Why do children have sensory food aversions? And, how can you help them overcome sensory issues with food? Get the answers and 8 simple strategies…
From the very beginning of Your Kid’s Table, I have always wanted to help parents better understand sensory processing and anything related to kids and eating. Over the last few years, I have answered many comments about how the two things are related, and often result in a sensory food aversion.
I wanted to dedicate a post completely to sensory issues with food, to help you understand if sensory processing is playing a role in your child’s picky eating and, perhaps more importantly, what you can do help!
I first noticed my son’s sensory issues with food when I introduced food to him, I knew the red flags (you’ll read about those later), and if I hadn’t introduced specific sensory strategies to help him learn to eat foods, we’d likely still be struggling, years later, because a sensory food aversion is on a whole different level than just your average “picky eating”.
Why Do Kids Have Sensory Issues with Food?
To understand food related sensory issues, we’ve first got to talk about sensory processing, which is our ability to interpret smells, tastes, sounds, touches, sights, and movement from our environment. Although most of us process this information in similar ways, it is completely unique to every individual, to every child. We are bombarded all day long with various sensory input, and eating, which many of us do 5 or 6 times a day, is a huge sensory experience that most of us take for granted.
As adults, we have been quite desensitized to the textures, flavors, and smells of food, but many of our kids have not. In the first few years of life, mealtimes are all about processing the sensory input they are receiving from various foods. Often, when kids display picky eating, especially those with food aversions/extreme picky eating, the touch, taste, or smell of a food is being processed in their brain as dis-pleasurable in some way. And, by dis-pleasurable, I mean down-right uncomfortable. Think of something that makes you shudder… nails on chalkboard or touching a slug? That feeling that you have may be just as extreme for your child when they touch an orange.
How your child responds to foods, may at least in part, be simply neurological. I hope that this information helps you as the parent depersonalize the refused dinners, at least at little, anyways!
Here’s the good news, children’s brains are extremely plastic. Meaning they are able to easily learn new things. When a child learns something new or experiences something differently, a new connection is made in their brain. The more they have that same experience, the stronger that connection gets, and then they are able to react differently then they had previously because their brain is using a new connection to process the information.
Are you following me here? Let me say it another way by telling you about my son who has a long history of sensory food aversions. Isaac gags and shudders every time he touches chicken, but one day he helps me make chicken in a different way. We cut it into small pieces and serve it with a fun dip in a cool little ramekin. I pretend the chicken is little baby dinosaurs jumping into a pond of ketchup. Then, Isaac is really motivated and relaxed (because he isn’t being pressured), so he picks up his “little baby dinosaurs” and sends them soaring into his dip without a hint of a shudder or gag.
Guess what, his brain just made a new connection, and then I had a starting point to build from!
While I’ve mostly been providing examples of a child who is sensitive to textures because the brain is over processing the input, it is also entirely possible that your child may be undersensitive to sensory input. Think of sensory processing as a spectrum with being sensitive or defensive to input (texture, smell, etc.) at one end and seeking input at the other end with a whole lot of variability in the middle.
Not processing input well can also cause picky eating because children may not feel certain soft textures in their mouth well (as if the sensation is dulled), and thus avoid them. These kids, in particular, will often prefer crunchy foods, seemingly spit out soft foods, or over-stuff their mouths to try and “feel” the food.
*Note that sensory processing isn’t just related to food, head over sensory sensitivities in kids to learn more.
Does My Child Have a Sensory Food Aversion or Disorder?
While there is no specific diagnosis for a “sensory eating disorder” or a sensory food aversion, these terms might be used when your child eats a very limited amount of foods because they have difficulty with how foods smell, taste, feel, or even how they look. Remember this is because of the way their brain is interpreting the sensations they get from food, which leads to the question.
To help narrow down if your child’s picky eating is related to sensory, it’s first helpful to think about certain groups of kids that sensory processing difficulties affect more than other’s. I’m going to list them here because if your child has one of these diagnoses and has eating difficulties, it is very likely that sensory processing is at least part of the picture. But, having sensory processing difficulties in general DOES NOT mean that your child has one of these diagnoses. Got it? Good!
Kids that fall into one of these groups and are picky eaters, often have sensory based food aversions:
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- Sensory Processing Disorder (Note that many health care providers acknowledge this diagnosis, but it is not in the current version of the DSM, which means some insurances providers will not accept this as a reason to justify therapy).
