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 than 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 that 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:
- 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 your reading make a mental checklist of any that you see your child doing regularly:
- 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.
- Eats only specific types of textures. Most of the time the preference is crunchy foods, but sometimes soft foods are the preferred. This preference can even be carried over to highly specific requests of certain brands, colors, and flavors of food, feeding therapists call this a food jag.
- 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.)
- Overstuffs or pockets food excessively and/or frequently. Pocketing food can also be the cause of poor coordination and/or difficulty chewing.
- Never went through an oral stage as a baby/toddler where they mouthed and chewed on toys and other objects.
- 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 will 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.
- Play in a variety of sensory bins at least 5-6 times per week.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 bridge to new foods in a way that is comfortable.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Alisha, I wish I had your article 13 years ago. My 16 year old has fruit and veggie aversions. She doesn’t want to see them, doesn’t want to see you eating them, doesn’t touch anything that’s touched fruit especially. Veggies are more tolerable. She’s developing rituals to avoid things that have touched fruit. Example, I can’t put my cell on her bed because it’s been on the kitchen counter.
She’s ready to deal with it as she’s realizing that it’s starting to get in the way of her doing things in life, but I’m having difficulty figuring out which type of therapist she needs.
She has unrelated anxiety (started over math) and depression that shows up with menstrual cycle.
These symptoms could be intertwined or totally unrelated.
We’re in NY. We’re looking for a good therapist or two that has been helpful in these areas. Our pediatrician wasn’t able to suggest anything except for saying “there’s no one that deals with that for her age”.
Oh I can imagine how hard that is after all these years of managing it. It’s so good that you’re not giving up though! There are therapists that work with teens, I’d do a google search and start calling around. In NY, I’m sure you can find somebody! Wishing you lots of luck!
I have a 19 month old daughter with severe receptive and expressive speech delay that is at high risk for ASD. She had swallowing/choking issues as an infant and had laryngeal penetration during swallowing study. She has never, since birth; put anything in her mouth. No teethers etc. Her first reaction to every bite of food is to aggressively swat it away. Once I can get the food in her mouth she will usually eat it. She will eat well if distracted by a toy, coloring or cartoon (she just opens her mouth automatically and absent mindlessly). It takes an hour or more to feed her every meal. She has never taken a bite off of something (cookie, cracker etc.) and she has never licked anything. She doesn’t lick food off her face/lips. She does use a sippy but refuses to put a straw of any kind in her mouth. She refused a tooth brush so we currently use a wet rag with toothpaste on it which is still a fight. She is in speech and feeding therapy but her speech therapist doesn’t seem to want to help with feeding. She believes that she is not using her tongue laterally etc but also believes it is sensory. We are being evaluated for early intervention which will get an OT involved. I’m just looking for any kinds of tips on how to get into her mouth. I can’t use tools to move her tongue etc. because she will not allow it. We currently have toothbrushes all over the house for her to play with etc. to get used to. Are there any things/games I can do to help her get used to having things in her mouth? Thanks in advance.
Hi Brandi, that sounds tough! I’m a SP in Australia. No particular expert in feeding, but this sounds like a good area to patiently persist with. It would be important to keep experiences positive/ pressure free, which can be challenging if you are concerned. Remind yourself she will get there in her own time. What are her favourite flavours- get ready to get messy and explorative. I’m talking in a nappy in the highchair- pour tinned spaghetti on the high chair table and play with it- mush it, pour it drop it, slurp it etc… have fun exploring it. Try cream, ice cream, mash potato. Make funny games sucking fingers with silly noises- see how it’s not about eating at all at this stage? Cut back on milk if that is filling her up at the moment. Also try bland foods- have little pieces of pasta, strips of bread etc. Present them first multiple times a day. Also dissolveable foods can work for first bites- like cruskits or cherries. Finally, find a good OT or SP who will workshop ideas further. Hang in there!
Sorry- typing error. Not cherries! Cherios!
Thank you so much for all the ideas! We had just started kind of playing with food but not to this extent so I will implement that right away!
Hi Brandi,
Thank you so much for reaching out. We understand where you are coming from as there are many pieces to the puzzle with feeding. I am glad that you are getting an OT involved as they will be able to help with specific strategies focused to help your child. It does sound like you are trying some good things with leaving tooth brushes around the house, etc. My suggestion would be using play more with all different types of food outside of mealtimes for your daughter to experience, touch, smell, etc. As she gets comfortable with touching on hands, you would start to try to engage her moving up her body (like her arm, shoulder then getting close to her face as she models from your play). This will help get items closer to her mouth at a comfortable pace. You can also use one of her favorite toys and try to do some play on her face to see if she will tolerate, if not back off and slowly work your way up.
We do have a free workshop that provides tips for mealtimes that I think would be helpful for ideas on when and how to set up your mealtimes.
Save your seat here yourkidstable.com/free
Hello. I am the parent of a 15 year old daughter whom I have long suspected had food texture and smell sensitivity. It appeared very early when we started baby food. She would gag until she threw up anything she didn’t like the feel, taste or smell of. At that time there were very few resources available in our area. She developed normally in all other ways hitting all the milestones early or in the normal range. She is extremely intelligent placing high honors in all advanced classes. She eats about 15 food items regularly and will try most beverages but new foods and vegetables in particular are a real struggle for her. Is there anything I can do to help her expand her diet? I feel like I somehow failed her by not getting the help earlier. I thought she would outgrow it and it has gotten better but I still worry about her diet.
You know I’d ask her what would help. I’d get her involved in menu planning, scroll Pinterest together, what looks enticing? Then have her make some meals, but try to base them around some of the foods she eats. Try to keep it light. There’s also a great book to help teens and adults with picky eating: Conquer Picky Eating for Teens and Adults
Hi , my son has women texture aversions and the doctor recommended speech therapy for him. However we noticed that he was getting better as we kept offering him more foods. So we opted out of the therapy .
Recently for the past month or so he has this new habit where he gags and pukes when he sees others eat . It could be seeing food that he doesn’t normally eat in someone else’s plate or accidentally seeing some one chew . Today he vomitted when he accidentally saw some sauce drip on the side of my hubby’s mouth.
I am trying to understand if this is just a phase or if I should not have missed therapy in the first place .
Appreciate if you can respond and help out .
Hi Susan,
I know this can all be very difficult to figure out. I would recommend going back to therapy. Although it may pass, this is a pretty big indicator for sensory needs with food. Wishing you the best.
Thank you for your article. I’m a 43 year old with autism and oral sensory issues. Problem is I wasn’t diagnosed until I was forty. My parents divorced when I was 3 I lived with my mom until I was eight and I was extremely underweight eating only limited foods then I went to live with my dad and he felt my eating issues was behavior related and made me clean my plate or else I can have it cold for the next meal. I was forced to learn how to eat almost anything put in front of me by adding enough Toppings. This may sound like a good thing but now at 43 I weigh just over 300 lbs and cannot diet. I only eat gooey/creamy foods. Sour cream, cheese, ranch, cottage cheese, mayo, cream cheese, etc is applied to all foods in order to make them edible and they are applied heavily this adds a lot of calories to my diet. Even with these toppings I stick to a small variety of foods on a regular basis not liking alot of “normal” foods like chewy/gummy foods. I almost never eat unprocessed meat,and and never eat gummy candy or beef jerky for any reason. I also have lots of other food “rules” such as meat can’t be sweet ( like hunny roasted ham, or a fruit glaze on meat) the two together is gross ! Do to these “sensitivities” I eat a qground beef based(whole meat is too gummy) diet speghetti with ranch, ground beef and bean burritos lots of cheese and sour cream, loaded potatoes ( topped with ground beef or bacon, cheese and sour cream ), brocolli cheese soup ect. Any attempt to diet the food rotts untouched in the ice box and I go hungry as I can’t get myself to eat it. I have looked into dieticians but can’t find one that will take my insurance to work with me on these issues and occupational therapy for this type of thing isn’t covered in adults from what I’ve been told. So I’m needing to “treat” myself and find articals like yours very helpful.
Wow, thanks for sharing, it’s so helpful to hear the perspective of an adult. I’m glad the post is helping and you can definitely apply some of these strategies!
