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…
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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.
Knowing the red flags (you’ll read about those later), I also knew 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.
Their brain is processing it all in different ways than yours does. A strong negative sensory reaction can even result in a sensory meltdown.
This of course can start your child down the slippery slope of a limited diet, narrow lists of favorite foods, and specific foods they won’t dare come near during mealtimes.
How your child responds to foods, may at least in part, be simply neurological. While a sensory overload can seem exaggerated, it is a real experience to your child. 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! I promise there is hope for your child who only dreams of eating chicken nuggets.
While I’ve mostly been providing examples of a child who is sensitive to textures because the brain is over processing the input, it is also entirely possible that your child may be under sensitive to sensory input.
Think of sensory processing as a spectrum with being sensitive or defensive to input (food 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, Sensory Feeding Disorder, or Restrictive Food Intake 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.
Kids that fall into one of these groups and are picky eaters, often have sensory based food aversions:
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- Sensory Processing Disorder (Note that many health care providers acknowledge this diagnosis, but it is not in the current version of the DSM, which means some insurances providers will not accept this as a reason to justify therapy).
- ADD/ADHD
- Children Born Prematurely (The sensory system is one of the last to develop in utero, which is why sensory processing difficulties are common. However, this is not a rule. Many preemies display no difficulties in this area.)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Down Syndrome
- Children Adopted from Orphanages in Eastern European Countries or Russia
It’s also important to note that kids with significant sensory difficulties with food, whether they have one of the above diagnoses or not, could receive a diagnosis of Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD), which applies to kids through age 18.
Let’s talk about how these sensory “difficulties” actually show up in our kids when they are related to food, here are some specific red flags to look for…
Red Flags for Sensory Issues with Food
If you child has most or all of the behaviors here, it is possible that sensory issues with food may be part of the underlying reason your child is selective about what they eat.
You will notice some opposite extremes in the list below, which are indicating different ends of the sensory processing spectrum as I discussed earlier. As you’re reading, make a mental checklist of any that you see your child doing regularly:
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- Gags at the sight, smell, touch, or taste of foods. Gagging while trying to eat is a different cause that has to do with the mechanics of eating.
Gagging can also be a learned behavior that may have started from either a sensitivity to sensory input or difficulty chewing or swallowing food at some point. Read more on how to help with Gagging at the Smell of Food.
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- Avoids or dislikes their hands getting messy, and I’m not just talking about at meals. You will often see your child get uncomfortable with crafts or digging in dirt/sand, etc. (This is an important point, learn more about it in Everything You Need To Know About the Tactile Sense)
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- Over stuffs or pockets food excessively and/or frequently. Pocketing food can also be the cause of poor coordination and/or difficulty chewing.
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- Never went through an oral stage as a baby/toddler where they mouthed and chewed on toys and other objects.
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- Excessively mouths and chews on various toys past the age of 18 months.
Find more sensory red flags that cover all the senses, not just related to eating. And, if you’d like to dive into understanding sensory as it relates to picky eating, head over to oral sensory processing, you’ll find more tips and activities there!
Are My Child’s Eating Difficulties all Related to Sensory?
I realize I just wrote over 800 words describing how sensory processing may be the cause of your child’s picky eating, but it is rarely the sole cause.
Picky eating is a complicated animal that often has many layers to it. Even if sensory processing is the major player, learned behavior, routine, and other hidden reasons could be at play too.
Check out 5 reasons why your child isn’t eating to uncover any other factors that could be contributing to your kids difficulty eating.
How to Get Help for Picky Eaters With Sensory Food Aversions
I want to provide you with some solid strategies to begin to improve your child’s processing of sensory information (and I will in the next section). However, there are more specialized techniques that may be appropriate under the guidance of a therapist.
It is important to seek medical advice with your provider before making any changes in your child’s diet or health plan.
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, and can result in feeding therapy.
Whether you seek out further in person help or not, I’d also highly recommend our free workshop: 3 Keys to Turning Around Picky Eating. You’ll learn more about the basics of addressing picky eating and see so much more success with your sensory efforts if you put in.
8 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 and can be foundational as you make a picky eating plan. Come back to these strategies as needed.
