It’s normal for kids to go through phases of interest and disinterest when it comes to eating. It can be difficult and even stressful time for parents during these phases.
Concerned they aren’t getting the nutrients they require. Concerned you are going to have to cook multiple meals. Concerned they are going to go to sleep hungry. Concerned this isn’t a phase and instead of a new beginning.
These are all normal feelings and ones I have had at one point or another myself. I know that picky eating is going to come through some phases no matter what I do to prevent it, however, I have found that these 4 strategies are very helpful in reducing those phases and overall helping to provide a positive eating environment at home.
#1. Getting them involved
There are lots of ways you can get your child involved with mealtime, regardless of their age. For example, when it comes to food prep, if they are not old enough to help with cutting the vegetables you can get them involved by holding them over the sink to turn on the water to help Mommy wash the vegetables.
Another way to help with their involvement is education. Teach them about the different foods, how they are grown, the benefits of the food or even practicing how to say the names of the food (if they are younger). You can take it a step further and if you have a garden get them involved with growing the food and learning about that process. Something we do with my daughter is going through all the food on her plate before we eat dinner. I explain what it is and I tell her a superpower it will give her. It’s simple, but something that she loves as it gets her excited for what she is about to eat! We also are lucky to have a large vegetable garden, so taking her out to the garden to check on the growth of her vegetables and pick the food together for mealtime, has also been extremely effective in getting her to try new foods.
The last way that you can focus on getting them involved is giving the child some control. A lot of times kids just say no for the sake of saying no. However, if you give them an option, it helps them feel more in control of their meal and not something they are forced into doing. For example, ask them if tonight you should have broccoli or peas with dinner, and prepare the vegetables they choose. Kids also love being part of the decision-making process when in the grocery store, allowing them to pick out the vegetables themselves or put the vegetables in the bag or into the cart.
These simple ways of involvement can help make all the difference in your child being less picky and enjoying mealtime more.
#2 Keep mealtime routine consistent/set mealtime boundaries
Kids thrive off routine, even if they act like they don’t. Making mealtime consistent will help them understand what to expect each meal and reduce the opportunity for poor behavior. Here is the simple routine we have at our house:
- Dinner is always served at the table. Everyone sits together and waits to everyone if finished before leaving.
- No toys, TV, cellphones or distractions at the table. Dinner time is focused on family and mindful eating.
- One meal is served for everyone. There will be lots of variety but only one meal will be made for everyone. If you don’t want to eat, you don’t have to eat but when dinner is done, the kitchen is closed.
Following these three simple steps has been very beneficial for us. I’m sure we have all heard our kids say, “I’m not hungry” or “yucky, I don’t want that”. In a lot of cases, these words are just said because they would prefer to eat something else (yes a lot of times I would prefer a hamburger over a salad too lol) or they would rather continue playing with their toys then come to the dinner table. However, if they know that this is their only option, you aren’t going to bring out something different and when dinner is done they won’t get to eat again, there is a higher chance they will pick at the food that is on their plate. Also, having them sit at the table with you during dinner time, increases their chances they will pick at their food. Think of all the times when we are full or aren’t enjoying something, but the food is in front of us, so we continue to pick at it. It’s just natural instinct, so leave the food on their plate, don’t force it, but having it in front of them can sometimes just be enough for them to try a bite or two!
I will never force food, but I will just continue to offer it. They say sometimes it takes 10-15 times before a kid will eat something. Don’t give up just because they said yucky once. We all know how they can one day just no longer like a food they use to love, well the same thing goes for just one day they can just start eating a food they use to hate. The key its keep reintroducing it, so they have the chance to keep trying!
If you have a picky child you may fall into the rut of serving similar and accepted foods time and time again, because they don’t ‘like’ other foods. Although the less they’re exposed to, the less likely they will be to explore different foods when given the chance. Don’t get into a routine of making separate meals for your kids of foods you feel they will eat – kids are smart and once you go down this road it will be hard to get them to eat what is on their plate as they will know there is always a better option if they refuse.
#4. Work on their palate at a young age
When you are starting your child on solid foods, you can do a lot of small things to make a difference long term to try and prevent picky eaters. Offering a wide variety of textures and flavors right from the get-go helps to broaden their palate and encourages adventurous eating. One of the best things you can do is widen their palate but trying a variety of foods. Herbs and spices are also fantastic to use as it helps your child get used to different flavors. Fermented foods are also great to provide in moderation as having early exposure to “sour” foods helps increase their palate.
Wait as long as you can to introduce the flavor of refined foods and sugars (crackers, bread, sugars etc.). If they haven’t tasted it, they have nothing to compare it too. Kids will all get to an age where this is inevitable to keep them away from these foods, however the longer you can wait to introduce these foods to your child, the better chance you’ll have of encouraging a well-rounded palate in your toddler.
#4 Get Sneaky!
Sometimes we just need to get creative. There is a ton of healthy foods out there that kids may never want to eat. However, this doesn’t mean that you should never incorporate them into their diet. For example, your child may never want to eat spinach, but this doesn’t mean it’s spinach they don’t like, it may just be the way it’s served, the texture as a standalone food or something about the look that turns them off. Get creative and try different ways to add spinach into their foods. Some great sneaky ways to add healthy food to their diet is through shakes, pasta sauces, stir-fries, casseroles, soups, etc. Anyway, you can hide the food or chop it up very small seems to be successful. Any time I cook, I always make sure to add one sneaky ingredient to the meal. This could be a vegetable, herb or even a superfood supplementation like spirulina.