“Help! My 3-year-old is a picky eater.”
“Take a deep breath and relax,” advises Angela Ginn-Meadow, RD, LDN, CDE, and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and mom of a picky eater. “Offering a variety of healthy food will supply all the nutrients [your child] will need to grow and develop.”
If a selective eater has you frustrated or worried about adequate nutrition, check out this advice from Ginn-Meadow and other parents who are raising healthy, albeit picky, eaters.
Offer choices, choices, choices
“Eewwwww, that’s yucky. I don’t want to have that,” complains Jackson, 4. His mom, Amy, allows Jackson to make choices that she builds into her regular grocery trips. “Jackson is pretty particular about the shape/size/texture of his foods. We run into this a lot with noodles or pasta, so I usually let him choose before I shop what shape things will be.” Giving Jackson control over certain aspects of his meal has allowed Amy to consistently provide foods that she knows her son will eat.
Ginn-Meadow agrees that allowing your child to have a choice of foods often works well, “Allow your child to pick out one item they want to eat, then choose nutrient rich options to complete the meal. If your child chooses chicken nuggets, bake the nuggets and add a fruit and vegetable to make the meal complete.”
If you are feeding a large family, or the thought of co-coordinating your grocery shopping with your child’s shape preferences is too overwhelming to consider, try Lorrie and Jeff’s (parents of five) technique: “We [require] them to at least try one bite of each thing at a meal. Then, we try to have healthy things we know they [will] eat well available.”
Deviate From the Norm
Creative thinking reveals many nutritious foods beyond the basics found in our fridge and cabinets. Ginn-Meadow recommends choosing “whole grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy and lean sources of protein. These choices will promote growth of bones, teeth, brain development and boost immune systems.”
Look for whole grains that your child will enjoy: whole-wheat crackers, whole grain cereal and whole wheat bread are excellent sources. Lorrie and Jeff have incorporated fresh-milled wheat flour into their recipes, providing their children whole grain pancakes, muffins, bread and more. Similar options can be found in specialty and grocery store bakeries.
A colorful variety of fruits and vegetables provide different nutrients and add eye-appeal to children’s plates. The fun colors and various shapes provide an opportunity for moms and dads to have fun, too. As a parent of a picky eater, I enjoy making smiley faces, trains, numbers and letters using my child’s food. This seems to encourage Caroline, 3, to eat a wider variety of foods at a meal.
Look beyond milk and cheese (dairy), or beef and chicken (lean protein). Yogurt, and even pudding, can be valuable sources of calcium, essential for building strong bones and teeth. Fish, eggs and tofu provide lean protein, which Ginn-Meadow describes as, “the building block for muscle growth, repair and maintenance.”
They Are Kids, Not Adults
Children may eat three meals a day or snack frequently. The key is to offer healthy foods so that your child is benefiting from every bite. Melissa, mom of 6-year-old Austin, shares, “He wants to snack all day instead of eating a meal. He often says that he’s hungry within 30 to 60 minutes after we’ve finished a meal (of which he probably only ate a few bites).” She goes on to explain that Austin is allowed to snack after meals, but only if it is a healthy choice. Another way to manage disinterest at the table is by providing a snack well in advance of mealtime.
Ginn-Meadow reminds us that “children only need to eat enough to satisfy their hunger, not our hunger.” Watch for signs that your child has had enough. Playing with her food or refusing to eat could simply mean that she is full. Developing healthy eating habits now, such as only eating when hungry, will carry over into the teenage years and beyond.
Don’t Give Up
“We tried bribery—money, new toys, getting to go somewhere special. None of those things worked very well and usually ended with him in tears and us totally frustrated,” says Amanda, who has struggled with her finicky eater (Caleb, 6) for years.
Her solution? Amanda and her pediatrician tracked Caleb’s growth and development, while allowing Caleb to eat the small variety of foods he loved. Amanda is happy to report, “Now that he is older, he is trying some [new] things. He is really listening to TV, doctors and school when they talk about good health [and] eating right…He tends to listen to those people and take [their advice] to heart.”
A Family Affair.
Melissa, a self-proclaimed picky eater herself, confides, “I am realizing now that I didn’t offer a wide variety of veggies or healthy snacks when Austin was young and forming his tastes.”
Whether or not Melissa’s own preferences played a role in Austin’s selectiveness, Ginn-Meadow reminds us that “children learn healthy eating habits by watching their parents. Set a good example by eating a variety of food. Healthy eating is a family affair.”
Julie Steed enjoys writing about parenting, fitness and her adventures as an Air Force spouse. She lives in Leavenworth with her husband and two daughters.