Hello:
I am a Registered Dietitian. Please call the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at 1-800-877-1600 and ask them for a list of Dietitians in your area. I work in the field of community dietetics, but it would be best to see a Registered Dietitian who is a specialist. Thank you. Pam
Hey Alisha,
I am a special ed para-educator who works with a 1st grade girl with ASD as well as sensory processing issues. Recently, at home and at school she has started having extreme issues with eating after she had a case of the stomach flu a month ago. At home, she refuses food unless it is under certain conditions (For example: refusing to eat unless it’s on a Styrofoam plate, or refusing to eat unless a blanket is over her head). At school, however, she refuses to eat anything at all and has severe sensory meltdowns when staff try to get her to eat (screaming, crying, wetting pants, eloping from the classroom, self harm by biting her hands and pulling her hair, etc.). Her mom and our staff have been going back and fourth trying to implement what works during feeding time at home, but to no avail. Her mom packs her lunches with things we already knows she loves, and she has always devoured what she has been given. We have made slight progress by getting her to look at, touch, smell, and lick her food, but we can not seem to get past that point. She does have constipation issues and takes medication and supplements to manage it and has had milder issues surrounding eating in the past, but not the point where she seemed afraid of all foods and is starving herself. We suspect that her being sick and vomiting caused her trauma and she is now associating food with getting sick. Can you think of any strategies we could implement to help her get past her fear of food? Or provide any insight on how to reintroduce food to a child with a fear of vomiting or getting sick and also has severe special needs?
Thanks! I hope you can help!
This is more common that you think and there is an aversion. I’d start with just playing with food, especially food outside of a meal. Can she imitate, copy your interactions? Focus just on touching or smelling, maybe do arts and crafts. I’d definitely seek out a feeding therapy eval too!
Hi Alisha, I have read a lot of your articles, and they helped me figure out that my 18 month old is suffering from oral sensory hypersensitivity. I also went to an OT for the same, and they have confirmed it. He is still only eating pureed food, and gags and vomits violently if anything unpureed or too textured (food only) is put in his mouth. He is otherwise OK with textured non-food stuff. He hates getting his hands messy.
He hates getting his teeth brushed. I have tried the vibrating tooth-brush, but he won’t let me touch his mouth with it. Happily runs around with the vibrating brush in his hand.
On the recommendation of OT, I have purchased the chewy tubes, and P’s and Q’s for him. Am also making him touch different textures, like clay, dry flour and grain mixture etc, to help desensitise him.
Would request you to please guide me what else I can do to help him start eating a little better, and graduate to non-pureed foods. Thanks in advance.
So glad you’re getting more help Rajni! You’re doing so many good things, I would keep encouraging him and trying everyday to brush teeth and tolerate messy play. A little bit at a time!
My son gagged on rice cereal as a baby — he was over 2 years old by the time he started eating solid food. Our infant development specialist was better than the OT. She had us put small pieces of baby cookies near his back teeth. It was hard, but he finally learned to eat the cookies on his own! We also used a Z-vibe outside and inside his mouth – not a toothbrush, but just a vibrating tool with little bumps. A toothbrush head can be used as well, and it doesn’t have traditional bristles. It took a ton of oral stimulation to get him to start eating (and I wasn’t as consistent as I should have been…!).
Hi how old is ur son now.did he start eating.m in same boat
Hello!
I have a question regarding my son. He is 8 months old and up to this point has been eating mostly purees. I’ve started to introduce table food for him to explore. Recently I gave him broccoli and from just touching it with his finger he immediately started gagging and threw up. He has had similar reactions to carrots, eggs and zucchini. Any strategies to start working on this now while he is young? Or could it be that he simply is too young? Thank you!
Glad you asked, he’s definitely not too young, I’d try tooth brushing and sensory bins that are appropriate for a baby. But, I think this post on how to transition to table foods is what will really be helpful. You’ll find a free printable there too!
Thank you for your article! I am wondering it this is what is going on with my 16 month old. He is really interested in food, but doesn’t really eat enough. He will only try select things and rarely chews and swallows. Recently he even started deliberately spitting food after he puts it in his mouth. He’s always rejected purees and is skeptical of sticky things and also doesn’t like to touch paint and playdoh (as you mention in the article), so its probably a sensory issue of some sort.
How does the cheek squeeze/cheek stroke help with the sensory information? I’m wondering if that might help my little guy deal with having food in his mouth.
It does sound like it’s at least part of what’s going on, I’d also look at oral motor skills for more! But, the stroking desensitizes the skin around the face and stimulates the muscles for chewing:)
After reading so many different websites for months this one finally made sense to me. When my little one turned about 1.5 (she is almost 3) she starting gagging and vomiting pretty frequently to almost every single day. Sometimes 2-3 times a day. It could be as simple as just asking what she wanted for breakfast to seeing a certain type of food to just smelling. She can look at spaghetti and gag/vomit. We don’t go out to each much at all. When and if we do I usually plan on a mess. Her favorite food Is mac n cheese. If the color of cheese is different or it’s a different type noodle she won’t touch it. She went almost 4 months with no issues and now it’s back again. The doc feels it’s mental and a phase she will soon outgrow. I asked if she needed therapy and she said not now she is healthy, gaining weight and meeting all her expectations. I have always felt I am the only one to experience these issues. Do you have any advice on how I can correct this or make it better? I cry and pray daily. I fear something is wrong with her. I am so lost. Thank you!
I do think she needs some help, but this can be helped and is something I see a lot. It will be okay, but I’d strongly suggest looking into feeding therapy and looking at my free workshop for picky eating. You’ll get a lot of good foundation tips there.
My son is 3 years old, a former 25 week triplet who was intubated for more than 5 months in the NICU. He amazingly came home without oxygen, but with a G-Tube which was found completely unnecessary and removed within 6 weeks. He ate everything from sandwiches to yogurt, absolutely loved pumpkin pie and would go crazy for shreeded chicken, grapes or pears. He had a bronchial scope shortly after his second birthday, during which his airway temporarily collapsed, and reopened. He was discharged the same morning, but started having constant reflux, which was then controlled with a higher dose reflux medicine. He never went back to regular food after the scope. He only eats crackers, chips, selected brands of chicken nuggets and for a few days every few months he will eat pb&j or yogurt and fruit pouches, but if he is given anything of a yogurt consistency he will vomit at the sight of it. He sometimes even vomits if he walks in a room and sees someone’s else eating.
I am at a loss.
Hi Katie, eating challenges can become so complex! Are you being seen by a GI or a feeding therapist, I think both would be very helpful. I also have a free workshop that would be a great starting place for home.
Hi. My son is 4 and on the spectrum he has been very picky since he was 18mo and it’s obvious that it is food aversion. He is going to be evaluated at ot soon but he will only eat crunchy things like crackers cookies chips. Only eats fries or tots. Muffins only specific brand. Sweets of many kinds. And only danimal yogurt drinks I worry so much about his health he stays with a sinus infection and you can’t get allergy meds in him if your life depended on it. He just flat out refused different foods or if he tries it he spits it out after chewing a bit. If pressed to try more he becomes very upset and sometimes combative
This is very common with food aversions. I think my free picky eating workshop would be helpful, you can check it out here.
Ecactly the same here. Im sure my almost 4 year old 5he spectrum. His older brother is but this food aversion is a big issue for master almost 4. He is a stuffer and a spitter outer. We have done some food therapy but he needs alot more and ongoing. We are trying to get a diagnosis he has other sensory issues and is impulsive. Its very distressing to not even be given a diagnosis yet. He had delayed speech and repeates stories/phrases at times also plus lines up toys, focuses on parts etc etc.
Hi Alisha, my son just turned one and is still exclusively breastfed because he rejects solids. I have tried pur3es, finger foods, adult foods,but he won’t eat any. He totally rejects any other thing other than breastmilk and won’t even drink pumped breastmilk so he only sucks directly.
In my country, babies like this are forcefed but i totally dislike it so i don’t force him.
Everyone is on my neck to force feed him, please what do i do to make him eat?
