SLU Nutrition and Dietetics Internship Blog: Picky Eaters - Tips and Tricks to Help Cope With Them

Written By: Harini Shanmugasundaram; SLU Dietetic Intern

Tip 1 – Help children explore and learn about a variety of food with no expectation to eat it.

Knowledge helps to decrease anxiety.
Let kids explore and even play with their food.
Ask questions during their interaction with the foods.

Tip 2 – Use positive language.

Avoid saying – “stop, don’t, or no” at meals.
Helpful to state rules regarding appropriate behavior in positive terms

“The food stays on the table.”
“Chairs are for sitting, not standing.”

Tip 3 – Serve “safe food” at every meal.

Serving one thing that your child finds acceptable can greatly reduce power struggles.
Avoid special order cooking – everybody gets a little of everything on their plate.

Tip 4 – Remember the “10 times rule.”

Research shows that it takes about 10 times of trying a food to know if you like it.
Don’t try to persuade them they like the food but instead let them have their opinion, smile, and say “We’ll try it again sometime. It takes lots of tries to decide.”

Tip 5 – Gently affirm sampling of new foods.

Do not pressure, manipulate, reward, or excessively praise children for eating à this implies that children wouldn’t naturally want to eat the food.
Child should realize he is eating something of his own choice, not to please the parent (you).

Tip 6 – Involve kids in food choice and cooking.

Kids are involved, they’re more interested in the outcome.
Enlist help in the kitchen – younger child can tear lettuce; older child can chop ingredients.

Tip 7 – Eat meals as a family and try to make them fun.

Studies show that kids who eat together with their families eat more fruits and vegetables, and have lower rates of adult obesity and alcoholism, better grades, and better emotional wellbeing.
Don’t be afraid to mix things up to make mealtime fun.

Tip 8 – Keep it light.

Whether you’re telling a joke or watching how entertaining peas are when they roll around your plate, fun at the table reduced the anxiety that drives most food avoidance.

Tip 9 – Say, “you can eat it when you’re ready.”

Toddlers and older kids love to tell you their opinions about meal options.
Have your child stay at the table for an age-appropriate amount of time, and then let them get down.

Tip 10 – Model the behavior you want to see.

When your child watches you, they learn to eat what you eat. Model all the strategies we discussed here in front of your child.
Let your kid see you eat a variety of different foods. It’s okay to let them know that you are learning to like foods as well.

Overall: The most important thing is to continue to offer a good variety of healthy food in a safe, fun environment without taking over your child’s responsibility of choosing what and how much to eat. Help them learn to choose wisely for themselves, they will keep growing those skills on their own for a lifetime of healthy eating. Model how to talk about the foods on your own plate, use neutral language to discuss disserts, and even play with your own food to help them engage with theirs. Whatever your situation, we know picky eating is a struggle, and we’re rooting for you!