How to Deal with A Picky Eater: A Guide for Parents

Does your toddler only want to eat their favorite meal all the time, tantrums at mealtimes, avoids fruit, vegetables and meat/alternatives, prefers packaged or highly processed foods, or do you usually Feel that you frequently have to bribe your toddler to eat? Then your toddler may be a picky eater. Picky eating is when a child (or adult) refuses food often or eats the same foods over and over. Picky eating usually peaks in the toddler and preschool years.

What makes kids picky eaters?

For what reason are a few children are so particular about food? What is the psychology of a picky eater? It turns out there a confounding number of reasons your youngster may look with disdain upon eating times. A 2015 survey of many investigations that go back to the 1990s that saw children’s eating designs found that particular, fastidious, or finicky dietary patterns were connected to and influenced by everything from character attributes to parental control at supper time to social impacts to maternal eating designs.

And keeping in mind that the proof of long haul well-being results of picking eating following kids into adulthood is to some degree meager, the proof that exists recommends fussy eating propensities don’t give off an impression of being identified with an expanded danger of getting overweight or hefty. In the event that a fussy eater isn’t getting enough acceptable sustenance on account of being too specific, in individual cases, particular eating (particularly extraordinary meticulous eating) can prompt both short-and long haul supplement lacks and different issues. According to a study, the primary consequence it has is on dietary intake, and this is a potential mediator for adverse health and development outcomes. Overall, picky eating could lead to a reduction of food intake with a distortion of nutrient intake through poor dietary variety.

Tips on dealing with a picky eater

1. Do not force a meal: Avoid forcing your child to eat certain foods or finish his or her food, because this may set off a fight over food. Your toddler might also associate mealtime with frustration and they may become less sensitive to knowing when they are hungry or full.
2. Make eating Fun: Cut food to fun and cool shapes, serve a lot of brightly colored food, or hide vegetables liable to make them picky in sauces and foods.
3. Do not offer snacks or separate meals: Preparing a separate meal for your toddlers after he or she rejects the first meal or offering your toddler a snack for them to finish their meals might promote picky eating.
4. Build a healthy food habit: Getting your tween involved with the shopping, storage, and cooking of foods, teaches your toddler a healthy relationship with food.
5. Introduce new options: having a variety of foods and getting your toddler to try them improve food habits. As much as you try to introduce new foods, do not introduce too many foods at a time this could lead to picky eating.
6. Stick to a routine: serving meals and snacks at the same time every day might improve your toddlers’ willingness to eat.
7. Be patient: When introducing new food to your toddlers, they might not like the food for the first time. Give them time and be patient with them through the process.
8. Be a role model: If you eat a variety of healthy foods, your baby is more likely to follow suit. If you don’t like and eat mangoes don’t expect your toddler to like it too.
9. Positive Affirmation: By using kind words, and giving little to no noticeable attention may positively reinforce your child into having a better attitude towards food.

References –

Taylor, C. M., & Emmett, P. M. (2019). Picky eating in children: causes and consequences. The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 78(2), 161–169. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665118002586 

Children’s nutrition: 10 tips for picky eaters (published by mayo clinic) https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/childrens-health/art-20044948

The 15 Best Ways for Parents to Handle Fussy Eaters By Amy Morin (published by very well family) https://www.verywellfamily.com/tips-for-dealing-with-a-fussy-eater-4065124