I’d definitely avoid force feeding! I think using some of the sensory strategies here will help and maybe moving towards nursing on a schedule instead of on demand. I’d pull in your dr for sure. And, then I’d head to this post on how to transition to table foods, it’s just what you need.
This is a great website, and thank you for making all this information accessible to all of us.
My daughter (9 months) gags to the point of vomiting. She tolerates puréed foods (in a reusable tube) and will play with food on her tray. Occasionally, she will let us feed her with a spoon and she will sometimes take the spoon to feed herself. She will also try to pick up food and suck on her fingers. If she is given any kind of “solid” food (however TINY) she will gag and throw up. If she gags on a baby mum mum (because she hasn’t learned to chew) she will either swallow it or gag and then vomit. She enjoys brushing her teeth, mostly so she can suck out the water. She has teethers but doesn’t use them as much any more.
I would like to progress with solid foods but the constant vomiting is difficult for her and me. Meal time is not as fun for her anymore either it seems.
Any advice would be great! Thanks!
Aww thanks Alixe! It sounds like there’s an oral motor component going on here too, that’s how a child learns to chew and use their mouth muscles. I’ve got to point you towards How to Transition to Table Foods, I think it will be really helpful. Also, I have an additional free resource, email us at [email protected] and let us know you’re looking for help with table foods:)
Hi, my son has Down Syndrome and while he has good teeth and a strong bite, he refuses to bite food, only swallows it. This means at 2 years old he is still only eating mashed or soft lumps with a spoon. Also refuses to feed himself and hates if you try to offer him any other type of food or food in your fingers (not on his spoon). He eats very well and is extremely healthy, only eats meat and vegetables for lunch and tea, weetbix for breakfast. Likes yogurt and custard but wont even try chocolate or sweet stuff. I know it is sensory, we have been seeing a feeding specialist ever since he was born and I’m trying the brushing technique at the moment but wondered if you have any other ideas? We try playing with food but if he knows that it is food he rejects it straight away. Also hates brushing his teeth, washing his face and getting a haircut. It’s almost a terror of something solid going into his mouth – he has never really mouthed toys or put things in his mouth.
I’d definitely start using sensory bins on a daily basis, or as often as possible. Focus on that for a couple of months – it’s amazing for sensory processing development!! Wishing you the best:)
Hi Alisha – I took your picky eating course 2 years ago for my son and it helped get him to a point where he was starting to self-feed and was trying new foods. That was my concern then. Fast forward to today … He has regressed to a point where I am genuinely concerned. Words like “food”, “lunch” and “dinner” trigger a melt-down. He only wants snacks and seems to lose it when I insist he eats at the table. He prefers crunchy foods but can miraculously eat marshmallows and soft candy when offered. At first I thought it was behavioural (he is 4, afterall), but now I’m concerned that there is something else going on. He doesn’t seem to recognize hunger. He gets lethargic and has meltdowns instead of saying “mom i’m hungry”. I’ve tried feeding him earlier in the day, giving him only foods he likes, feeding him at the coffee table instead of the table. I don’t know where to start, though, because it seems like there are different things going on. Do you have any suggestions? I’ve used your website for years and have recommended you to tons of people so I wanted to check with you before contacting an OT in the Toronto, Ontario area. Thanks in advance, N.
Oh my gosh, get back into class! You have indefinite access! There’s a video I added last year on interoception and I think it will be very helpful. I’d recommend getting back into class and restarting the program. It still applies and I’m there to help, just reach out on the discussion board!
I have a 4 year old. He only eats certain food will not try anything because he already thinks he wont like it, even if he has never tried it before ever! gag and pukes when we try to make him try new foods or even foods he used to eat and will not touch anymore. I am very frustrated and have no idea what else to do to get him to try new food and actually like dinner time. He will go through where he will only eat one food at a time and just want that. and likes crispy or crunchy food hates soft and squishy foods.
There is a way out of this Brittany! I’ve worked with so many kids like your son! Have you seen the picky eating workshop? If not, I’d definitely check it out, they’re the first steps I’d recommend you make. You can get a spot here.
I have a student who only eats baby food and drinks a bottle with formula. Is there any suggestion I can give to the parents. The parents put baby food in the bottle along with the formula. He gags when given any type of table food. Any suggestions would be really awesome.
This is probably the result of delayed oral motor skills, food aversion, or sensory processing difficulties. A great way to start is by brushing the teeth/gums/tongue/cheek a few times a day, as strange as it sounds. But, I’d strongly suggest a feeding evaluation!
My grandson is 21 months and has an issue with food. Right now he basically only eats (takes a couple of bites) of banana, plain rice, french fries, bread, and scrambled eggs. He use to eat peas, broccoli, chicken, beef, pasta etc and cauliflower up to about 14 months I would say when he also started to wake up at least 4-5 times a night(screaming), which has continued as well. When he does try new foods he takes a bite and usually spits it out. He will sometimes say ouch as well and hold his tongue. He is very aware of “hot” and cold for food as well. His parents and I have thought it had to do with teething as he got his first tooth late (past one year). He also does not like his hands dirty, or when he steps on even a tiny crumb on the floor he says ouch and picks it off….his parents think that he’s just being a picky eater but I think there is more going on. Of course the family doctor doesn’t really think any issues are there but told them to come back in a couple of months if the sleeping doesn’t get better. He is obsessed with his bottle/milk and will only drink water out of a sippy cup. We also have witnessed him shoving food in his mouth quickly, like he’s trying to get it over with – usually crackers, if he eat them. I think it’s a sensory thing as well, although he loves to be hugged and cuddles. He also is not gaining weight as a 12-18months pants are to big in the waist (not length though he is growing in height)and that concerns me. I actually think he wakes up at night so much because he is hungry:( does this sound like sensory issues? thanks!
Oh yes, that all sounds like sensory! Everything you listed could have a sensory explanation. Have you seen the other sensory resources here? This is a good place to start.
The sticky fingers and crumbs on the feet has plagued me until adulthood, sounds exactly like sensory.
One thing I would mention is that if he will take the milk, then give it in bucket loads if necessary for nutrition and come back to solids later on piecemeal.
Had to do that with my son who suffered a horrible outbreak of excema -even his mouth was sore- he now eats *anything* even my spicy curry.
Night terrors may also be involved with the screaming, if he seems difficult to calm down at night he may not actually be awake, sometimes a cold flannel on the face to bring them to full awareness is necessary before the cuddles and singing will reach them.
My son is 14 months and just now started liking solid foods like puffs and Cheerios. He loves more crunchy than soft but he does eat mashed potatoes. We’ve tried bananas, oranges, apples and watermelon and won’t eat any of those. When i give him things he has to bite like a square of a Graham cracker or animal cracker, he normally sticks the whole thing in his mouth and gags. He is seeing a speech therapist but they do not see a problem with his eating. He also has not ever lifted a bottle to self feed, he just chews on the nipple. He also doesn’t use sippy cups, I’ve tried them all and he only plays with them. Should I be concerned about this?
The sippy cup isn’t really a problem, unless he isn’t drinking from anything else but a bottle. I’m hoping the speech therapist is still working with you both to help him learn to eat, even if any other problems aren’t apparent, although sensory is definitely a strong possibility.
Hey I’m a therapist working with a child who has extreme anxiety in trying new foods and only really eats unhealthy foods. The child gets anxiety when going places because she is unsure if they will have foods that she can eat (she gags and vomits on most foods). I’m trying to do some CBT and relaxation with her to assist in identifying the thoughts and anxieties that may be triggering this response but thought I would see if you have any additional feedback that may be helpful. Thanks!
Yes, highly recommend CBT when it is more anxiety induced in nature. But, does there seem to be any underlying sensory issues? Are textures hard for her? If so, follow the tips in this article, especially sensory bins.
But, I’d also come up with some mealtime rules with her following the DOR, see my best picky eating strategy for more on this. There should be a balance where she has some sense of control.
My son has asd and a handful of disorders and is an extremely picky eater. We recently started an herbal supplement, Genius drops by Joy springs, after one month my son was asking to try new foods for the first time in his life!
Wow, I haven’t heard of those, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this interesting post, I have shared it
on Twitter.
