Kids Health Watch is brought to you by our friends and Children’s Medical Group
Picky eating can be very frustrating to parents – especially since most children start out eating a wide variety of foods. And no two children (even within the same family) will have the same path through this very typical developmental stage.
Here are a few strategies to help your family during this phase, and also some red flags that might indicate you need to talk to your pediatrician.
Generally, you cannot control what your child wants to eat, nor can you force a child to eat. You can, however, have control of what food is brought into your house, and what options are available.
I like to remind parents to think about the ‘dessert stomach,’ which is when you have just enough appetite to eat a food that you absolutely love, however, not enough of an appetite to eat something that is new or maybe doesn’t taste quite as good. If your child has been snacking excessively in the few hours leading up to a meal, then they may not be hungry for what is on their plate. An option would be to limit snacking leading up to meal times (or only offer healthy options for those snack times, and foods that won’t fill their stomachs).
You want your child to have a tiny bit of an appetite to at least try a new food once. And don’t give up on a food just because your child dislikes it one time! It takes, on average, about 20-25 tastings of a food before one can definitively like or dislike it.
But on the other hand, be reasonable with expectations for what your child will eat. It will frustrate you as well as your child if you are trying to push a food that you know is an absolute no-go for your child.
Negotiations are okay! Don’t beat yourself up over this parenting technique, especially when it comes to meal times.
Above all, remember that healthy eating habits are learned primarily from the parents.
Please talk to your pediatrician if you have any concerns about your child’s picky eating. Things to look out for as potentially problematic are: weight loss or slow weight gain, extremely limited options (3-5 total tolerated foods), or family stress due to picky eating.
Dr. Savannah Browning grew up in Fayette, AL. She moved to Mobile to attend Medical School at the University of South Alabama in 2009, and has been a proud Mobilian ever since. She joined Children’s Medical Group in 2016, and her office is at the Airport Boulevard location. She lives in Mobile with her husband, Andrew, and their three children: Jude, Luke, and Annie.
Author: Savannah Browning
Dr. Savannah Browning grew up in Fayette, AL. She moved to Mobile to attend Medical School at the University of South Alabama in 2009, and has been a proud Mobilian ever since. She joined Children’s Medical Group in 2016, and her office is at the Airport Boulevard location. She lives in Mobile with her husband, Andrew, and their three children: Jude, Luke, and Annie.