1.Play in a variety of sensory bins at least 5-6 times per week. This is often the first thing I suggest to sensory kids and picky eaters because it helps to break down the overall sensitivity at the brain level.
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- 2. Use a vibrating toothbrush two times a day. My kids use these all the time, but for smaller toddler mouths or those that are really sensitive, this brush is a great option.
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- 3.When brushing teeth, encourage your child to allow you to help, and brush the sides of the tongue top of the tongue and inside the cheeks as well.
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- 4. Build off of textures that your child is preferring. Think about making small changes to the foods they already like by changing up the brand, flavor, etc. This will help build a bridge to new foods in a way that is comfortable.
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- 5. Encourage them to interact with the food in some way. Take baby steps. They may need to spend some time just touching the food to get used to the texture, for example.
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- 6. Cook together. This is a no-pressure time that allows kids to explore new foods. They will often feel brave enough to try something new in the fun and relaxed nature of the moment. Again, the key here is breaking down some of that sensitivity through the exploration of food.
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- 7. If your child falls into the over-stuffing/seeking texture category, you will want to alternate crunchy bites of food with soft food. You can also give the cheeks a firm, but gentle squeeze if the stuffing or spitting out starts, or briskly stroke from the ears to the mouth a few times. This is not meant as a punishment, but to give input to help them process the sensation of the food better.
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- 8. Maximize the foods you are serving your kid. Oftent foods that have a uniform shape and even texture are more likely to be eaten. And, it’s very common for kids with oral aversions to have a strong preference for a specific type of texture.Use that to your advantage! For instance, I would serve a small cube of cheese instead of a slice of cheese that I had randomly torn into pieces. Or, if a child preferred crunchy foods I’d serve meats that veggies that had a crunchy texture. Want more specific examples? Head to picky eater friendly foods for inspiration and motivation!
I believe in these strategies, not only because I’m an OT, but also as a mom. I’ve used these food aversion tips with my own son. See the plan I used to help my son, who now eats a wide variety of foods, including salad!
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 our FREE 9 Tips to Improve Your Child’s Eating Printable.
Have a question about your child’s sensory food aversions? Ask below!
More for Kids with a Sensory Food Aversion
The Best Picky Eating Strategy
Are Food Jags Affecting Your Picky Eater? What You Need to Know…
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 am so thankful to find your website and I would really appreciate any insight. I have a 3 year old son and I’m very confused if we are going through normal picky eating or there’s something more/sensory issue related and if I should seek help. The reason I am confused is because I feel that although he likes very few foods, they are all varying/different textures. He likes all kinds of chips: (Doritos, Cheese Puffs, Pretzels, Cheetos, Sun Chips). He likes popcorn, biscuits/cookies, and french fries also. He also loves fruit snacks (soft and chewy!) And he likes pizza and things like doughnuts, cupcakes (he eats both the cream part and cake part), ice cream (he has a sweet tooth!) and eats waffles too. He does eat things from varying brands/restaurants especially the pizza/french fries so no rigidity there. Besides this, he likes drinking homemade yogurt smoothies throughout the day and calls it his “milk”. What do you think? Please help me out.
Hey Mahi,
Thanks for reaching out! It sounds like your son seems to like crunchy-cracker type foods and softer foods. This could still be sensory related, for sure. You haven’t mentioned too many chewy foods or mixed textured foods like soups or casseroles. We have one day left on our mini online course. It would be a great thing to check out, especially the second lesson where Alisha talks about underlying causes for picky eating! You can get the replays HERE. Reach out if you have any questions!