Hi there, I have an almost 10 month old baby who refuses solids. He gags on the smoothest purees. He doesn’t seem to know how to manipulate food in his mouth. His bottom lip sticks out when trying to eat and it either comes out and/or he gags. Just the sight of a spoon makes him turn away, he wants nothing to do with food. Sometimes he shows a slight interest but after 1 or 2 small spoons he is over it. To me when he does that it seems like he likes the taste but doesn’t like the feeling maybe. We manage to get a spoonful or two on a good day which is rare. We don’t
want to force feed and make things worse. I think he might have a motor issue as well, not sure. Does this sound like a motor issue and/or hypersensitivity issue?
I have a distant cousin who had a similar experience as a baby and needed a speech therapist to work with him. It took several years. His parents told me that playing with the food was a big thing. They also said he was on a liquid diet for a long time.
My baby is still breastfeeding but his B12 is low and I fear he will start losing weight soon. What do you reccomend supplementing?
I live in Spain and we intend to search for a therapist. It is hard for us because we live 1 hour away from everything! I am so stressed out. Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated.
It sounds like this is at least partially an oral motor difficulty, it could also be a sensory sensitivity as well. I think trying to get a therapist is a great idea. I do have a couple more articles in here that would helpful for you. Check out Why my baby won’t eat solids and How to transition to table food. Also, check out the free printable that’s in there.
My 2.5 years old son is eating only mashed food.
If i give anything else like biscuits.. he keeps it in mouth for long.. or swallows directly.
While brushing he cries a lot. don’t like to put even finger in his mouth.
after 3 we need to start his school, don’t know how we will tackle the situation.
For first year of his life he was G-tube fed due to fundoplication surgery.
That can really be a lot to handle! It sounds like there may be some underlying issues going on, such as sensory and oral motor. Has he been in feeding therapy before? Also, I have a free in depth picky eating course where I teach a lot of my feeding therapy techniques. You can learn more about my basic principals in this class at yourkidstable/free
My son is 5, and we have been busy with o/t therapy and speesh therapy, and he is on medicine for ADHD , but I feel I can do more for him. I do not understand most of the times how to help him and I feel so frustrated as I often do not understand him. I do need help please
I love this information about Sensory Processing Disorder, My 4 year old grand son had all to some of these eating problems, we just never knew what it was. My daughter has took him to all the Doctors, and they all say the same he’s fine he’s over weight he’s fine he’ll grow out of it, but never has. Thank you so much for this Information.
Thank you Mary! So glad you found it too!
Hi Alisha
I just came cross your post. Thank you for all the information. I have a 3yr old who is very very underweight( I am talking about a 3yr still wear 9-12m cloth). I am not sure if he has sensory issue. He dose try everything we offered him, However, he only eats very little. No matter how I try to lure him to eat just couple more bites, we will not eat. The only thing that makes me feel he may have sensory issue is he doesn’t like being messy. Whenever his hand gets teeny tiny bite dirty , he will want to be cleanup. Even if he drop something on the floor, he will want to clean it up. Can please advise what can I do to get him eat more and help him gain weight quicker? Do you think you he may have food sensory issue? Thank you so much
Hmm, actually I wonder if some thing else may be going on! I’d check 5 reasons kids don’t eat and my post on oral motor exercises, as well. Does anything jump out at you here. Also, I’d highly recommend my free workshop, this gives you the tools you need to start addressing feeding issues. You can sign up here.
Alisha – I want to thank you so much for this. I am a minority among the commenters in that my son is 14 YEARS not months old. 🙂 His pickiness has been an issue for so many years. I will go back and read all the links you have under “start here” but I’m guessing there is a huge sensory component to his resistance. He only eats chicken in the form of strip/nugget etc… the breading disguises the texture of the meat! He will also eat bacon, but those are the only two items from the meat group that he can handle. Believe it or not, he’s actually commented that certain foods (even the sight, but especially the taste/texture) make his “arms feel funny.” Sensory for sure??? He LOVES pretty much any carb – bread, rice (even rice a roni!), plain pasta, crackers, etc. Luckily bagels/cream cheese and peanut butter sandwiches are among his likes, otherwise he might’ve starved at school lunch time all these years. He already gets made fun of for not liking pizza, hot dogs, etc…and he really WANTS to like those things and fit in with other kids, but he just can’t seem to do it. I wondered if any other readers of your blog have teenagers who are struggling this way? If so I’d love to connect with any of them. I feel so alone most of the time feeling like my kid is the only one with these struggles. Anyone?
Yes! The arm comment is for sure sensory, wow!
I’m getting more and more comments from other’s with teenagers in the same boat, you’re definitely not alone! Have you considered feeding therapy. I have a post on that here!
Hi Amy and Alisha, I too have a 14 year old son, who only eats chicken breaded and fried or KFC popcorn chicken and no other meat (won’t even try bacon or other meats); fruit (most kinds); cucumber, carrot (no other vegetables); pb&j (only on certain soft, sliced bread); yogurt; cereals; pancakes, waffles and French toast; bagels and baguettes. He’ll also eat nuts and drinks a ton of milk. He hates pizza (the smell of melted cheese makes him gag). He has no interest and won’t even try foods from the kids’ menu: hot dogs, pasta, burritos. He also has always hated eggs and hates the greasy texture of butter. He doesn’t like any kind of sauce, e.g., Ranch dressing. He likes some sweets, but often rejects sweets, saying they are too rich. Interestingly, he craves Taki’s and Flamin Hot Cheetos (which are super spicy and salty), and since the time he was a toddler, I had to watch him around my glass of wine or cup of coffee. He also always liked to suck on lemons. So, I doubt he’s supertaster. Smell seems to be a big part of the issue, but taste and texture play a role as well. Even the foods he likes, he will reject if they taste the slightest bit off. This started at age 18 months, and we’ve made little progress over the years. On his doctor’s advise, I stopped breastfeeding him at 3 1/2 years, hoping he would be more open to solid foods, but that backfired. He can seemingly go forever without eating anything at all and eats very little when he does eat. He’s always been a good athlete (with good energy and strength) and has a nice build, although he’s underweight and average height. He’s always been a good student until the last few years, and now he seems fidgety and inattentive. He’s always been well-liked by his peers, but he’s been irritable the past few years with his parents and some kids. I always hoped he’d grow out of this, but he’s as determined as ever to only eat what he wants and continues to refuse new foods. What shall I do?!
It’s so hard! I totally get it. I think a lot of these strategies here can still be helpful for kids at this age if you suspect sensory, but I’d also recommend this book that’s specially designed for teenagers and adults.
Dear Alisha,
I am trying to learn everything I can from you website, god bless you and your family for creating such a wonderful resource. My son is 20 months old and I don’t know how to classify him. He looooves milk whether breast milk (before) or cow’s milk (now) and showed little interest in eating. He also got his teeth very late, he got his pre-molar couple of months ago so he couldnt chew much till now. We fed him purees till now while distracting him toys an ipad. Now he is done with purees and wants to eat by himself. The problem is he will eat a little and be done. He wants to try new things, some he likes some he doesnt. but he just eats very little. Milk and yogurt is his primary sustenance. Is he a (extremely) picky eater? I am trying to follow your plan to the tee but i cant figure out if he has sensory issues. He eats anything if he likes the taste and texture but only a little. never gagged.
Oh Rishi, you’re so sweet! Thank you! Have you seen my post, why kids don’t eat? If not, check that out. If so, what stands out to you? It sounds like sensory could at least be a component and its very possible that its the main factor. I know he’s older now but I also want to point you to transitioning to table foods, since he did have a hard time doing that. I’d follow the steps I discuss there, is he able to do those skills (this will make sense when you read that post). Teeth actually have nothing to do with babies/toddlers eating so its likely he was either having sensory difficulties or possibly coordination/muscle related issues with eating. Those are the most common causes. Take a look at those links and let me know if you need more help! Either way, I’d use the vibrating toothbrush a couple of times a day:)
Thanks a lot Alisha, I really appreciate your response and it makes a lot if sense. (In fact now I think even i have sensory issues). We are doing the sensory bin thing albeit by taking him to the beach often, he hates the sensation of coarse sand but eventually gets used to it. I also got a step stool and vibrating brush and will start using that now. Hopefully hat does the trick. We let him eat whatever solid food he likes, however little. Some days are good some are bad but we have to try. I will keep following your website
So many adults have learned to cope with sensory “differences”, as I prefer to call them, and there is definitely a genetic link! I’m glad you have some ideas to start trying!
