Just two more bites, just two more bites!”
“If you eat your vegetables, you will get dessert.”
Strategies like these don’t work in the long run. Children who learn to make deals about eating quickly learn to make deals and ask for rewards for doing other things—like brushing teeth or getting their shoes on. And soon they won’t do anything unless there is a reward for it!
Retrieved from How to Handle Picky Eaters
https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1072-how-to-handle-picky-eaters
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