Best,
Andrea
Hi there I have a 2.5 year old and they are picky to the extreme. Still eating the baby food pouches because he won’t eat any actually fruits or vegetables. I got him to eat a banana one day just a few bites and he didn’t gag or puke but he hasn’t done it again since . He refusing to try anything new . The only meal things he eats are rice o roni, tomato soup , macoroni (sometimes most of the time he refuses to even take a bite ) waffles , muffins, toast and everything else is pretty much snack foods and the pouches . He never wants to try anything new he just flat out says no. Sometimes when I ask him to try something he says “‘no puke” so I’m not sure if he’s afraid he will gag or puke on the new food but day after day I make things for him to eat and he never tries it and ends up with a pouch instead . He’s eaten pizza before and took a bite with pineapple while he was watching tv so he was distracted, ate it no problem , did that a few times until he looked down and saw what he was eating and then refused to eat anymore . A few weeks ago is when he had the banana and I got him to eat a few other meal things to but then he just started refusing everything again .We have been to a feeding specialist a few times but I’m still having issues . I’ll take any advice you can give because I am out of ideas . Thank you so much
Hey Rachel,
That sounds really challenging! You’re definitely not alone. We hear from families all the time with similar struggles. It can be helpful to place small bites of new food on his plate along with the foods he usually does eat when first starting off. If that’s too much- you can place them on a separate plate and work your way up to keeping them there for the entire meal. This is great exposure for him! I’d also recommend our free picky eating workshop. It’s really a great place to start, even if he’s been to therapy before. You can save your seat HERE. Please let us know if you have any questions at all.
Best,
Andrea
This is a great article! My 6 year old son has had quite a few aversions and textural issues over the years but we’ve easily dealt with them in the home. Now he is in his first year of in person school and he comes home with his lunchbox full everyday because the cafeteria and other kids are bothersome to him and he just can’t get any food down. He says he sits there trying not to throw up.
He recently got diagnosed with ADHD and is on a stimulant which also suppressed his appetite somewhat.
Any ideas on ways we can help him get some food down at lunch? I’m thinking about asking his teacher if there are other places he can eat but I hate to ask for too much from the school.
Hey Kelli,
Thanks for reaching out! School cafeterias can be really overwhelming for some kids. It might be helpful to talk to him about what is bothering him most- the smell of all the different foods? The noise? all the other kids? That might help you figure out how the school can best support him. Some solutions might be providing him with a smell he likes to bring to school or having him sit at a smaller table. You can also check out a few other ideas for packing lunches HERE.
Best,
Andrea
I have a 16 year old step son who will eat just about anything but when he eats he only has a very small amount eg 4 onion rings a pie and a spoon of beans when hes eat not all of it he ends up borking a lot or been sick. For his age he only weighs 7st 10lb. And in a morning he will have only one weetabix which he doesn’t eat all of the one weetabix and I dont know what to do about it the doctors have said he should be having more then 3 meals a day but small and often I cant every get him to do this hes no energy all he dose 24 / 7 is lay on the sofa on his phone or hes on his xbox or layed on his bed on his phone he moans if we have to go anywhere if we take him to see his nanny who he supposed to love dearly hes on his phone she speaks to him and he reckons that he’s listening but his not because he never answers her. His nanny did all sorts with him when he was young but now theres no getting through to him about his eating or anything I really do need so help
Hey Shirley,
We’re so sorry that you’re having these challenges! We know that can be really hard on everyone. It sounds like he may be feeling full as soon as he has a few bites. You might take a look at our interoception article and see if there is anything that may be helpful! Please reach out with any questions.
Best,
Andrea
I am writing because my 8 year old granddaughter licks her food before trying it. I have told my son and daughter-in-law that this doesn’t seem normal. I have stayed at bay, not to offend, but, it is always a battle, her eating. When she was just about 6 months old or so she was in the hospital because she was making little click noises which were worrisome. They tested her and she was out on medication, liquid, don’t remember name of it, but, I am concerned that maybe happened in her brain to cause this behavior. My son took her to be tested for food allergies, but, there are none. PLEASE, help! It’s not fair that she is always pushed about her eating when in reality it isn’t her fault. She is getting older and I pray help for her. And if nothing show up with her eating and it’s just naturally the way it is, then, at LEAST we tried.
Hey Charlene,
It sounds like eating has been a challenge for your granddaughter! The behavior of licking the food before eating it might seem a little odd, but it can be really helpful for some kids who have sensory challenges. It lets them try the food out before committing to an entire bite. Our free picky eating workshop is a great place to start! It will give you and her parents some ideas on how to work though some of those challenges. You can save your seat HERE.