Thank you so much for this! We are just starting the process for my 2 year old son (had his first speech pathology apt today and was referred for ot for possible sensory issues). Since 10/11 months he was an easy gagger and frequent vomit-er even with just a liquid diet. This progressed with us noticing he didn’t transition well to baby food or solids. And now still struggles to eat anything. Crunchy preferred (cheese its, pringles, goldfish, I know all bad, but that’s all he’ll eat) , but also some doughy like food like donuts and semi solids like soft chewy protein bars. He loves dairy it seems. Sometimes he will eat string cheese, yogurt but can gag from that also. Yet, if a soft food suddenly has a different texture, here comes the gag and vomit. We are now worried about a speech delay (only says a handful of words) also and believe this is all connected somehow. He’s still on bottle and we are hesitant to take that away because of the little he eats.
Thanks for sharing your story Amanda, I’m so glad you’re in services! Hopefully some of the strategies you read here will be helpful at home!
Hi Alisha,
Thanks a lot for such deep information. First time I have come to know about Sensory food aversion. My daughter completely fall into this category. She can eat only crunchy stuff. She can’t eat semisolid stuff. She can’t play messy. and so on.
Could u pls suggest will vibrating tooth brush help here and for this age? And how to use it?
Thanks a ton
Anu.
Hi Anu!
I’m not sure how old your daughter is but its great for all age kids. Just brush her teeth like normal, but also try to get on her gums a bit and definitely the sides and top of her tongue. If she allows you can even do the inside of her cheeks. Glad this was helpful!
Hey Alisha, I love your site as a pediatric OT! I always get stumped by those kids that are sensory and will start to touch things but it is then making it that next step to the mouth I have a hard time grading in therapy. Tips? Thanks!
Thank you! Yup get them involved with play, will they hold it in their hand, pretend its crawling up their arm, touch it to their fore-head, their nose, their chin? I like to demonstrate and make this really fun, not like a checklist, but guide them through that list:)
I wonder if my 4yo daughter could be experiencing a sensory issue when eating. She was recently ill which required an overnight stay in hospital which involved the use of NG tubes and an IV drip.
She was discharged having been give the all clear but is now making every excuse under the sun to avoid eating.
Obviously my Wife and I are very concerned at the moment
Hi Dan, that is very possible. Have you seen 5 reasons kids don’t eat? I think that article will be really helpful. It’s very common for kids to have major food aversions after an event like your daughters. A lot of the tips in this article will be really helpful, just take it slow! Let me know if you have more questions.
My 3 year old was a good eater up until she turned 2. Since then (and I feel it might have been triggered by a bad case of stomach bug), she slowly eliminated almost everything out of her diet-one by one. Now she smells everything before she eats it. She displays interest in foods and says that she is hungry, but then no matter what I make, she will refuse to try it. Or even if she ends up trying it, she will eat one spoon full and spit out the rest. She still drinks milk, at least she did until two days ago, and would randomly eat a few things: homemade crapes, fries, chips, yogurt, cookies. She refuses all fruit and veggies. She stopped taking vitamins. So I started adding “Orgain” (organic food/drink supplement) to her milk so she could get at least some vitamins that way. As I mentioned, as of two days ago she gave up milk as well. Her pediatrician recommended feeding clinic, so I set up the appointment, but I am desperate for answers. She likes to help me cook, but she does not want to try what we make. Sometimes when her sister eats something new, she would display interest and even try it, but it’s a one-time deal. The next time I make it, she doesn’t want it. She does not want to even try fish or meat and she used to eat it before she turned 2. I really do not know what’s causing this. She complained of stomach pain a while ago. Her pediatrician out her on MiraLAX for a month. She stopped complaining of pain but still does not want to eat. Any suggestions would help. I am desperate at this point.
Hey Julia, I can totally understand how difficult this all is, its a lot. I’ve worked with kids in similar situations before. I’m not sure there is a lot of sensory stuff going on here, but using the vibrating toothbrush could be really helpful, like I talked about in the post because she may now be very sensitive to different textures. I’d also experiment with the sensory bins- if she doesn’t readily play in a variety of textures that shows you that you need to work on that! Also, I’d suggest getting some basic strategies going to, they may seem small but can have a really big impact. I have a free workshop that I think would be great for you. You can sign up here.
And, I’d also take a look at 5 Reasons Kids Don’t Eat– this in particular will be really helpful in helping you understand what’s going on. I think feeding therapy is a great idea, let me know if you have more questions!
Hi All my son is 4yrs old .He is a very clever and active kid… he has no medical problems but till date he hates the sight of food… the major problem was bcoz of my mom n me from small we juz gave me liquid n semi soild food and thought him juz to swallow i was hoping as he grows old he wil learn to eat n stop swolling but it juz got worse… till date he does not know how to chew or ate any kind of soild food or snack no biscuits, chocolates, fruits, veggies , rolls , buns,crackers , fries or chips…. nothin at all he juz swolles food aft force feeding each n every time takin a sip of water aft every mouth food…. every meal time is like a war for me im so worried frustrated n helpless in his case …. need help plz share ur ideas n suggestions
Thank you
Hi Preethi, it does sound like that could be sensory in nature. Actually the steps in this post would be perfect for him. I know it sounds strange but playing in those sensory bins and using a vibrating toothbrush can have a big impact. Also, making sure you are following the basics for a routine and structure- see the links in the post:) All of this is so important to set a foundation, so while you might not see changes overnight, know that you are laying a good foundation! Also, did you see the free picky eating workshop I’m doing tonight and tomorrow- I think it would be perfect for you! You can get a seat here.
This article is extremely helpful. My daughter had acid reflux really bad as a baby which I think played a part in her picky eating. She attended OT but honestly what they were doing at the appointments I could be doing at home instead of missing work, therefore I turned to the internet for help. I am glad I came across this article. At OT they stated she had texture aversion. I must admit a lot of the sensory red flags such as gagging and not wanting her hands to get dirty are the main two issues that she deals with. I am going to establish a routine and try the cooking together, sensory bins and slowly introducing her to new foods. Although she has been dealing with picky eating since she was about 1 1/2 I really hope I haven’t waited too late due to the fact that she is 3 now. Hopefully no longer going to OT wasn’t the worse decision either.
Oh my gosh, its not too late at all! I love your plan and think that you will see some great changes with consistency. Also, if you feel like you need more help at some point I offer an entire course on picky eating strategies, you can find more here: yourkidstable.com/join Don’t hesitate let me know if you have questions about any of that or as you move forward at home!
Thanks for this article! We just realized three weeks ago that our son may have sensory processing disorder. Thankfully, it was right before the monthly screening offered by the school district, so we have done a couple evaluations and get their findings in two weeks. Picky eating has definitely been an issue. He used to eat anything and everything, but now is very picky, mostly just wants crunchy foods, or soupy foods like applesauce, purees, yogurt, etc. He especially struggles with meat.
Since realizing he has sensory issues, and possibly other developmental struggles, I’ve stopped the dinner battle and just started distracting him with games. For every bite, he gets to do the next step in an activity. I use a toddler animal pop up toy, or an interactive book on the ipad, or drawing in squares in a grid on the white board. Sometimes he feeds himself with the games, sometimes he’s too upset and wants me to do it. I’m sure we’ll get more guidance once we have a diagnosis, but I’d love to know if you think this is a healthy technique to use. Thanks!
Hi Diana, I know this can be a really overwhelming time and that picky eating can be a super source of stress in and of itself… I love that you are being proactive and thinking of new ways to help him eat! That’s really wonderful. However, since you’re asking, I don’t like to use rewards for food, although some therapists still do- this is an older school of thought. Its quite possible that your OT or feeding therapist could employ very similar strategies. But, if you’d like to learn more about the child guided approach I’d read this.
If you have any questions after reading that, let me know!!! And, if that sounds like something you would want to implement, you may want to check out my picky eating class, you can do that here.
