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Baby Nutrition

Feeding Your Picky Eater
Expand the horizons of kids who think everything is "yucky."

The Source of Picky Eating

If you're the parent of a toddler, you probably have had your share of "food fights." For most parents, the situation quickly turns from annoying to worrisome. After all, if your child eats nothing but a spoonful of macaroni and cheese for an entire day, how can he possibly get the nutrients he needs to grow? Fortunately, there's little cause for concern--and lots of tricks and treats you can employ to get your finicky eater to step up to his plate.

It's quite normal for toddlers to go through a finicky-eating phase for emotional, development, and physical reasons, according to Sal Severe, PhD, author of How to Behave So Your Preschooler Will Too! (Viking, 2002). Not surprisingly, 95 percent of picky eaters are between the ages of 2 and 4. Here are some of the reasons children often become picky eaters at this stage:

1. Little children thrive on routine and are sometimes fearful of new people or experiences. All those new tastes, textures, and smells can be overwhelming to a toddler, so he's less likely to try an unfamiliar food.

2. Refusing food is a toddler's way of declaring her independence. As your child becomes mobile and reaches more developmental milestones, she gains a sense of her own capabilities and starts to have more opinions about what she wants to do and where she wants to go. It's a common struggle between children and their parents -- kids at this age are testing the world around them, and the dinner table is no exception, notes Loraine Stern, MD, an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles.

3. Food fights allow a toddler to observe cause and effect. There's nothing more satisfying to a toddler than seeing what his parents will do when he asserts his will.

4. Some kids don't need much food. Your little one isn't a baby anymore. Babies grow at a tremendous pace, says Dr. Stern, but 1- to 3-year-olds grow more slowly. In fact, there are weeks when they don't grow at all. A toddler's appetite will vary according to that particular growth period -- sometimes she'll be hungrier and need more food than at other times. And since a toddler's stomach is small, she doesn't need much food to feel satisfied.

Overcoming Mealtime Struggles

Here are some strategies for putting an end to those food fights.

1. Make food more fun. The same old sandwich is a lot more appetizing to a toddler when it's shaped like a dinosaur. Stock up on cookie cutters and muffin tins and you'll see more of that lunch disappear.

2. Start sneaking in new foods. Many fussy children eat the same collection of foods every day. To broaden your child's limited repertoire and pack more vitamins, minerals, and fiber into his diet, offer small portions of new foods alongside old favorites, suggests Bridget Swinney, RD, a nutritionist in El Paso, Texas, and author of Healthy Food for Healthy Kids (Meadowbrook, 1999). Initially, your child may ignore these strange new dishes, but keep trying. Studies show that if you offer a food to a toddler 10 times, eventually he'll try it.

3. Give traditional recipes a healthier twist. A brownie made with applesauce instead of oil is just as sweet and a lot more nutritious than its fatty counterpart.

4. Mix and match ingredients. Don't get hung up on which foods "go" together. Go ahead and put those berries next to that potato. A variety of colors and textures may help make healthy food palatable to your picky toddler.

5. Keep juice and soft drink intake to a minimum. Beverages are important -- especially whole milk and water. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that your toddler drink two to three glasses of milk a day. However, be sure to moderate the amount of other liquids, such as juices and soft drinks between meals. Kids often overdrink, and when there's lots of liquid in their stomach, they don't eat, notes Dr. Wilkoff.

6. Compromise. If your kid is clamoring for sugared cereal, mix some in with Cheerios or another healthy option. A little sugar won't hurt if you monitor it.

7. Let your child help. Even a toddler can sprinkle grated carrots on a salad. Little kids love to help and are more likely to try food they've had a hand in preparing.

8. Resist the urge to bribe. No matter how tempting it is to coax in a few carrots with the promise of a cupcake, these kinds of negotiations teach your child that some foods are more desirable than others and that food is about power struggles rather than nutrition.

9. Set a good example at the table. Arrange mealtimes so you can sit together as a family for at least one meal a day. Kids are more likely to try different foods if everyone else is eating them.

10. Let your child leave the table when he's done. A young child doesn't have the attention span to sit through a long meal. When he's finished with his food, let him leave the table to play with some quite toys in your dining area or kitchen while you finish eating.

Don't worry every time your little one leaves the table with his plate half full. Offer your child three healthy meals and two small snacks a day. And if he doesn't eat much, don't sweat it. Children are the best judges of how much food they can fit in their small tummies. Your toddler will eat when he's hungry and stop when he's full, says Swinney.

Your should know:

The information on this Web site is designed for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your pediatrician or family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have regarding your or your child's condition.