Best,
Andrea
My daughter is 12 months old and food is such a struggle. She was never a fan right from when we started food at 6 months. I did purées and sometimes she’d open her mouth for a bite but usually she’d turn her head and didn’t want it. I never did super thin purées, I’d add oatmeal to thicken them and when she did accept it she didn’t have a problem with the thicker texture. Sometimes I’d add some ground up chicken or turkey into some purée bites and that would usually make her gag. She doesn’t like to try foods like at all, except puffs, teething crackers, and melties, she took to those with no hesitation and will eat a bunch. The one food she loves and will eat almost every time is broccoli. I cook it until it’s pretty soft and break it up but the pieces are decently big and she eats them with no problem and will eat a ton. If I put other green things in front of her to try, she’ll try them (probably thinking they’re broccoli) but promptly spit them out. Most things she won’t try at all. She did touch a blueberry piece to her tongue the other day but made a disgusted face and threw it before it barely touched her tongue. I have veggie muffins that she’s tried and for awhile she would actually eat a few good sized bites, lately she either won’t have any or will take a bite and immediately spit it out. Some stuff that she usually likes (pouches, yogurt, peanut butter) it’s like she forgets that she likes it and will cover her mouth and turn her head and it’s very frustrating because I’m like just take one bite, you like this, and most of the time if I can get her to try it then she’ll start letting me give her some. She won’t let me feed her with a spoon most of the time lately, but sometimes will let me with a pouch, I squeeze a little into her mouth at a time. I wish I could just give her the pouch and let her feed herself but she won’t suck. She never took a pacifier or bottle (though I didn’t push this too hard because it wasn’t necessary for us, though I did try at least 10 different pacifiers, and was a bit persistent for a couple weeks, I got her to suck for a couple minutes but that’s it). She nurses like a champ and is over 97% for height and weight. When I give her water in a sippy type cup she just bites It to get the water out. I’ve tried to teach her to suck on a straw with water in a juice box, squeezing it a little to show that liquid will come out but she just kept chewing the straw. She’s mouthed her hands and just about anything you give her since she was 2 months old. When she was under 6 months old I remember her letting me put my fingers in her mouth no problem, I even used the finger tooth brush and was impressed that she didn’t really seem to care. Now she won’t let me into her mouth like at all, it’s a struggle just to brush the teeth in the front, she clamps her mouth shut. Even when I feed her with a spoon now she doesn’t let the spoon go very far into her mouth at all and she bites it. If I try to get past the tip of her tongue into her mouth she freaks out. She was pretty gaggy sometimes when she was younger, she’d often gag herself with her fingers, and would often gag when she first latched onto my boob, but would relatch and continue without issue. Sorry this comment is all over the place but I feel like there’s no consistency here that’s really telling me what the issue is.
Hi Rebecca,
We know that feeding a toddler can be so challenging sometimes, especially with gagging going on! You might try to rotate the foods she does like and keep offering new ones, it can take many tries before a baby learns to like new foods. Our free table foods workshop is a great place to start. You can save your seat HERE.
Best,
Andrea
Hello Ma’am my 1 year old daughter doesnot eat any food every times i try to feed her kichri or any other food she directly push her tounge outside also she has a hole in her heart
Hey Niki,
Thanks for reaching out. That sounds really challenging. If you’re introducing food with a spoon, it can be helpful to gently push the middle of her tongue with the spoon while you’re feeding her. Another great resource is our free table foods workshop. It’s full of ideas of how to move into table foods. You can save your seat HERE. Please let us know if you have any questions!