Thanks! That’s really helpful. I also know that pressuring kids to eat can cause unhealthy views of food as they get older so definitely want to avoid that. We do TONS of cute kid food, which you can see on my site :), and I tend to let him make the decisions of what to eat for breakfast and lunch (do you want boiled eggs or hummus, do you want carrot sticks or snap peas, etc.).
I guess he isn’t really a picky eater by definition. What’s hard is dinner time. I cook all day for my job, and don’t have the time and energy to make separate meals for everyone. We are almost always eating something I cooked for work (food photography), which I know means my kids almost never get repeat meals at dinner.
I guess a better question would be, if he doesn’t want to eat what we are having for dinner, what then? If I tell him he doesn’t have to eat it (after his thank you bite to see if he likes it), he ends up hungry and crying at bedtime or the middle of the night for cheese and milk. Do I just give that to him? Thank you!
Hi Diana! These are great insights and you’re totally right. I actually cover this whole topic in My Best Picky Eating Strategy (make sure you check out part 2, as well! I will say that, I definitely don’t want him getting a separate meal at all, and I think its great he’s getting exposed to so much. But, the rule of thumb that will save your sanity is to always make sure there is something in the meal that he does eat. That can be a side of bread or some other leftover, some fresh fruit, nuts, cheese, etc. Nothing else you have to prepare, and nothing that is special for him. It should be a side served for everyone!
Hope that helps!
P.S. Love your pics and ideas!!! I just pinned a few!
Okay that is SO helpful! Yes I missed part 2. Just read it and I appreciate all your tips and advice. Thank you!
Wanted to follow up and say how helpful this has been. He still doesn’t eat everything, but we make sure there is always something he likes on his plate, and that makes him more likely to eat things he would normally fight us on because he’s just focused on eating as he finishes up his fruit/rice/etc. No more dinner table battles!
Yay!!! So happy to hear that Diana, and thank you for following up! Really wonderful!
I suspect food allergies can also cause pickiness in kids. I had a strong gag reflex as a child and felt sick trying new foods. My favorite childhood memory: one day the woman who babysat me was annoyed that I wasn’t eating anything and tried to force feed me mashed potatoes. I threw up on her. Good times.
Then in my teen years I was diagnosed with a gluten and dairy allergy.
Once I stopped eating gluten and dairy my pickiness and gag reflex dissappeared, and I would eat almost anything I wasn’t allergic to. I’m no expert, but I’ve always wondered if I had that problem because my body was trying to stop me from eating the allergy foods that would make me sick. I could be mistaken, but food allergies are becoming so common these days it’s a good thing for parents to look out for either way.
Absolutely Cora, thank you for sharing, I didn’t highlight that point very much in the medical section!
Hi Alisha. I’m glad that I’ve found your blog and I feel it is my last hope to get my son to eat. I only regret that I did not find you earlier. Of course, I have to read through all of your articles. But first of all I have to decide whether my 2 year old son has sensory issues or not. From the list above only two things apply to him: eats ony certain types of textures. Mainly crunchy (e.g. french fries, fish fingers, crackers, puffs, bread with only butter on it or just plain) he eats fruit purees (otherwise he won’t touch any fruit because I think he finds them slimy) and yoghurts and sometimes creamy vegetable soups. But nowadays he freaks out when he sees me with his bowl of food and a spoon in my hand.
The other thing that applies to him is that he dislikes his hands getting messy. But strangely it is only an issue for him when it comes to food. He likes playing with play-doh, sand, shaving foam, etc.
I’ve just read your articles on sensory red flags, and nothing really applies to him besides the two above mentioned things. And he walks on tip-toes sometimes at home. Anyway, he only has problems with eating. And I’m getting really really desperate and frustrated about it.
When I started to give him babyfoods, everything was fine. Ha ate fairly large portions of them and he ate almost everything I offered to him. He was growing well and I was happy until I tried to give him table foods. He was about 10-11 months old and already ate puffs, bread, crackers by himself etc. I decided to introduce table foods. I did not succeed…and I have to say after trying about 10 times, I gave up and continued to give him pureed and half pureed foods with a spoon. At first he gagged from the pureed food with larger chunks in it, and it took a while for him to swallow real food.
About the table food introduction the problem was the following: He touched the table foods I offered him but all ended up on the tray or some of them on the floor. He never put e.g. a cooked carrot cube to his mouth. Not to mention a fruit or a raw vegetable cube. He did not allow us to put anything to his mouth either. Never. The result of this was that he did not tasted the sliced, diced cooked or raw food on his plate. He even found the texture of pasta strange.
And he does not want to eat by his own with a spoon. I know he can because he uses spoon for his yoghurt sometime.
I thought it would be better with time but it only got worse. Oh, one more thing: he does not want to try the food that we eat with my husband and he never did when he was little. I remember one time when he picked a baked chicken slice (cube) with a fork from my husband’s plate….but that was the only occasion and he was already 2 years old then.
So it is really frustrating for me to cook something for us and try to give my son something else to eat because he definitely won’t try the food we eat (eg. pastas, casseroles, meats, nothing). And still doesn’t want to try anything new that is cooked or raw no matter how nicely it is arranged on his plate.
Do you think it is a sensory issue? Or is he just a stubborn 2 year old? I wanted to believe that he would outgrow it sooner or later or it was just a phase for him (because it started about when he turned 1 year old). But now I think that something is seriously wrong with my son’s relationship with food.
Sorry for the grammatical mistakes if there were any. English is not my native language.
Thank you for creating your blog and thank you if you answer my question.
Birdie, your english was great!!! Did you by any chance see the free workshop I did last week- if you can email me I can give you some details about that, I think it would be VERY helpful: [email protected]
I will say that based on what you shared it sounds like he does have some underlying issues going on, I can’t be sure its all sensory, but is probably in the mix. Addressing the sensory will be helpful from a mouth standpoint so using the vibrating toothbrush, desensitizing the mouth, etc. will likely get you some results with consistency.
Hi Birdie, My son is the same way he is almost 2 1/2 years old and only eats pureed food and the only solids he eats is graham crackers and fish sticks at times and mainly chicken nuggets. Any fruit he does not eat or want to touch. Also he used to try to spoon feed himself when eating yougurt but now he is wants me to do it and does not like to get dirty either. He currently has an OT that comes to my house once a week and goes to another one as well. They practice the kissing and licking game with the food and it does work but you have to have a lot patience. I’m also getting very frustrated but we’ve been told it is feeding aversion or sensitivity aversion. We are working towards thickening the food and incorporate solids but he spits it out most of the time. What are your thoughts to help him succeed?
wow I just noticed your replies are 2 years ago. What are you guys strategies now? what helped, what didn’t? what is your suggestions Alisha. Thank you very much
I definitely think finding out the root cause is important. If you haven’t already, check out 5 reasons why kids don’t eat… do any of these stick out to you? If it is sensory, I’d focus on sensory bins and chewing on teethers and other toys to help him get used to things in his mouth. Using a vibrating toothbrush a few times a day is also great!
I am getting to my wit’s end with two of my kids and their pickiness when it comes to eating. My son’s are 11 and 8 and they are so picky. I was a picky child and started to outgrow it at about the age my oldest son is now, but he seems to be getting worse. He refuses to try anything new and generally what he eats is crunchy foods and he loves ketchup. My youngest son likes everything plain (like I do) and would love nothing more than to eat candy all day and night long. I don’t even know what to do anymore with either of them. Dinner is so stressful every night because no matter what I make it is a huge dramatic affair. I’ve tried having them try one bite- usually after so many tears mixed with snot it makes it down, just to be thrown up again a few seconds later. I’ve cut out desserts, I have given them the option that they can have a peanut butter sandwich or PB&J instead of main course, but that just backfires because they are fine with eating that every night, but I want them to try new things. Both boys are small in stature (like me), but I’m afraid that the lack of eating is contributing to this as well and damaging their growth. Please help. Thank you.
