Disclaimer:
This medical
information is designed as an aid only for the
patients of
Drs. Concannon & Vitale.
It is not a substitute for a medical
exam and direct
advice from your physician.
Strategies to reduce picky eating
Picky eating is common in young children. It usually improves as the
child grows older, and it is not usually cause for concern with regard
to the child's growth, health, or development. The following approaches
may help decrease the behavior.
Perform a "functional analysis"
That impressive sounding term just means you should begin by asking the
question, "What is it about my child's preferred foods that he or she
likes?"
If your child likes a food at a particular temperature, texture, or
flavor, try adding foods with similar qualities to the diet. For
example, if your child won't eat carrots but enjoys juices, try carrot
juice (or apple-carrot juice). If your child likes mashed potatoes but
not corn, try creamed corn.
Provide a pleasant mealtime atmosphere
Studies show that people think food tastes better when it is eaten in a
pleasant and sociable setting. Because some children become easily
wound up, they are better able to focus on eating when mealtimes are
calm. A calm setting can increase the child's willingness to try new
foods; the more arousing, stressful, or exciting the atmosphere, the
less cooperative the child will be. Other children, however, eat better
in a more stimulating atmosphere (with music playing, for example).
Watch your child to see what seems to work best, and follow your gut
feeling.
Expose the child to good role models
who eat a wide variety of foods
Your example as the parent is helpful, but friends and classmates are
more powerful examples. If your child has the opportunity to eat meals
with other children (such as in preschool), that may be an opportunity
to expand his or her menu of foods. Older brothers and sisters can also
be great models. Studies show that if a child is seated at a table with
other children who like a particular vegetable, the child will learn to
like that vegetable more over time. Just don't criticize your child in
front of peers or siblings, or use other children as examples. This
practice can backfire if it makes the child feel bad or feel pressured
to eat a food.
Give lots of encouragement
Praising your child for trying a new food may encourage him (or
her) to try other new foods. Studies indicate that praise also
increases the chances that a child will grow to like the food he was
praised for eating, Do not give food rewards for eating, however.
When a child is given dessert, for example, as a reward for eating a
food such as a vegetable, the child learns to like the food he was
rewarded for eating less over time. Also, never punish your child for
refusing to try a new food.
Offer a new food repeatedly
Research shows that the more familiar a food is, the more children (and
adults) like it. Don't despair if your child continues to refuse peas
after you offer them three or four times. A new food has to be
introduced 10 times, on average, before most children accept it. Choose
a mild but tasty vegetable that you think your child will probably
learn to like, and serve it at meals repeatedly.
Enforce the "try one bite" rule with
care
The "try one bite" rule has been shown to increase children's
willingness to try new foods. If, however, your child has a difficult
temperament, and requiring her to try a bite disrupts mealtime or
upsets her (or you), stop this approach! With a child who has an
intense or stubborn temperament, some battles are worth fighting (ones
that involve safety, for example)—but getting her to try a bite of
green beans is probably not one of them. If you are concerned about
your child's weight gain or intake of healthy food, talk to your
pediatrician—repeated battles to force a resistant child into eating
rarely work.
Provide information about the food
An older child may be more willing to try a new food if you tell him
about the food's flavor. For example, if your 5-year-old scowls at the
green bean casserole served at Thanksgiving dinner, it may help to
explain to him that the casserole is made from green beans, which he
likes, and the mushroom soup that is one of his favorite foods, and
that it tastes a little salty but mild. This approach may not work as
well with younger children, who often don't yet grasp the meaning of
"flavor words" (sweet, salty, sour) or who have not yet developed a
vocabulary of "food words."
Combine new foods with familiar ones
Offering an unfamiliar food, such as a meat, in combination with a
preferred food, such as ketchup, increases the likelihood that your
child will try the new food. If dipping carrot sticks in soup makes
your child more willing to eat the carrots, let her do it instead of
forbidding it because it is "bad manners."
Offer a variety of foods at the same
snack or meal
Children (and adults) eat more when a wider variety of foods, with a
combination of flavors, is provided. For example, instead of offering
only crackers as a snack, try offering crackers, cheese, and apple
slices.
Most important, give it time
Young children are well known to be picky eaters, but most of them grow
out of it, eventually. All of the methods in the world may not be as
helpful as patience and time. While you're waiting, make life easier
for yourself and your child. If your child prefers two flavors of
soups, stockpile them. Try freezing child-size portions of his favorite
foods and popping one in the microwave before the big family dinner to
avoid having an upset child disrupt the meal.
If your child remains a picky eater into the older school years, it may
be time to simply accept it as part of the child's personality. Take a
moment and reflect on who else in the family is a picky eater—a
favorite grandmother or uncle, perhaps, or even you! Sometimes, this
helps put your child's behavior into proper perspective.
Adapted from Contemporary Pediatrics,
March 2005
See Also: Family Mealtime Discipline
Rev.
10/2005 PickyEating.html
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