What Everyone Needs to Know About Handling Picky Eaters

Many kids seem to be picky eaters. Many will only eat foods cooked a certain way or foods that meet certain criteria. So, how do you get your picky eater to eat a balanced diet of different foods with different vitamins and minerals in them?

The first piece of advice I have is to follow your kid’s lead. If they say that they are not hungry and don’t want to eat, then let it go. Healthy children will not starve themselves. But, if your child refuses to eat his carrots and then immediately claims he is hungry for cookies, you’ve got another problem!

So, if your problem is that your child likes sweets or other foods that are not healthy, ban these foods from your home. In my house, sweets are considered “sometimes foods” and generally we only have these treats when we are out. Cupcakes or cake is reserved for birthday parties. Ice cream is reserved for a once a month treat when we go to the ice cream parlor. And, chips and donuts are pretty much not eaten except in the event of very special parties. And yet, my child does not seem to miss them because she knows them as treats and as such, they are very exciting for her!

Another problem many people have is that they find that their children are just not hungry at mealtimes. I have a few suggestions for this problem and it depends on your lifestyle and what you’ve been doing in the past. First of all, a regular mealtime schedule is important for children. If they can anticipate meals at a certain time (give or take a bit, within reason), they are more likely to be hungry. In addition, if you have a set schedule for mealtimes, you can accordingly plan snacks so that they are not too close to the mealtimes.

Next, I would suggest that you limit the amount of liquids your child drinks. A child who guzzles cup after cup of apple juice will get full. The same goes for milk. And, it goes double for soda!! Yes, milk and apple juice do have some nutritive value but simply drinking milk or juice all day does not fulfill the balanced dietary needs.