- ADD/ADHD
- Children Born Prematurely (The sensory system is one of the last to develop in utero, which is why sensory processing difficulties are common. However, this is not a rule. Many preemies display no difficulties in this area.)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Down Syndrome
- Children Adopted from Orphanages in Eastern European Countries or Russia
So, how do those sensory “difficulties” actually show up in our kids when they are related to food, here are some specific red flags to look for…
Red Flags for Sensory Issues with Food
If you child has most or all of the behaviors here, it is possible that sensory issues with food may be part of the underlying reason your child is selective about what they eat. You will notice some opposite extremes in the list below, which are indicating different ends of the sensory processing spectrum as I discussed earlier. As you’re reading, make a mental checklist of any that you see your child doing regularly:
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- Gags at the sight, smell, touch, or taste of foods. Gagging while trying to eat is a different cause that has to do with the mechanics of eating. Gagging can also be a learned behavior that may have started from either a sensitivity to sensory input or difficulty chewing or swallowing food at some point. Read more on how to help with Gagging at the Smell of Food.
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- Avoids or dislikes their hands getting messy, and I’m not just talking about at meals. You will often see your child get uncomfortable with crafts or digging in dirt/sand, etc. (This is an important point, learn more about it in Everything You Need To Know About the Tactile Sense)
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- Over stuffs or pockets food excessively and/or frequently. Pocketing food can also be the cause of poor coordination and/or difficulty chewing.
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- Never went through an oral stage as a baby/toddler where they mouthed and chewed on toys and other objects.
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- Excessively mouths and chews on various toys past the age of 18 months.
Find more sensory red flags that cover all the senses, not just related to eating. And, if you’d like to dive into understanding sensory as it relates to picky eating, head over to oral sensory processing, you’ll find more tips and activities there!
Are My Child’s Eating Difficulties all Related to Sensory?
I realize I just wrote over 800 words describing how sensory processing may be the cause of your child’s picky eating, but it is rarely the sole cause (have you notice I’ve been hinting about that). Picky eating is a complicated animal that often has many layers to it. Even if sensory processing is the major player, learned behavior and power struggles are most likely at play, too.
It is really important to make sure that you have a good routine and structure in place so that you are able to see the most improvement possible. See my Basic Strategies to Improve Eating and the plan I used to help my son for more strategies to help establish a consistent routine.
How to Get Help for Picky Eaters With Sensory Food Aversions
I want to provide you with some solid strategies to begin to improve your child’s processing of sensory information (and I will in the next section). However, there are more specialized techniques that may be appropriate under the guidance of a therapist. If your child is under 3 and you live in the US, you may qualify for free in home services. Another option is, a private evaluation from an occupational therapist that specializes in feeding and sensory processing may be appropriate. Read all about the ins and outs of feeding therapy.
Learn more about the basics of addressing picky eating. This is really important guys, don’t take this lightly! You will see so much more success with your sensory efforts if you put my 3 Keys to Turning Around Picky Eating in place. Discover what they are and how to use them simply in your home in my FREE workshop. Click here to save your seat!
Affiliate links used below. See our full disclosure.
Strategies for a Sensory Food Aversion
With that said, these few tools can be very powerful when used consistently over a period of at least 4-6 weeks because they help to desensitize the sensory system. Come back to these strategies as needed.
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- Play in a variety of sensory bins at least 5-6 times per week.
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- Use a vibrating toothbrush two times a day. My kids use these one’s all the time, but for smaller toddler mouths or those that are really sensitive, this brush is a great option.
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- When brushing teeth, encourage your child to allow you to help, and brush the sides of the tongue top of the tongue and inside the cheeks as well.
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- Build off of textures that your child is preferring. Think about making small changes to the foods they already like by changing up the brand, flavor, etc. This will help build a bridge to new foods in a way that is comfortable.
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- Encourage them to interact with the food in some way. Take baby steps. They may need to spend some time just touching the food to get used to the texture, for example.
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- Cook together. This is a no-pressure time that allows kids to explore new foods. They will often feel brave enough to try something new in the fun and relaxed nature of the moment. Again, the key here is breaking down some of that sensitivity through the exploration of food.
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- If your child falls into the over-stuffing/seeking texture category, you will want to alternate crunchy bites of food with soft food. You can also give the cheeks a firm, but gentle squeeze if the stuffing or spitting out starts, or briskly stroke from the ears to the mouth a few times. This is not meant as a punishment, but to give input to help them process the sensation of the food better.
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- Use these picky eater friendly foods for inspiration and motivation!
By implementing these strategies in combination with a solid routine, you will likely see some significant changes in your child’s eating. If you’d like a little help getting your routine rock solid so you can build on these other sensory specific tips, then grab this FREE 9 Tips to Improve Your Child’s Eating Printable.
More for Kids with a Sensory Food Aversion
The Best Picky Eating Strategy
Children’s Books to Help with Picky Eating
When Has Picky Eating Gone Too Far… Is it Something More?
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Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 14 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.