Hi Tammy, I totally understand where you are, I’ve helped so many parents in similar situations. I don’t know if this is the first post you’ve read on this site, but you are in the right place. I have so many tools and strategies here. First, I want you to go to the menu bar and click on start here. This is going to give you step by step what I truly believe are the best recommendations. Picky eating is often multi-layered and there is a lot that needs to be addressed. Take a look at that and being to slowly implement one strategy at a time. I can’t tell you how much of a difference this will make. AND, I have all the answers there about what strategies to use and which not too like taking dessert away, etc. Let me know if you have questions.
Hi,
We live in Chile, and there is no information about this. It was nice to read this article and feel that your child is not the only one.
My kid is 2 year old and he Only esta rice, nuggets and pasta. Dessert only yogurt. In the past he eat fruit in puree but not any more. He likes to eat alone so he can pick what to eat.
I am really desperate, every day a put him something new on the plate but he doesn’t want it.
I think is senatorial thing but he doesn’t even try or touch so I am not sure.
What should I do??
Hi Andrea! If you haven’t already click the start here button in the menu bar, you will find A LOT of direction there to get you started. No matter what keep giving him the other foods, eat with him, and keep on a schedule. Don’t allow him to snack in between meals. Also, don’t pressure him to eat, let him play, get messy, explore. He needs to just start learning about the food, looking at it, touching it, smelling it. All of that is progress! Give this a try and look at the links then let me know if you have any more questions!
Thanks a lot Alisha!!!
I will Start with that!
This is a great blog;)
This describes my son so well! He’s 11 now.. He’s SO picky! I’ve always noticed it’s a texture thing for him. He loves spaghetti, but the sauce can’t be chunky and if he sees specs of herbs, it turns him off (although this has gotten better). However, I had to make it once with macaroni because I was out of spaghetti noodles and he refused to eat it. My rule is, you have to try everything I put on the plate. If you don’t like it after you take a good bite, you don’t have to eat it. I made that dish exactly how I make spaghetti, but with different noodles and he tried it, but refused to eat the rest. I have to use a divider plate for him because none of his foods can touch. Casseroles are not ever an option. He is an active child, but I have refused to have him tested (although none of his teachers have ever asked me to) because he’s easy to redirect. He’s also a thumb sucker and has a blanket that has a specific string that he has to rub near his face. We have tried to lessen his reliance on this blanket over the years because he’s 11, but when he has it, he’s completely calm. So, we haven’t tried as hard until recently when he joined the youth group at our church (obviously, older kids are not nice about those kinds of things). All of these things make me think he fits right into what you’re describing. At his age, is it too late to try the things you’ve suggested? Where would I start in trying to get therapy for him or have a professional help me determine if this is the “issue”?
Oh my gosh, no! You can absolutely address this and I would start with the messy play, although that will look a little different at his age, you will have to engage him on his level. Maybe hiding more complex puzzles in the sand, etc.? To get started with therapy, you’ll want to google your city and feeding therapy. Call around to a few places and ask what their approach is, tell them you think there is a big sensory component and you want that to be a major component of his treatment. Make sure you check with your insurance company about what is offered, too. Did you see the sign up for the free understanding sensory mini course? I would highly recommend it! It is 100% free and will help you begin to put more of the bigger picture together. A larger course is built off of that where we go into a lot more depth and address picky eating as it relates to sensory. There you have a lot of support, daily from us actually. There is no pressure at all, just wanted to mention as a possible resource. You can find the sign up for the free course in this post, in the bar at the top or in the menu bar under courses. Let me know if you need more help!
Oh. My. God. This is me 100%. I’m 23 now and have slowly over the past 5 years been able to get myself to where I can tolerate a few more foods (I would never in a million years touch a strawberry, raspberry, lettuce, mushroom, onion…pretty much any fruit or vegetable, but now I can eat a few berries at a time and can eat other veggies if I cook them exactly the way I prefer them so the texture is right – I had to experiment quite a bit before finding which cooking method worked best for me for each veggie, and I found that I can only eat fruit uncooked). I still sleep with my baby blanket because I feel the most calm when I rub a certain part of it around my lips/mouth area. Unfortunately, my parents thought my refusal to eat food was just an attempt to gain attention and this resulted in a major power struggle, even though I would get so scared from being forced to eat something I didn’t want to the point that I would gag and hyperventilate from the anxiety it caused. This power struggle got really intense because they did not believe me when I said I simply couldn’t eat whatever food item it was that they were trying to force me to eat. I remember one time in particular when I was locked out of the house for the night because I couldn’t eat a green bean, and another time when I was told I couldn’t get up from the table until I ate some of the corn on my plate – I was still sitting there the next morning because I honestly could not bring myself to put it in my mouth, no matter how much I desperately wanted to fulfill my parents’ wishes. I was a preemie, and spent full days in daycare starting at 6 weeks of age (which started before my actual due date), so it seems like those conditions could have been factors in how I ended up this way. My brother also has a lot of the issues described on here regarding liking flavors but not being able to stomach the texture – for example, he loves homemade spaghetti sauce, but all the ingredients have to be pureed beyond recognition for him to be able to eat it, whereas the rest of the family (aside from me, of course) is fine with the chunks of veggies, etc.
Anyway, it is nice to know that this is actually a thing, and that I’m not some weirdo that just can’t eat normal foods like everyone else for no good reason. (I always feel silly when I have to explain to people that I don’t like certain foods or textures – they usually say something like “What are you, 5? Just grow up and eat like a normal person.” and then I end up feeling awkward and embarrassed because I’m different)
BUT…I do have a bachelor’s in engineering, a minor in Chinese language, and a master’s in business, so it just goes to show that this issue doesn’t necessarily limit one’s life achieving potential. 🙂
Also, I highly recommend experimenting with different cooking methods, recipes, etc. for this issue. One of the main reasons I was able to introduce myself to more foods in college was because I worked in the dining hall on campus and learned how to cook every single dish that was served, which gave me the foundation to be able to experiment with cooking for myself as well.
This is such a powerful story for parents to read Michelle! Wow! Seriously you have no idea how many people you will help. This is an incredible perspective and one we don’t get to hear that often. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Wishing you all the best (and great job learning how to eat). I hope now when someone makes a snide comment you can rest assured that you DON’T need to feel awkward because of someone else ignorance.
Thank you so much for sharing and describing your story. I have a daughter who is 6 years old with a similar situation. We are currently working with a nutritionist who is helping us to try different recipes and educate my daughter about healthy eating. Your story gave me hope that one day she might expand her list. She is a carb and sugar lover which is not the best every day and only food.
And, academically, she is very smart and doing great at school 🙂 Thank you again!
Thank you SO much for this article. You described my son perfectly: gagged watching others eat fruit, never went through the oral phase, hated dirty hands and would grunt to have them washed before he could even talk, would not touch playdough and lived on bread and crackers for about a year! I breastfed him forevery because I was scared he would be so undernourished otherwise.
Worst of all, I got no support from health care professionals. I was told “he’s not thin” or “he’ll grow out of it” or “he’s just a picky eater” when I knew it wasn’t right. Reading your article had my in tears because I finally READ the support I lacked at that time.
Our son is now nearly 4 years old and we are only just seeing tiny changes now. Thanks to his age and seeing other kids behaviour and his militant kindergarden who basically forces kids to try everything. We played cookie cutouts and cheese at home for about 6 months before he finally tried it and he was well over 2.5 before he touched playdough and ate cake for the first time. Just a plain butter cake but my husband and I were in tears at the time. No-one else got it.
So thanks thanks thanks for this article. It means a LOT to me to read confirmation of everything I claimed then and now and to feel supported. I have signed up for the sensory newsletter and can’t wait to read my first issue.
Thanks thanks thanks again!!
