My Child is a Picky Eater

Parents feel unappreciated and angry when kids won’t eat what they cook. Children’s tastes in food varies greatly even day to day, and some children are just “picky” about almost all food.

1. Realize that kids’ appetites change often. They like the same foods over and over and have strong feelings about which foods they like, or dislike; let the child determine when they have had enough.
2. It is not worth fighting about one particular food; no one food insures good health. An inexpensive chewable multivitamin can help make up for some of the foods your child won’t eat.
3. Give choices and small portion, allowing the child to ask for more.
4. A picky eater who disrupts mealtime for others can be given a “time out” in another room, or turn their chair around for a brief time. Don’t give a child attention–even scolding–for being “picky”.
5. Children need nutritious snacks, but if there is too much snacking going on, they may not be hungry at meal time.
6. Make mealtimes happy, social times and talk about the good events of the day.