Tips and tricks for getting the picky eater in your life to branch out and try new foods. Picky eating is listed as one of the most stressful parts of mealtime, so I provide ways to help minimize the stress.
am often asked “what are the best vegetables for picky eaters” or “how can I get my kid to eat veggies?” I wish I could just print out a list of vegetables for parents and send them on their way, but as with most parenting things, it’s not that simple. Most of my advice is very personalized depending on the preferences of the picky eater themself.
Whether or not their child is eating enough veggies is one of the biggest concerns I hear from parents of picky eaters. First and foremost, there is no food that your child NEEDS to eat. It’s totally possible for them to meet their nutrition needs without eating a plateful of veggies. That being said, many parents wonder if hiding veggies in their kids food is a good way to give their kids a little nutrient boost.
I may be a bit biased, but I think that every parent could benefit from working with a pediatric nutritionist. Most pediatricians get very minimal training in nutrition and often don’t have the time to answer questions in depth. Dietitians, however, specialize in just feeding and often our appointments are longer, giving us more time to focus on any area of concerns you may have.
You’re so proud, because it seems your baby will eat anything. You think you’ve prevented picky eating and then BAM! Your child stops eating many of the foods they used to love. Sound familiar?
Some level of food preference is expected. There are probably some foods that you prefer and other that you don’t. It’s the same with kids. We all have varying tastes.
Put simply, food chaining is a technique where you make gradual changes over time to introduce your child to a new food. You start with a food that your child prefers and make small changes to it. The change can be as small as cutting a sandwich horizontally instead of diagonally. Once your child has accepted one small change, you can begin working on another. Over time, you can introduce brand new foods.
If you have a picky eater at home, you know how challenging it can be to come up with healthy snack ideas day after day. One of biggest recommendations for picky eaters is to try and offer variety as much as possible. This can be extremely tricky if your child only like a handful of foods.
It’s incredibly common for children to go through a picky eating phase, somewhere between ages 1-3. At this time, their energy needs decrease significantly and their autonomy increases. This combination can lead to stressful meals.
For most kids, this is only a temporary phase and there are some simple things you can do as a parent to help your picky eater expand their palate.
You may have heard me talking about the importance of eating together as a family, but as you’re watching your baby dump food off their tray or your toddler run circles around the table, you wonder, “Is it really worth it? Do the benefits outweigh the stress?”
First, I have tips for encouraging your toddler to remain seated and to help prevent your baby from dumping their food off their tray. I promise family meals don’t need to be stressful (I created a whole course on that premise)! Plus there are really so many benefits from eating together as a family, even if your whole family isn’t present.
While baby led weaning is a feeding strategy for introducing solids to your baby, baby led feeding focuses on setting up the foundation of responsive feeding. Responsive feeding is the idea that your child is in charge of certain aspects of eating. It is not up to the caregiver to determine what or how much a child eats. You trust that your child will honor their hunger and satiety cues. This sets them up for balanced eating in the future.
