Being a picky eater is part of what it means to be a toddler. We have since learned that there are developmental reasons why kids between one and three years of age peck and poke at their food. After a year of rapid growth (the average one-year-old has tripled her birth weight), toddlers gain weight more slowly. So, of course, they need less food. The fact that these little ones are always on the go also affects their eating patterns. They don't sit still for anything, even food. Snacking their way through the day is more compatible with these busy explorers' lifestyle than sitting down to a full-fledged feast.
Kids’ “picky eating” is a common complaint among parents, many of whom worry that their children’s nutrient intake suffers as a result.
Young children become picky eaters for a variety of reasons. Understanding what may be behind this behaviour can make it less frustrating for parents. It can also provide clues to what strategies might help you cope with the behaviour. If your child's picky eating is actually compromising his or her growth and development, the same understanding can suggest tips for better child nutrition. Don’t assume that children will grow out of picky eating. The number of foods kids like does not change much from the age of two or three to age eight. In fact, new foods are often more likely accepted at age two to four than at four to eight.
To establish enjoyment of good eating, offer a wide variety of healthy foods. Surprisingly, babies are often offered more vegetables as baby food than they receive as toddlers. Later, vegetables are restricted by dislikes of mothers and other family members, frequent complaints that preparing vegetables takes too much time, and unfounded beliefs that children don’t eat particular foods. Finding quick-fix ways to serve vegetables benefits everyone and should be a priority.
To further reduce the chance of picky eating, don’t let mealtimes become a power struggle. Behaviour scientists see control issues promoting picky eating at least, in some children. Let there be a division of responsibility: parents and caregivers should decide what foods are offered and when. Kids should have sole responsibility for deciding how much to eat. This teaches them to use internal hunger signals to eat only what they need – something many adults raised in the “clean your plate” style find difficult.
After the age of 2, your child's growth rate slows dramatically. Babies typically quadruple their birth weight by the time they turn 2. But between the ages of 2 and 5, children gain only 4 to 5 pounds each year. Young children tend to eat only when they're hungry. A parent's job is to provide several different types of nutritious food at every meal and snack. Your child will make decisions on whether to eat, what to eat and how much to eat, though you can help guide this process. A young child's stomach is only about the size of his or her fist. That's why small but frequent feedings work best. Prohibit snacking for one hour before meals so that your child can come to the table hungry and motivated to eat.
Toddlers and preschoolers often can fill up on milk or juice, and simply have no room for a wider variety of foods. Some juice products — even those containing 100 percent juice — provide more sugar and calories than sugared sodas do. Don't force children to clean their plates. Threats and punishments only reinforce the power struggle. Don't appear overly concerned about what does and doesn't get eaten. Over the course of a week, most children get plenty of variety and nutrition in their diets. If your child is energetic and growing, he or she is doing fine.
Introduce a new food in a neutral manner. Talk about the food's color, shape, size, aroma and texture — but not about whether it tastes good. Be patient with your child's investigative habits. Young children often touch or smell new foods, and may even put tiny bits in their mouths and then take them back out again.
Children often need at least 10 exposures to a new food before they accept it, so be persistent.
Try these tips:
Start small: Begin by placing a small portion of the new food on your child's plate next to familiar foods. And remember — new foods will seem more appealing at meals if your child hasn't just finished a snack.
Make it fun: Cut foods with solid textures into various shapes with cookie cutters.
Involve your child: At the grocery store, let your child help select new fruits, vegetables, whole grain items and yoghurt flavours for the whole family to try. At home, involve your child in food preparation.
Be a good example: Children often mimic their parents. The more frequently you eat a particular food, the more likely your child will be to eventually try it.
Finally, as you implement all these ideas, be patient. Some aspects of individual personality and personal food preferences, as well as normal childhood behaviors that kids do outgrow, can be involved in fussy eating. Do what you can do for them. Then make sure their fussiness is not keeping you from healthy eating.
