How To Not Raise Picky Eaters

Some kids are just naturally picky eaters, a fact which can be frustrating for parents and other adults in a child’s life to cope with. It can be difficult to make sure that kids are getting healthy food if they’re picky eaters and the whole process of mealtime can become something of a chore. But you don’t have to let your kids become picky eaters and you can help them get less picky if they’re just naturally that way.

Before you can change picky eating habits, you need to get in touch with how you feel about the situation. Eating can be an unfortunate game of power between the child and the adult because there isn’t a whole lot that you can do if your child doesn’t want to eat and he knows it. If you get frustrated with mealtime, your child has the advantage over you. So, figure out first and foremost what’s going on with you. Why do you want your child to eat differently than he is? Are you concerned about his health or are you just trying to establish control? What do you think will happen if he doesn’t eat what he’s given? Address these concerns in your mind so that you can approach mealtime with an upbeat attitude.

To that end, make meals as relaxed as possible. If everyone is at the table, engaging in relaxed conversation and enjoying the meal, then the entire experience will be more pleasant. If you casually introduce new foods to your dinner table and everyone at the table is casually enjoying them, your child will want to enjoy them, too. This is a much different experience from telling your child that he has to eat his vegetables and fighting with him when he doesn’t. The whole laid back approach to enjoying food will set the tone for less picky eating.

You should also educate your child about why you eat the healthy things that you do. By teaching kids from early on that there are foods which make your body feel good and foods which don’t, you teach them to be appropriately picky about what they put in their bodies, instead of being inappropriately picky. They learn self-control about their food instead of learning about how to negotiate control with you.

Finally, you should offer a range of choices but you shouldn’t cater to your child’s dining desires. If you’re offering a selection of foods with each meal (a meat, two vegetables, and a fruit, for example) then your child should be able to find something on the table that he wants to eat and will still be eating healthy. At the same time, you shouldn’t let your child demand more than what is being offered. This caves in to the food power play which is what you’re trying to avoid.

Most kids who are picky eaters eventually grow out of this phase of their lives. You can limit the time period of it by approaching it with a positive attitude. Keep dinnertime relaxed and introduce new foods to your picky eaters in an appropriate way. Don’t get engaged in a power play over eating. It’s a waste of everyone’s time and will just ruin your meal. Enjoy the time that you spend together eating with your kids and even your picky eaters will have fun at the table.

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