Picky Eating Signs Every Parent Should Know
Mealtimes should be a time for family connection, but if your child is a picky eater, they can quickly become a source of stress. Understanding the signs of picky eating and learning simple strategies to support your child can help make mealtimes more positive and manageable.
What Does Picky Eating Look Like?
Each child is unique, but if your child is a picky eater, they may throw tantrums or display heightened emotions around the table. “Food burnout” can also occur, where your child suddenly stops eating a previously preferred food, but may return to it after a short break. You may also find that your child is eating different meals than the rest of the family. These patterns can make planning family meals more challenging.
How to Help Your Child Try New Foods
The goal is to make the experience of trying new foods fun and playful for your child rather than putting pressure on them. To help your picky eater get interested in trying new foods at home, you can try:
Adding fun accessories like colorful toothpicks with animals or shapes
Using shape cutters to turn sandwiches or vegetables into rabbits, flowers, or stars
Exploring food as a "food scientist" by asking questions about color, taste, or smell
Engaging in playful interactions, like "kissing" the food or doing "rocket blasts"
Using fun straws or unique utensils to change the sensory experience
Remember, you don’t always have to do this at a structured mealtime. Playing with food when there is no expectation to eat can help lower a child's anxiety and build trust.
Six Phases of Learning to Eat New Foods
There are actually six phases a child needs to go through to learn to eat a new food, with 25 different steps within those phases. Every child and every food is different; some days a child might stay in one phase, and other days they may surprise you by moving through several.
These phases act as a ladder toward success:
Tolerating: Being in the same room, at the same table, or having the food in their space
Interacting: Engaging with the food without touching it, such as using a utensil or a toothpick
Smelling: Exploring and building tolerance for the scent of the food
Touching: Using hands, face, or lips to feel the texture of the food
Tasting: Licking the food or putting it in the mouth without swallowing
Eating: Chewing and swallowing the food
By understanding these phases, you can celebrate the small wins. Even if your child isn't eating the food yet, moving from "Tolerating" to "Touching" is a vital step toward the goal of a successful mealtime.
Creating a Comfortable Eating Environment at Home
For a child to feel comfortable eating, they first need to feel safe. You can foster this environment by:
Involving your child in the kitchen by allowing them to help mix ingredients or cut foods with kid-safe knives
Serving meals "family style" in the center of the table so they can see what others are eating without feeling pressured
Offering at least one preferred "safe" food at every meal
Encouraging play with new textures, such as making a "cracker train" and driving it across the table to help your child feel safe around food.
When to Seek Feeding Therapy
If these struggles sound familiar, your child may be a candidate for feeding therapy. A general rule of thumb is that if a child has 10 or fewer foods in their regular rotation, or lacks variety across food groups, professional support can help.
Contact Metro Therapy
If your child is a picky eater, call Metro Therapy today at 763-450-9400 to learn how feeding therapy can help or reach out via our website.
