Picky, Picky, Picky: How to Develop Healthier Eating Habits for Your Picky Eater

It’s no secret that proper nutrition is important for preschoolers, so for parents, having a picky eater can be anxiety-inducing. Of course, you want them to develop a healthy relationship with food and make good choices, but what if your preschooler only wants chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese?

Fussy or picky eaters are often born from power struggles, because they sense how important nutrition is to their parents. Preschoolers are beginning to learn control over their actions, including what they eat or don’t eat, which can turn mealtimes into negotiations (eat the peas and then you can have dessert!)

The good news is that pickiness is common in young children, and they normally outgrow it. However, developing the wrong relationship with food, and adamantly avoiding new foods could lead to health consequences such as Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).

So, what steps can you take to make meal and snack times healthier and more productive?

• Make certain foods fun. For children, vegetables are generally tough to swallow (literally and figuratively) so try serving broccoli with a dip or sauce. Use cookie cutters to create cool shapes out of bread. Or how about breakfast for dinner?
• Schedule meals and snacks. Establishing a routine is incredibly important at this age and sticking to a consistent eating schedule can be helpful. A regularly scheduled snack can be a nutritional stop gap if your preschooler decided that they didn’t want to eat their last meal.
• Which brings us to…don’t force food. For those who came from the “clean your plate club” as a child, you can let this one go! Forcing can cause stress which no one needs at the dinner table.
• You aren’t a short order cook. Try not to fall into the trap of making a special meal outside of what the rest of the family is having just to appease your picky eater. That is a precedent you do not want to set.
• Change is good. New foods can be hard to introduce, so exercise a little tolerance if the first response isn’t the most favorable. Try introducing the new food with their favorites, and don’t give up. It will likely take more than one mealtime for the new food to “stick.”
• Be that change. If you eat healthy, try new foods, and stay on schedule, it is likely your preschooler will too. Role modeling that behavior can only help your cause!
• Don’t hold back. Resist the urge to use dessert as a reward for your picky eater. This won’t come as a surprise but withholding a sweet dessert will only increase its appeal and that could lead to an unhealthy obsession. It is also ok to redefine what dessert is. This fruit and cheese plate could make you change your mind about what you serve!

If you have concerns about your preschooler’s eating, it is always wise to discuss the situation with your pediatrician who can make certain evaluations and suggestions. Even if they are just going through a phase, the old adage of “better to be safe than sorry” rings true here.

Most often, with a little patience, persistence, and some creativity, you can help bring your preschooler out of that picky eating phase and into some healthy habits!

Also, discover ways to make your preschooler a more independent eater here.