Practical suggestions For Overcoming Finicky Eating

Small, gradual, changes are easier to accept than large or sudden changes, so go slowly with your fussy child. When changes in the sensory properties of food like taste, color, texture, smell, and temperature are made too quickly, many children will say “No”. Identify what your child likes and then first choose foods that are similar. For example, if your child likes the consistency of yogurt, they might also like mashed avocado, or breakfast fruit smoothies. Or if your child likes crunchy things like potato chips and pretzels, they might feel OK about eating carrots and cucumbers.

Here are some other practical suggestions to help make feeding a little easier: 

• Don’t give in to your child’s every whim. Gently coax and encourage healthy eating and keep introducing new foods. 

• Encourage involvement in the preparation of the meal as this appeals to a child’s sense of independence. 

• Encourage your child to feed him/herself. Cut food into small, easily handled pieces and teach your child to handle a spoon. 

• Serve buffet meals occasionally. Place foods on separate plates and allow your child to make choices. 

• Serve a variety of foods at each meal so that your toddler is exposed to a wide range of tastes and flavors. 

• Overcome boredom by moving some meals to the garden, or by going on a picnic. 

• Try taking the focus off food at a meal. For example, make meal times about family and enjoyment and then don’t nag your child to eat. By allowing the child to stay at the table, they will be more likely to start to eat, even if it’s at the end of the meal. 

• Make food more interesting by creating shapes such as faces, cars and trains out of meal ingredients. 

• Try including a variety of colors and textures in each meal to alleviate boredom. 

• Never force a child to eat and never use food as bribery. This can create psychological harm and disordered food behaviors. 

• Children learn from mimicry so set a good example by eating healthy yourself. 

• Encourage regular meal and snack times. Children respond well to routine. 

• Avoid distractions from television or toys during meal times. 

Tempting With Vegetables

There is no doubt that children should eat vegetables, but this food group is the one that is most often refused. It is important to not give up. There are many vegetables out there and also many ways of preparing and presenting them. Similar benefits can be obtained from eating fruits, so make sure your child is eating a variety of fresh fruits daily. Be aware though, because offering only fruits comes with its own problem of a child getting used to sweet tastes, which is often why they reject the more bitter taste of vegetables.

See Also: Raising Vegetarian Kids

Some other suggestions to temp or tempt your little veggie hater: 

• Try mixing cauliflower and broccoli with a cheesy sauce.
• Chop vegetables up very finely into stews and casseroles. If this is not accepted. Try pureeing the vegetables and adding them in as a sauce
• Mash vegetables like cauliflower, turnip, carrot or peas into mashed potatoes
• Try blended carrots, butternut or peas in soups. Add some apple or orange juice for sweetness.
• Blend vegetables in a tomato based sauce and serve with pasta.
• Mince or grate vegetables and add them to fish cakes or minced meat.
• Offer freshly squeezed juices. Carrot, carrot and apple and apple and celery are good combinations.