Dealing With a Picky Eater

I have one child who is a picky eater. This caused a lot of anxiety on my part until she was around 5ish and I had my second child and didn't have time to indulge her finickiness anymore; meaning I could no longer make her separate meals. One of my older sisters gave me suggestions that helped me out:

Tell your child to just try two bites. Sometimes all she would eat were the two bites but sometimes she would keep right on eating.

Serve the food on smaller plates.
This worked well with my daughter because she then didn't feel overwhelmed at feeling like she had to eat a plate of food she didn't like.

Don't make a separate meal.
This was hard for me because I was used to making my daughter whatever she liked, but it caused me additional work and stress. It is ok for your child to be picky about food, but not ok that it causes you extra work and stress. Explain that they don't have to eat what you prepared but you are not making anything else.

Keep offering food they sorta don't like another time.
Some of my daughter's favorite foods now are things she disliked years ago.

Food that they show a strong aversion to, don't insist that they eat.
Even only two bites. My daughter will never, ever, ever like mushrooms, for example.

Don't keep junk food in the house.
For snacks offer raw fruit or vegetables, occasionally homemade cookies or muffins. I know kids go over other people's houses and get exposed to yogurt covered pretzels or glow in the dark yogurt and stuff, but don't let it stress you out when they ask you for such things. Explain why you don't buy such things and/or that those are treats special to grandma's house or whatever.

I know it hurts when your child is picky about food, but rest assured that unless they have an eating disorder they won't starve themselves. And they will eat what you give them and provide in the household.

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