I LOVE reading comments like these, thank you for taking a couple of minutes to write that! Trust me when I say you are not alone, there are so many parents in similar situations! It sounds like you have done a lot of good work, that’s fantastic and hopefully you got some more ideas here. You’ll find lots of stuff on picky eating and sensory. It is so common for health care professionals to dismiss! I just updated this post, the sensory newsletter is no longer in affect, but I co-created a free sensory course that I think you will love. You are on the list for that and will be added to our newsletters, too. The mini course begins may 31!
love Love LOVE this article, this is just the information I was looking for as it describes my twin grandsons to a tee! At 6 months of age we noticed it as the boys wouldn’t eat baby food at all, it was like their brain and their mouths didn’t work together, they didn’t know what to do with the food or the spoon, they would also gag if you tried to force the issue. When my children were this age, you put food on the spoon, moved it toward their mouths and they eagerly opened their mouth, it was a natural and almost instinctual process, not with these guys. Although we kept trying, we had no luck at all, they were a year old and still eating nothing but a bottle. As you mentioned in this article, the boys didn’t put anything in their mouths like a typical 1 year old, their hands and a bottle, that was it. Thankfully my daughter stayed on top of things, but didn’t really get the okay from her pediatrician until their 1 year check up, from there the boys saw an occupational therapist and later a speech therapist. For those that are having these issues I can tell you the therapists started with letting them play in their food. It was very messy with the twins but so important, encourage it, the bigger the mess the better it is! 🙂 Also we had to encourage the boys to put things in their mouths, crazy I know but also important. We were celebrating anytime they would take something and put it in their mouths, even if it really shouldn’t go there, it was progress. The boys turned 2 in September and of course it’s still a work in progress at least they are eating some. One of the boys now has to smell anything before he will put it in his mouth, if he doesn’t like the smell he says “no” and gives it back to me. 🙂 They also do not like to have their hands dirty or things like playing in a sand box is out of the question. Maybe this summer! 🙂
Oh and one other thing that has worked for us, nutritionally smoothies have become our best friend! 🙂
What a wonderful grandmother you are! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful story and encouraging others. I promise it will be helpful!
My son is 14 months old. He is back on baby food and formula cause he won’t swallow food. He will chew soft foods and spit them out. Hard food goes in and right back out. He won’tuse a sippy cup or a straw, just the bottle. He has also been getting his molars in but this started before that… He was also not hearing properly. Failed a hearing test had tubes put in, failed another hearing test. Doing an ABR next week. Please help! How do iIget my son to eat table foods?
Hi Tammy, I’m so glad you reached out! It sounds like there are some underlying issues going on and I would strongly recommend getting him evaluated as soon as possible, or scheduling a consult (no pressure, from me at all!). It sounds like he doesn’t know how to chew or is having a hard time manipulating where food is in his mouth (this is where the sensory piece comes in). Either way there are specific techniques that would be very beneficial for him. In the mean time I would recommend reading How to Transition to Table Foods, you can find both posts in the article index (see the menu bar). I would also try using a straw (I have a post on how to teach that too). If you have questions about any of this or need more guidance don’t hesitate to let me know.
Hi I have a 12 mo.old who would only drink they a bottle his milk and now some broth. He’s ont open his mouth for any spoon feeding. The minute he senses food ( finger food) he throws it out on the floor without even trying it. His mouth is completely shut during attempts of spoon feeding( he won’t even try the taste of solids given to him). And even if we forse anything in his mouth he pushes it out with his tongue or starts gagging and crying hysterically. Not sure what to do at this point! Please help!
I know how stressful this can be Lana! First, I’d really focus on trying to have mealtimes positive. As you read in this post I think sensory bins and using a toothbrush several times a day can be a game changer.
I’d also head to when babies don’t eat solids and grab the free printable when you’re there. I have some new resources coming for parents that are facing this challenge!
I TOTALLY understand the sensory issues! I am on the spectrum and have Asperger’s Syndrome. I avoid certain foods, like broccoli, cauliflower and whatever else I can’t eat. It’s funny though because I’ll eat broccoli in a cream corn casserole. But picky eating is so common. Give me the carbs and I’m fine. I eat a combination of soft and hard food. But for the most part, if you put something in front of me I don’t like, expect me to NOT eat it. Luckily, I wasn’t affected as some people were. That’s the good thing. So for all the caretakers, and OT’s etc on here, hang in there! Don’t give up on them! Be patient, kind and gentle. Forcing the child to eat the food will make it worse! You can do it! 🙂
Thanks so much for reading Suz, and for sharing your experience. I think it is REALLY helpful for parents to hear!
Hello. I am so happy to find your site and information. We have a 1 year old (birthday 6/26) who was progressing with table foods, but has been having issues this week with gagging and vomiting up his dinner. He has always had a bit of a strong gag reflex. We have been feeding him a mix of purees and table foods, mostly meat/eggs or bread/crackers. He’s great with goldfish, puffs, and cheese-poofs (both baby and adult style), and we have been giving him bread in smaller pieces/strips with a very thin layer of peanut butter. Last week, we were having lunch, and I think a compacted bolus of bread with peanutbutter got caught in his throat or esophagus, and his entire lunch came back up. We stopped with the bread that day, and went back to goldfish and black bean puree to finish lunch, and then some more textured puree for dinner. Ever since then, he has been hit or miss with gagging and vomiting up his dinner. (He has had puree and snacks for lunch this week, since my mom is babysitting him)
I know that we should have him on more table foods, but we have been slow to progress. He was loving macaroni and cheese my mother-in-law made for his birthday, as well as roast pork and cut chicken, and was doing fine until the bread incident.
I intend of purchasing a vibrating toothbrush in hopes that that may help him out with sensitivity, but I am not sure how else to proceed. He loves to eat, its just a matter of dealing wit his gagging.
Do you have any advice? Thanks in advance!
What you are describing makes total sense to me. First of all, I would stay away from clumpy thick foods like that for a while. Always make sure the bread is toasted when adding a topping so it doesn’t get to dense. He is now nervous and overly sensitive. Definitely go back to the crunchy foods. See the article index for other new food ideas under Mega list of First Table Foods. Absolutely get that toothbrush! Let me know how things go!
Thank you! We also ended up shooting a fever last Thurs and Fri, with a red/irritated throat (we took him to the ped on Fri). He likes the play with the toothbrush, and for the past two nights hes done so much better. I know he loves cheese, meats, tortellini, and last night had cubed roasted sweet potato. I’ve definitely found your blog to be a great resource! Thank you!!!
You are so welcome! That is great!
Hi, i was wondering how being a eastern european child is seen as disorder? Could you also elaborate on this a bit more? How would that possibly affect sensory processing in children? Thanks
Of course that is not a disorder, as I said, disorder’s or “groups of children”. The issue is with children that have been in orphanages. There is a high incident rate of children that have sensory processing difficulties because there is often a high ratio of small children to one adult. The sensory experiences (or lack thereof) that young children experience shape how they process sensory input throughout childhood. Here is a link to a research study explaining in more detail: http://www.news.wisc.edu/8291
I have always viewed my son as a “picky” eater, but he doesn’t seem to fall into one specific category. For example, when he was 8 months old, i hid small pieces of baked chicken in string cheese. He tried one bite and then proceeded to pull the chicken from the cheese and separate the chicken and cheese into different piles. There may be some sensory issues, but his doctors are not worried because he is gaining weight. I feel like I have tried everything–involving him in cooking, picking fresh foods to help him understand where food comes from, playing with food, offering preferred and nonpreferred foods at meals, limiting milk, etc. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thank you for creating this blog!
Hi Courtney, it sounds like you are doing great! I know it is challenging, but if you can set up a positive structured routine with no pressure tactics he will begin to make improvements. I would definitely try some of the tips here, and stick with them for a little time to make sure you’re giving them a chance to work.
i just read your article and am wondering if these were/are issues with my twins. One is very picky and the other only eats a few things. They are almost 16 years old. I am very worried since they are athletes and now sports nutrition is very important. Eating has always been a struggle…always used divided plates so foods did not touch, casseroles are out of the question, foods were always plain with no sauces. What can I do now that they are older and barely like anything? All this therapy sounds great, but they would never go to it now. They don’t see any problem with their eating. I can almost count on one hand how many foods one of them will eat.
It’s hard to say Pam if sensory is/was the problem, but it is quite possible. This is a really hard age to address problems via therapy or some of the other techniques I described. I would try to get them involved with cooking and make a rule about no negative comments with food. Also, make a rule that they have to take some of everything- their choice if they eat or not. Lastly, try to change the environment around food and actually take the pressure off them. They will likely be more willing to try new foods on their own volition. I have a lot of info on this site and some of the other tips you will able to adapt, see the article index in the menu bar.