Best,
Andrea
Hello. I have been trying to figure out my five year old son and his eating issues for the last 3 years. He was a wonderful eater as a baby. No texture issues. He ate an array of healthy foods, always. We noticed however, that some mornings he woke up just not hungry so we would wait to feed him. Long story short, I noticed hypoglycemic symptoms after a couple of episodes we landed in the ER and we were told he had ketotic acidosis hypoglycemia. He is not a diabetic but basically his reserves get low and he begins hypoglycemia. They claim it’s common and he’ll outgrow it. Which he hasn’t yet. Once these episodes started to happen, he started to have eating issues. It’s worse in the morning, but we go through it every meal. To get him to eat breakfast takes us 2-3 hours daily. Every meal takes the same amount of time. Each day it changes in what he’s willing to eat. One day he hates eggs, the next day he loves them. I’ve noticed he complains the noodles for Mac n cheese had some “hard” pieces in it (undercooked). He won’t eat the undercooked ones. He gags in the morning just looking at food and often gags while eating it and sometimes will throw it up- which then throws us into hypoglycemic episodes because he’s not gotten food in him. We’ve tried everything, various foods, making games out of it, tried protein shakes. Everyday it’s an issue regardless. Sometimes a method works and the next day it won’t. It’s gotten worse now where he just looks like he’s in agony eating anything. Oddly he will eat great sometimes when it’s his timing and what he wants. So I feel like we have multiple things contributing to his eating issue. But when I stumbled across this it made me wonder if he does have some sensory issues with food that are contributing. I know he hates melted cheese but he likes refrigerated cheese sticks (like Colby jack). He hates hard noodles but likes hard pretzels. Some textures of things he doesn’t like and struggles getting down. He also chews his food up to liquid before he swallows it. I don’t think he’s afraid to swallow though. He chews and swallows normally if it’s something he wants.
I do have him help me cook and sometimes that inspires him to eat it slightly quicker.
It has been overwhelmingly hard dealing with this and then having the added layer of hypo episodes when he’s not eaten or because he’s thrown his food up. I have been stumped on why he just won’t eat and just so exhausted from dealing with it. No one seems to have answers or gone through what we are. I’m homeschooling him for kindergarten because he just won’t eat without me sitting there helping him through it and I can’t risk the hypo episodes that follow if he doesn’t eat. I just feel hopeless and lost anymore with it. Does this sound at all like food sensory issues?
Hi Theresa,
Oh it sounds like you guys have been through a lot! We know that can be so scary for everyone. It sounds like sensory issues with food could definitely be contributing. Here’s a good article that might help you determine this. He also might feel a bit scared around eating now all this has started to happen. Our free picky eating workshop is also a great place to start. You can save your seat HERE. Please reach out with any questions.
Best,
Andrea
My daughter never really sucked on her paci. She put it on the side of her mouth n chewed holes in them. She hates brushing her teeth. Took her to 5 dentists before I found one she wouldn’t bite. She was 3 before she gave up her bottle and 5 before she gave up her paci. She loves sour stuff. She can even eat a lemon head with a straight face. Her psychologist said maturity wise she is about 11.
Hi Tori,
It sounds like you’re in the right place! We hope you found the article helpful for your daughter:) If you haven’t seen our sensory workshop, that might be helpful to you! You can save your seat HERE.
Best,
Andrea
My daughter has severe sensory processing disorder. She is overly sensitive. We have seen feeding therapists, we spent the day at a feeding clinic to rule out other problems. She was eating pretty good, although never meats or veggies, until she had a stomach bug at 18 months. If it hadn’t been for pediasure I don’t know what we would have done. This went on for years. Her pediatrician even mentioned a feeding tube. I used to crawl around on the floor following her with a spoon of food, crying begging her to eat. In 2nd grade, they had her try steamed broccoli. She threw up. Needless to say she hates broccoli, even hearing the word. She said she wants to try new things but she’s scared n has a panic attack. My Mom made brownies once. She spit hers out n said it had peanut butter in it. Nobody else tasted it and my Mom admitted to putting peanut butter in them. It was horrible trying to give her medicine. We would blow in her face but she just held it in her mouth n spit it out when we stopped. We tried hiding it in yogurt, etc. Nope. She always had to get those rocephin shots because she wouldn’t take the medicine. I’m glad she swallows pills now. She will be 17 in Oct. She’s like in the 9th percentile for weight for her age. She weighs around 100 lbs. Her 7 year old sister weighs 58 lbs. Her diet consists of pizza with olive oil instead of sauce n the cheese can’t be gooey, Nutella on choc chip Waffles, grilled cheese sandwich or cheese quesidilia, yogurt, fries have to be crisp. No meat or veggies. She will eat but rarely does strawberries, grapes, apples, Pineapple. Of course there’s always the junk food. Oatmeal Pies, Moon Pies, reg chips, cheetos, cheese chex mix, etc. She will eat elbow pasta boiled for 6 mins, salt only. My 7 year old was a pretty good eater but is now following in her sister’s footsteps. She doesn’t eat fruits or vegetables. Mostly chicken Fries, Mac & cheese, Doritos, ice cream, chocolate chip Waffles with Nutella, cereal with milk, yogurt. So not too much nutritious food for either one but my 7 year old is over the 5oth percentile for weight and height. She already comes her sister’s shoulder. I always have to make 3 meals at meal time. 1 for me n my husband, I’m diabetic, and 1 thing for one child and something else for the other one because they don’t even eat the same things. My little one used to eat popcorn shrimp. It’s just exhausting. I feel like a waitress. “Can I take your order?” And of course it’s always great when your kids tell you how bad your cooking smells.
