Do You Have A Picky Eater? Maybe TWO Picky Eaters? How To Handle That Trying Situation!

 

Do You Have A Picky Eater?  Maybe TWO Picky Eaters?  How To Handle That Trying Situation!

7-20-2011

 

 

I’m writing this because I’m the busy mom of two picky eaters.  One has been picky for as long as I can remember, however, she is growing more and more picky over time. 

 

One is my 5 year old and one is my 16 month old twin daughter.  My son will eat absolutely anything. 

 

Most boys, (older boys), are good with food, though of course there are exceptions.   Especially in infancy and toddler-hood.  No sex is immune at that time.

 

What can you do?  Well, they say introducing babies to a lot of different foods at an early age is a very helpful way to keep them ‘food friendly’ in later years.  This might not be a definite, but it’s worth a shot. 

 

 Introduce lots of different veggies, meats, and table food when the child is old enough, so they can increase the tastes that HOPEFULLY, will soon tantalize their palates.

 

Some children become extremely fussy over food, and may become thin and/or undernourished because of it.  This is very worrisome to parents who may feel at the end of their ropes.  Some things to make sure you are doing or not doing are:

 

1)  First and foremost don’t give up! 

 If you give up, your child or children won’t get proper nutrition and will suffer the consequences of it.  It’s all a work in progress.  Be patient and stay tough.  Rome wasn’t built in a day.

 

 

2)  Make sure your infants, toddlers, and older children are on vitamins. 

Prescription ones tend to be best, so talk to your doctor if he didn’t automatically prescribed them.  If you can’t get those for any reason, do give your child something for kids from the store.  Anything is better then nothing. 

 

They of course aren’t a substitute for food, but they help to some degree to ‘fill in the gaps’ so to speak of some missing vitamins.  All children and even adults should take them.

 

 

3)  Introduce new foods slowly. 

Start out with small portions and one taste at a time.  Don’t overwhelm.  Maybe try out one food for 3 or 4 days, along with their normal diet, (known liked foods), and then try something else.  Make the experience a positive one and hopefully you will soon see positive results in return.

 

 

4)  Add something yummy to the non-liked food, especially if the child is older.

An example:  My 5 year old doesn’t like grilled chicken,or most chicken in general, but she desperately needs the protein.  I add very light coating of barbecue sauce while grilling to add flavor to it, and boom, a culinary delight to make her eat every bite.  A honey mustard dipping sauce works wonders as well.

 

The biggest thing is getting them to ingest veggies and proteins in meat, so if you have to make compromises, make them.  Don’t just let them sit there and not eat their lunches or dinners, or you may have an anemic and potentially sick child as a result.

 

I make sure there is butter on veggies at the very least, and the way to get my daughter to eat hers, is to cool the veggies in the fridge and add a topping called Nakano.  It’s like a light dressing, and she LOVES IT! 

 

It really makes momma even like her veggies much more, and is healthier then adding cheese, though a little cheddar on broccoli never killed anybody.  Don’t get in the habit of always adding that sort of thing to disliked foods, but that Nakano might be something to think about w/ your own kids.  It’s not bad for them. 

 

 

5)  Make meal time family time, and not time for chaos, and getting up and running around time. 

Keep little ones strapped in, and be stern with older children to stay seated.  I’ve had this issue with my own.  Keep things calm, no yelling, no frustration.  (Keep it in your head moms ). 

 

Keep your child at the table as best you can, and make meal time happy time.  Not full of distractions, stressors, or temptations like television sets running in the background.  Shut those off! 

 

These things will in turn will make your child eat less, and be less prone to try something new. They will be stressed and want to get out of their seats, or return to a T.V. program they like.

 

 

6)  Don’t convey your own personal dislikes to your children.

Hide it if you have to and pretend to like something if you must, but little ones especially look up to mom & dad, especially mom.  Many times they follow by your example, so set a good one, and hopefully they will decide to give a particular food a try.

 

I hope these tips will help your picky toddler or child eat better, and be healthier.  That’s all we really want for them.  We aren’t trying to torture them.  This they will learn when they have their own little ones.  Mother always knows best!

 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Happy eating!