Story:
Mealtime has significant meaning and purpose culturally, emotionally and nutritionally. When your child and family are facing challenges it is a constant stress!
"Feeding is a reciprocal relationship that depends on the abilities and characteristics of both the parent and the child," said widely respected diet specialist Ellen Satter, author of such books as Your Child's Weight -Helping Without Harming.
There are many reasons your child may be a "picky" eater.
He or she may have legitimate preferences or medical reasons, there may be difficulty with the mealtime relationship, or the child may be protesting because their oral motor skills are not developed enough to meet demands.
Some children have significant sensory preferences making diversifying their diet difficult, while for others learning their cues and letting them take the lead is important.
Cognitive development also comes in to play with increased independence.
Mealtime is very complicated. As occupational therapists, we partner with families and assess the components of the task, the child and the environment to provide intervention and consultation enabling achievement of their mealtime goals.
Applying basic strategies can assist families struggling to help their "picky eaters" before this impacts growth and nutrition and mealtimes become a negative experience.
How to get started with your picky eater:
Consult your physician to rule out medical concerns (protesting may be due to reflux or swallowing difficulties), monitor growth, and help guide you to appropriate health care professionals, such as an occupational therapist, dietician, nutritionist or swallowing clinic.
Self-reflect. Do you have personal components that impact mealtime? For example, are you a neat freak and avoid messy food experiences?
Redefine mealtime. Encourage your child to participate in mealtime in alternative ways such as helping you grocery shop, passing food at the table or food preparation.
Be playful! Use a food your child likes as a dipper to taste a new one.
Incorporate food play such as pudding finger painting, fruit stamps, cereal beads, tower building, using cookie cutters and toy dump trucks to transport foods.
Change what you mean when you want your child to try a food. "Trying" does not have to mean "put it in your mouth and swallow." It can mean passing it to someone else, touching it (with a hand, toy, through a plastic bag), painting your lips with it, smelling it, feeding it to someone, or licking it.
Sometimes just allowing the food in the room nearby is the first step.
Try and avoid conflict. Instead, offer choices and avoid asking kids directly to take another bite by saying: "Which would you like first, the apple or the grape? Do you want to take an ant bite or an elephant bite? How loud can you crunch that?
Be a model. Let them know how yummy something is, and how you "try" your own food.
Celebrate mealtime participation in whatever way your child is able. Meeting your child where they are comfortable and working from there is the first step to happy family mealtime experiences.
Bon appetite!
