6 Healthy Ideas for Feeding Picky Eaters

How to Get Your Child the Nutrients They Need

Balanced nutrition helps children grow up healthy and strong. Picky eating, though, can make it challenging for your child to get the nutrients they need. While not all children go through a picky eating phase, many do — especially toddlers and children under age 5.

As a picky eater, your child may:

• Avoid food that touches other foods

• Only eat a few foods

• Start to refuse foods they used to eat

Sometimes, the cause of picky eating is a developmental stage. Your child may be sensitive to tastes and textures. They may desire more control and independence. Some children may feel anxiety about trying new foods, especially during mealtime.

Whatever the reason, there are methods you can try to help your child overcome their picky eating behavior. Do what works for you and your family, and ask your pediatrician for support if needed.

1. Create a Consistent Mealtime Routine

Young children benefit from consistent routines, including mealtimes. Try to eat around the same times each day, so your child knows what to expect. A set mealtime also ensures your child is hungry enough to eat. It’s best if at least two hours pass between snacks and meals.

Additionally, it helps if you sit down as a family for meals when you can. Your child is likely to eat more in a calm, stress-free environment where they can focus on their food without distraction.

2. Involve Your Child When Making the Meal

Most children love to help in the kitchen. They’re more prone to eat a meal if they helped make it. Start by giving them simple tasks, such as washing and sorting fruits and vegetables. Try mini veggie pizzas or a taco bar so they can choose their own toppings and have some ownership over what they eat.

3. Pair New Foods with a Familiar Favorite

It’s important to introduce your child to new foods, but you’ll have better success if you give them new foods alongside a food you know they like. As you serve your child snacks and meals, pay attention to what they prefer. Do they like certain flavors, such as sweet or savory? Do they tend to enjoy crunchy foods or creamier textures? How do they react when they have a lot of foods on the plate versus just a few?

When you know what and how your child prefers to eat, you can adjust their meals, so newer foods are more appealing. For example, if your child likes cheese, try adding cheese to a vegetable, such as broccoli.

4. Add Food Variety to Make Eating Fun

Even if you don’t think your child likes fruits and vegetables, it’s still important to offer them at meals. Ultimately, a parent’s job is to provide healthy foods, and a child’s job is to decide what and how much to eat. To increase the chances that they’ll eat a balanced diet, you can:

• Add color to their plate with rainbow pasta or fruit kebobs

• Cut produce into fun shapes or faces

• Give them a choice between a couple of your approved foods

• Include veggies in sauce, smoothies or meatballs, so your child still gets all the major food groups

Myplate.gov can be a helpful resource for knowing what and how much food to serve your child based on their age.

5. Try Foods Again and Again

If you serve a food, and your child refuses to eat it, wait a few days, and serve it again. According to Healthy Eating Research (HER), it can take 10 or more tries for a child to start liking a food. It’s easy to give up after three or four attempts, but repetition helps with food acceptance.

6. Lead by Example

Children tend to model the behavior they see, so if you want them to eat healthy, you should eat healthy, too. If you pick out spinach from your dish, it might be harder to get your child to try the spinach.

Similarly, if your child has a tantrum when eating, stay calm. If you have a big reaction, they’ll probably have a big reaction.

Download a handout on healthy tips for picky eaters from the United States Department of Agriculture.

When to See a Picky Eating Professional

For most children, picky eating is a phase that passes with time. However, it can be stressful and frustrating for parents. Try to be patient and consistent as you offer your child a variety of flavors, colors and textures.

Make sure you discuss your child’s eating habits with your pediatrician. They may refer you to an occupational therapist, feeding therapist or pediatric dietitian if your child:

• Avoids many of the foods they used to eat

• Gags a lot when eating

• Is extremely unwilling to eat

• Shows distress at mealtimes

At Children’s Nebraska, we’re here to support you and your child with expert care and guidance at every state of growth. If you’re looking for a pediatrician for your child, visit our Children’s Physicians page and find a location near you.