Oh Tori! That sounds like it has really been such a struggle for your family. It can be so hard! You might try to serve everyone the same foods as much as possible. You want to make sure everyone has at least 1 food that they consistently eat on their plate at every meal. Check out our picky eating workshop. It’s a great place to start to set up positive mealtimes! You can save your seat HERE.
Best,
Andrea
I can’t her to eat anything without choling besides pureed baby food but she doesn’t like it at all
11 months
Hi Stephanie,
It can be really tricky for some babies to learn how to eat table foods. It can sometimes be helpful to imitate an exaggerated chewing motion, so your little one can see what she’s supposed to do. We also have a free workshop dedicated to transitioning babies to table foods. It might be helpful to you. You can save your seat HERE.
Best,
Andrea
The only way I’ve gotten my child to get nutrients is by putting the puréed baby food in his “morning juice” This is only to help get in nutrients while fighting his food aversions. He’s a big gagger.
Hey Kristen,
Smoothies are a great idea! We have a free picky eating workshop that might be helpful too! You can save your seat HERE! Let us know if you have any questions.
Best,
Andrea
I have two twin boys who are a little over 11 months old. They were premies but have done very well chewing on toys, brushing teeth and eating purées. They even do well eating the teething biscuits. But anytime I change the texture or food or try baby led feeding, one of my sons will straight up start gagging then immediately projectile vomit, and the other will keep his mouth closed refusing and slap it out of my hands. The one who throws up a lot also does not like touching many foods, especially if they are sticky or wet. I’m not sure how to proceed without having to clean up puke and spilled food every meal plus I hate when he gets sick and looses all the food he just ate so I have continued to cater to him. When I react to his gagging I always tell him he’s ok and sometimes it works but more often then not it’s coming out. Please advise thank you
Hi Jessica,
Dealing with vomit isn’t fun for anyone! It sounds like the texture of the foods may be what is causing the problem. Mixed textures (or your stage 3 baby food) are often the most difficult for children to accept. They feel like its a surprise in every bite. This can make their gag reflex act out a little bit! I’m so glad to hear that your little ones are eating teething biscuits. Sometimes slowly changing the texture can be helpful. You might try foods with similar textures such as cheese curls, baby puffs or graham crackers. We also have a post about gagging that might give you some other ideas. I hope that helps get you started!
Best,
Andrea
Your Kids Table Team
My daughter is 18 now and has suffered from this since she was 2. At least, this sounds like what she’s been suffering with. We just thought she’s super picky and hate to say, but lazy because she didn’t want to fix her own plate and wanted me to serve her every meal. She also would do uber eats for every meal if she could so again, just seemed spoiled. She has been hospitalized for depression last year and although I didn’t know it was a sensory issue, I knew that her diet was the cause of her depression and anxiety. She quit school recently in 11th grade and said it makes her too anxious and when she was going, she wouldn’t go to most classes, just hide in the bathroom. She won’t even do online school. It’s put a horrible wedge in our relationship. We are looking into eating recovery centers for her this week and I pray it helps her.
Hello Thankyou for all this help
My daughter is nearly 6
And she’s suffered sinse 2 and half roughly it started getting a little better now it’s got so much worse
She now doesn’t even eat food she used to eat
Up to the age of 2 she was such a good eater
She would eat anything I gave her, I used to feed her to help
It almost stopped when she got out of a high chair or had to do it herself
With her I think it’s a disorder or constipation or it’s a sensory issue like you said .