Hi my son is 8 years old and won’t eat anything new his diet consist of pizza, chicken nuggets, fries, white rice, chips and noodles. He will eat pizza but won’t eat bread or cheese if not in pizza form. He will eat chicken nuggets but won’t eat regular chicken. He would rather go to bed starving than to eat anything new I’ve tried so many tactics. I’ve tried a reward system I also tried having him help me cook In the kitchen. He drinks an ensure in the mornings and he takes vitamins but I’m worried that he’s not getting the proper nutrients his body needs. I will take any advice !!
Hi Isaac! Thanks for reaching out! We understand how stressful picky eating can be, but you are not alone! First, here’s a post about picky eating for older kids that may be helpful. Next, we always recommend promoting a no-pressure environment with mealtime. So continue to serve a variety of foods, but don’t force or pressure. Allow him to choose how much he eats. Keep cooking together- that’s great! Frequent exposure to different foods is very helpful. Try including 1-2 of his preferred foods with each meal, so that he feels more comfortable. Lastly, we have a free picky eating workshop with tons more tips! Save your seat here!
Best,
Kalyn
I have a client who has a set of 3 year old twins. The twins will only eat applesauce, crackers and milk. This has become a struggle at daycare and home. What are some things that the parents can try to assist the twins in this area.
Hi Lisa! Definitely recommend sensory bins, food play, vibrating toothbrush, cooking together, building off food preferences, and as always, utilizing a no-pressure environment! Depending how much milk they’re drinking, they made need to gradually decrease their milk intake, to allow for more room in their tummies to want/eat more foods. Our free picky eating workshop is a great place to get started with more ideas!
Best,
Kalyn
I’m sorry, I did not read this entire thing, but the part about “no diagnosis for sensory eating disorder, got my attention and I see absolutely no mention of ARFID. ARFID is very much a sensory eating disorder. Sometimes it is caused by other issues but for many it is sensory based. I’m just shocked in 2022 that I didn’t see this mentioned anywhere in your article. Please research Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder as this will help you help others I’m sure. If you mentioned it and I missed it, I apologize. I just skimmed it looking for the term but didn’t see it. Thank you for reading this.
Disclaimer: I have ARFID myself.
Hi Meagan! Sorry about the delayed response- thank you for reaching out and sharing your feedback! We definitely agree- ARFID is in fact an eating disorder! We do have a post that talks about this, as well as PFD, in detail here.
Best,
Kalyn
Hi. My daughter is 4.5yrs old. She won’t try any new foods and basically lives off fruit, salad, pasta and noodles. She is often sick with any strong smells. In fact today we went to a party and when we walked in, the fat smell from the fried chips made her throw up. It’s not just food smells though, it’s any strong unpleasant smell… Fish, chlorine, dustbin lorries etc. She also suffers from nerves so I find it hard sometimes to understand whether she’s being sick because of smells or because she’s nervous. I don’t know how to help her and it makes me nervous that she’s going to be sick everywhere.
Hi Sharon! Thanks for reaching out! That sounds stressful, for both you and your daughter! Having a sensitivity to smells could also be a clue that there are some other sensory red flags in play. When one of our senses is hypersensitive, it can throw the others off too. We have a free sensory challenge coming up that you may benefit from! It will help identify the root cause of these sensory issues. Join the waitlist here! In the meantime, be patient, supportive, and try not to react when she has these episodes. If possible, remove the source of the smell further away from her (within reason) and open a window. Give a warning, letting her know that a strong smell may be present. Have her use a towel, handkerchief, or her shirt to cover her nose. Put essential oils on her wrist or give her something else to smell- this can help with desensitizing her smell sensitivities. More here. Hope that helps!
Best,
Kalyn
hi im having trouble with my 11 year old son to try any kind of food, right now he only eats chips(lays) baby goldfish(cant be the big ones) oreos has to be double stuffed, and cocoa puffs and fries from mcdonalds, has to be mcdonalds fries,and chocolate milk i give him the breakfast essentials which has vitimans and protein we had him try some soup (broth) and had to feed it to him with a medicine dropper, and had to be in the bathroom incase he puked it up, what can i do ?? im afraid he is going to get really sick and they will have to put in a feeding tube.
Hi Jennie! Thanks for reaching out! We are so sorry to hear about your son’s eating challenges. Hang in there- you are not alone! Try to promote a no-pressure environment with mealtimes. This means that he gets to choose how much of his food he eats- even if he doesn’t eat any of it. The less pressure you put, the more comfortable he will feel with different foods. We have a post with more tips, which you can read here!
