Are you a

Is Your Child a Picky Eater?

12/10/2024

Parenting Our Children

Is Your Child a Picky Eater?

It’s Not Necessarily Their Fault, But Here’s How You Can Help!

All children and youth have their favorite foods. But some kids, despite the best efforts of their parents and caregivers, are seemingly only interested in a small number of foods. Still, others are even more extreme and focus on a particular food. This can be a real problem for parents and a new study found that it isn’t the parents, or even children’s fault, necessarily.

Food fussiness or picky eating is the tendency to eat only a limited range of foods due mostly to an unwillingness to try new ones. For years, the causes of food fussiness have remained unclear. A study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that food fussiness tends to persist over time but can also change as children grow, influenced by parenting styles, food environments and developmental stages. The research should ease the minds of parents who think they are doing something wrong.

Still, there are things parents and caregivers can try. While food fussiness may not be entirely in your child’s control - or yours - there are strategies parents can use to support their children in becoming more adventurous eaters. Here are five practical tips to help make mealtimes less stressful and more enjoyable for the whole family.

  1. Be a Role Model at the Table

Children often learn best by imitation. If you want your child to enjoy a wider variety of foods, let them see you eating and enjoying those foods yourself. Make mealtimes a shared experience by sitting down together and eating the same meals.

2. Create a Fun and Relaxed Mealtime Atmosphere

Make meals about more than just food. Engage your child in conversation, tell stories or discuss their day. Inviting a friend or relative who your child admires to join the meal can also encourage better eating habits—sometimes children are more willing to eat different foods when they see someone their own age trying them.

3. Start Small and Stay Positive

Serving small portions can help prevent your child from feeling overwhelmed. Even if they only take a small bite, offer praise and encouragement—it’s a step in the right direction. If your child refuses a food, stay calm. Avoid pressuring them or turning it into a power struggle. Simply remove the food without comment and try again another day. Repeated exposure, without stress, increases the likelihood that they’ll eventually try and enjoy the food.

4. Get Creative with Food Preparation

If your child rejects certain foods, try presenting them in different ways. That doesn’t always mean covering them in cheese or barbecue sauce, but it can mean cooking things differently or trying certain foods like vegetables raw – which comes with the added benefit of even more nutrients.

5. Avoid Food Rewards and Keep Snacks Balanced

It’s tempting to use treats as a reward for eating vegetables, but this can create negative associations. Instead, celebrate successes with non-food rewards like playing basketball or catch with them. Limit the number of snacks and make them healthy to ensure your child comes to the table hungry but not overly tired or cranky.

The Children’s Trust: Supporting Nutrition for Miami-Dade Families

Healthy eating during childhood and adolescence is crucial for physical growth, brain development, and emotional well-being. Recognizing this, The Children’s Trust prioritizes nutrition in its programming. All Trust-funded after-school and summer youth development programs provide meals and snacks that meet USDA nutritional guidelines.

These structured environments not only help children develop healthy eating habits but also ensure they receive nutritious, satisfying meals. For many children in Miami-Dade County, these programs may provide their only hot meal of the evening.