She refuses to eat anything different that’s on her plate
Any help would be much appreciated
Thankyou
Hi, my baby is almost 9 months old and still not able to eat solid, she refuses puree, finger food, puffs… she does not bite toys either even when she is teething (she sucks her fingers sometimes when teething, not too often). She is taking her bottle fine. Does it mean she has oral aversion? She seems like she is scared of anything touching her mouth not just food 🙁 I stopped spoon feed her and switched to BLW but she only played with food (sometimes she doesnt, and daydreaming, not very interested in sitting in high chair). Im sending her to daycare next month to see if she will copy other babies and start feeding herself (daycare let babies do BLW), do you think it will help because i heard people say babies like to copy each others. Please advise me, thank you.
Thanks for reaching out. If you are noticing that she is avoiding/doesn’t like things in her mouth, it could very well be an oral aversion. I would encourage the play with food, as touching is the first step to eating. Also, if you can work up to her allowing you to brush her teeth/gums, this can be really helpful first step as well. we do have a free workshop that walks you through some other strategies as well you can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
Hello,
I’m glad I found your articles. I have a 10 month old (in a week) who still refuses solids. If we do BLW he plays with the food, touches it, smashes it, cuts it up with fingers, takes a super tiny microscopic bite and makes a face. But that’s it, just one attempt at a bite. If I place something mushy like mashed beans or puréed soup he will take his spoon to his mouth a few times, he will just lick it and make a face. If we wait forever and I feed him we might get lucky and get two to three decent half spoonfuls in between him being distracted. His pediatrician wants him fully eating and told me to not give him milk if he doesn’t eat. I don’t feel comfortable with that approach as i know that milk is his primary source of nutrients. I do not want him to have a negative relationship with food so I don’t force meals unless I need him to take at least one spoonful for medication (he was on an antibiotic and needed to be with meals). Should I seek private feeding therapy as I see his pediatrician is a bit more old school in that sense or should I continue to wait on my son to decide to eat.
He does take toys to mouth, all textures, hard teethers, soft plush, strings, cloth, cardboard and paper. He also likes to play bite us so I know he doesn’t mind different textures in his mouth. He’s breastfed. My husband thinks he thinks food is medicine because we started him on an antihistamine as needed before solids and we had to force him to take it. He just started opening mouth for it, it has been on and off for 4 months. We attempted feeding at 5.5 months as he was shaking while going more than 3 hours without milk at nights. Pediatrician suggested we start solids early to see if it helped him at nights. But he never took to eating.
Hi Evelyn,
I know it can be to difficult to have a baby who isn’t interested in eating table food! Table food can be overwhelming to some kids because of all the different textures and flavors. Your little one is right in the best age range for table foods (that typically lasts until about 11 months). Keep encouraging him to interact with the foods! You also might want to check out our free workshop dedicated to transitioning to table foods. I think it would be a great starting point for your family! You can save your seat HERE. Feel free to reach out with any other questions!
Best,
Andrea
Your Kids Table Team
So my son is almost 2 – he will only eat stage 2 baby food and yogurt. He plays with some foods and puts things in his mouth but will not swallow anything. He eventually spits everything out even if it’s a slobbery pile of mush. Ugh 🤦🏼♀️
My son is in the same exact boat. He will not swallow much more than purée texture and he is 20 months!! I’m so glad I found your comment. How has your son been doing since you posted ?? Thanks again!
Hello,
I just found you on the Internet and started reading your posts. My son just turned 15. He was never diagnosed with SPD until a few months ago and never benefited from the help of an OT. Long story so I will not take your time. I will start using your ideas for young children and keep lookingbut for more information online but to make it a bit faster 🙂 I would like to ask you if you have any tips for teens like my son. Until now we were managing around his choice of food but he started gaining weight over the last years due to chronic pain and less physical activity and it seriously affects his mental health. Texture, colours, mixing different food are the main issue. I am aware that the fact that his diet didn’t change much over the last 13 years will be a problem but I will be very grateful for any tips on where to find useful information about helping him. Thank you in advance. Best regards
Hey Kasia,
Thanks so much for reaching out we are glad that you found us! We do have a post for teenagers and picky eating you can check that out here There are some great tips in there on where to start as well as some other links to help understand the underlying cause!
Best,
Desiree