Picky eating habits are a major dilemma for most parents, and even pediatricians. Although this may seem disturbing, this is a normal and expected behavior of infants and small children. As their taste buds develop, your child’s preferences are apt to change.

Rather than get distressed over the fact that your child has refused much of everything you try to give him, keep in mind that there is a way to deal with these common feeding problems.
 


Fear of the new

The most common of these is fear of the new. “If your baby is like most other babies, chances are, he won’t be too excited about trying out new foods, nor too adventuresome even when you’ve done your best to make his dinner look attractive. This means that your child may reject most of the food you offer whether it’s the first time or not. The key is not to give up! If you stop after one or two tries, you are reinforcing your child’s picky eating as he gets older.

Don’t force-feed him either. Just be patient, and persistent. If your child doesn’t eat any of his steamed green beans, you don’t have to give up and give him something that he usually likes. Unless he has an obvious allergic reaction to it, keep offering him food he previously rejected, even if it means eating only half a mouthful every time. Eventually he will learn to accept it, though it may never be his favorite. Introducing new foods in interesting shapes and colors also helps. Carrot wheels, cheese animals, egg boats, fruit flowers--the possibilities are endless.

Creativity goes a long way

He may go through a period of days, even weeks, when he will only want to eat one or two kinds of food and refuse everything else. Don’t get angry with your child about this nor force him to eat. No food is essential to your child, and there will always be an equally nutritious substitute for whatever he refuses to eat. As long as your child is offered a wide variety of foods, he will basically get a balanced diet. However, a parent must watch out for refusal to eat anything from an important food group, since your child’s nutritional intake could be affected. This is where your imagination comes in. Tempt him with an interesting arrangement, or by cooking food in a different way.

Finicky eating can also be a major problem. One day your child may suddenly refuse to eat his favorite food, or he refuses to eat, period. This is not the time to make a big deal of it. It is their way of asserting their independence. It is also no coincidence that at around the time he learns to walk, his interest in food wanes.

Parental patience

These strategies, though, will not completely prevent picky eating. It is often something that some children just develop. No matter how you deal with your child’s finicky feeding, some basic guidelines apply:

  • Offer a variety of foods and don’t over-feed him. Introduce new food one at a time, about 3 to 5 days apart, to give him enough time to adjust to each one.
  • Use sweets, fats and salt in moderation. Fresh and natural is the way to go. Preserved foods usually have too many nitrates that could be harmful.
  • Don’t force-feed your baby. You’ll be in for frequent food battles if you do.
  • Don’t use his favorite food as a bribe or reward for eating something he usually doesn’t. A lot of encouragement goes a long way.
  • Even when they're eating well, most kids rarely get the recommended daily vitamins and minerals. So while you're trying to expand your child's food preferences, is prudent to give her multivitamins daily.

Most of all, be patient. As you probably know by now, a lot of adjustment comes with the growth of your baby, and hopefully somebody warned you that things would be a lot different from now on. Learn to see the humor in a face smeared with applesauce and smashed bananas stuck to your shoe. You will find that both you and your baby will look forward to mealtimes more and enjoy them together.