Best,
Kalyn
Jennie, I wish we could get in touch! I have an 11-year-old daughter who is exactly the same! She will only eat fries from Jack in the Box with a chocolate shake, Oreos (!), either Lays chips or Lays Stax chips!!! It’s been like that for awhile now. She used to drink only water but decided no more water and now drinks fruit smoothies, which is great but she won’t eat anything with protein in it. She used to drink juice, milk, and eat such good, organic foods. When she turned 6 years old, it all stopped. She was diagnosed with Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome, but with medication it (CVS) went away. We don’t know what to do. I too fear a feeding tube. I have had to beg her to drink and eat for fear she would end up in the hospital. I’m so stressed and upset; her OCD has gotten so badly. She was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum because of all of this but no one can seem to help her! She will take gummy vitamins but gets hardly any nutrition. Do people judge you for giving him the chips and Oreos? They judge me, but I’m afraid for her to not eat at all. If she can’t eat what she likes she won’t eat at all! Believe me, I have tried! I’m really learning a lot from these articles, and I have no doubt a processing issue is at fault. What do I do though?! The doctors here in Bakersfield CA don’t seem to know what to do. Health care here is not great. Please, if anyone reads this, and wants to get in touch, I am on Facebook!!!! Thanks, Lesa Kay
Hi my son is 5 years old & he is still on purees. He used to vomit many times a day till 2 years finally after begging doctors sent him for allergy tests & he was allergic to multiple things. His vomiting isn’t that frequent now but still he cannot tolerate even a little bit of texture. Even on some pureed foods he will gag & vomit. I’m totally helpless. Don’t know what to do to help him. He vomits very badly & cries alot at that time. No1 understands what the actual problem is. Please help me with this. I’m in total loss. Every1 thinks I’m doing something wrong & now I also blame myself that I’m not a good mother I cannot do anything for my son. Please please help me.
Hi Soni! First of all, I’m so sorry to hear about the challenges you’re facing with your son’s eating. We understand and you are not alone! Second of all, please know that you are not doing anything wrong. You are a good mother and should not blame yourself! Because of his age and his history of food allergies and vomiting, we would recommend asking his pediatrician for a referral to an Occupational Therapist or Speech Language Pathologist, who could help him with feeding therapy. You can read all about feeding therapy here! In the meantime, you can also help him by practicing some oral motor exercises, like using a toothbrush to brush the inside of his mouth. This will help to desensitize his gag reflux and strengthen the muscles inside of his mouth- which are used for chewing and swallowing. There are more tips to conquer oral aversions here in this post! Be patient, promote a no-pressure environment at mealtime, and take it one day at a time!
Best,
Kalyn
Soni, did they say anything about Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome? It sounds like he might have it? Every time my daughter had an episode, she would be in the hospital once a month for 3 to 4 days at a time. It was so painful to watch her vomit so violently. I started to worry that they would think she had Munchausen by proxy, because when she arrived at the hospital and was admitted her vomiting would always get better immediately with IV hydration! The docs think she might not want to eat because she’s afraid she will throw up. I don’t think that’s it. Feel free to contact me too!
I have a 9 month old who absolutely will not eat anything other than breastmilk. I believe some of it is sensory (she really hates purées) but for the most part, we can’t even get food anywhere near her mouth. She purses her lips, turns her head, and refuses everything. We went to a feeding therapist (SLP) who found she has a lip and potentially tongue tie that could be contributing. We are going to get those revised, but how can we help overcome the extreme reactions and refusal of any sort of food? I am getting concerned (and tired of pumping 😩) and hoping to get her eating some foods within the next few months.
Hey Kayleigh,
Thanks so much for reaching out to us, we know how hard it can be to make the transition to eating table foods! I do think you are on the right track with there being a sensory component with her not wanting anything near her mouth food wise. I would initially start with just trying to get her accepting of a toothbrush in and around her mouth (outside of mealtimes) so that she start to get some input. We do also have a free workshop that will be helpful in walking you through steps on transitioning to table foods as well. You can save your seat here.
Best,
Desiree
Hi my son is now 5 years old since 2 years old we been having trouble getting him to eat. At first I thought it was a phase but now it’s still happening. He only eat a few things like chicken but only if it grilled or stove cooked, French fries, tortillas, anything junk food, pepperoni but won’t eat the pizza, and most things that are bbq, and also spaghetti pasta but just the pasta no sauce, and bacon. He is very stubborn to the point that he wont even try new foods like even take one bite to see if he even likes it and it’s fraustrating at this point. I pack his lunch everyday with food I listed above but most of the time the school says he never even eats it there so I’m very confused on what to do now and just want him to at least try eating more things that I know he would probably like but he wont taste it.
Hi Taylor,
It can be so stressful dealing with picky eating! You’re definitely not alone. We always like to suggest including at least 1 preferred food on the plate along with the new foods. Modeling can be a great way to encourage eating. Our free picky eating workshop is a great place to get started with some new no-pressure ideas! You can save your seat HERE. Reach out with any questions!
Best,
Andrea