I’m a pediatric occupational therapist that has spent my career helping kids with picky eating. But, the sheer frustration and overwhelm of having my own son that only ate a few foods, gagged and refused new foods, was a huge reality check.
I knew what to do, but putting it into practice in a way that made sense and didn’t stress me out was hard to figure out. It took a total breakdown for me to have the strength to create a plan to teach my son how to eat meat and fruits instead of the crunchy carbs he was addicted to.
I hope that in reading this article you not only get some of my best strategies that are seriously almost impossible to find anywhere else.
But, I also hope you believe that it’s possible for your child too. Picky eating is a journey. It’s not about a single trick or special recipe.
There will be peaks and valleys over the coming months and even years. When you hit a valley its important to not freak out, as tempting as it may be. But, instead work to make sure it’s not a slippery slope into returning to their picky eating ways.
This article has been updated, as it was written a few years back now, but all the strategies are still my go-to and helped me to create the plan I teach inside of my picky eater program, Mealtime Works.
We are definitely in a valley with Isaac now, with a few red flags that his eating is regressing. I can’t say I’m surprised. The last 4 months were challenging in my house, as I was extremely sick with my third pregnancy.
I was barely functioning and our whole routine was thrown up in the air. My husband did his best to keep up with all of our usual picky eating strategies for our 2 year old, but combined with the shake up in Isaac’s routine, he started refusing some of his favorite foods like rice and grapes again.
Not only did I see him refusing to eat these foods, but when he tried to eat them he shuddered and almost gagged. That was a BIG red flag. I knew we were going to have to regroup and come at this with a strong plan in mind so that he didn’t slip any further back.
When he was 8 months old his picky eating started, and worsed at 9 months old after a stomach virus. For Isaac, the root of his picky eating was because of sensory issues with food.
But, by 1 year old he was eating new foods and mealtimes weren’t stressful. Some of the strategies that got us there are laid out below!
If you’re looking for more make sure you grab a seat in our best resource: the free picky eating workshop, in it I teach you 3 key strategies, that might surprise you!
How Do You Fix Picky Eating?
I get asked this question ALL. THE. TIME.
First, you need to know it’s nothing you did wrong! Kids won’t eat for all sorts of reasons: because of their sensory sensitivities, oral motor skills, food allergies, life experiences, temperament, and other existing diagnoses such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
There is no quick fix, but any picky eater whether a toddler or adult can learn to eat new foods. To “fix” picky eating it’s important to understand that there is a reason why your child is picky, and once you figure out what it is, you can start working toward a solution.
And, with a solid routine, offering a variety, and following the other steps below, even extreme picky eating can be greatly improved. So if you’ve thought to yourself,
“Can picky eating be cured?”
The answer is, yes! But you’ll need a plan.
Step #1 of the Picky Eater Plan
For me, the first step was to get back to maintaining the basic eating strategies that I know work and are critical to being able to make any headway at all.
In a nutshell, here are the “rules” that we have always tried to be consistent about for both of our boys:
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- Space Meals 2.5 – 3 hours apart with nothing but water in between for optimal appetite. Count from the start of one meal to the next, this does include snacks.
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- Serve one food that is preferred (one you know they will eat) at each meal.
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- Expose him regularly to new or refused foods by at least having him tolerate them on his plate.
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- Keep mealtimes as positive of an experience as possible. This can be challenging at times and with a two year old, isn’t always possible. We specifically avoid getting into power struggles over food or talking negatively about his lack of variety. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t frustrated at times, but we do our best to keep that from him.
- We specifically avoid getting into power struggles over food or talking negatively about his lack of variety. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t frustrated at times, but we do our best to keep that from him. Using the “division of responsibility” is important for taking the pressure off of not only your child, but you as well.
Step #2: Use Key Picky Eating Strategies
This is where my laziness shines through. I KNOW these strategies work. Besides chronicling them here, I’ve had constant feedback from the families I’ve worked with and students in our picky eating program that these things can make all the difference.
But, I also know that I’m a mom with a variety of balls I’m juggling – just like you – and sometimes this stuff slips through the cracks. When your kid’s eating regresses or never gets off the ground, it doesn’t always mean that you need different or new strategies, but you need to revisit things you know work and be consistent about doing them!
Remember what I said about you not causing picky eating? It’s true, but hard work can help. Here are some key picky eating strategies:
- Keep them seated – For toddlers and preschoolers that often means continuing to use a booster seat with the strap. Many toddlers don’t have the attention span until after 3 and will just flee at a moment’s notice. For older kids they may need a wobble cushion or some sensory activities before they come to the table to help them stay seated.
Isaac does say, “I’m all done and slides down,” sometimes just minutes into the meal. When we strap him in at the dinner table, it heads all this off and keeps him working at his dinner (his most difficult meal of the day) for much longer before we try and offer up some redirection.
We have “lost” many meals because he gets down and it is too difficult to get him back without it turning into a major struggle. If your kid struggles to sit still head to how to keep kids seated for meals for more tips.
- Make a Quick Change – Sometimes kids get stuck in a rut during a meal that doesn’t start off on the right foot and a simple change can get them eating again. This takes little effort, but we have gotten fairly inconsistent about some of my go-to change ups:
- Offering him another utensil (something more fun maybe, like a digger fork)
- Using a toothpick (when appropriate)
- Pulling out a different dip
- Changing the shape of a food on the fly
- Serving Family Style – This simple trick can change the whole mood of the meal, in a good way, and typically gets your kiddo interacting with all the food in some way. Seeing other family members eating foods is often a great way to encourage your child to do the same.
- Cooking Meals Together – Cooking together is a great way to get your kid interacting with and comfortable with new foods. Of course, this does take some planning on your end and, depending on the child, you may need to let them know early in the day that they are going to be helping.
Don’t present it as a choice (You can present what they want to help with as a choice: Do you want to stir or help chop the broccoli?) .
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- Since I have started to implement cooking together again recently, I’m overwhelmingly reminded of its sheer power!
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I’m not saying that your kid is suddenly going to sit down and eat up all of that potato soup he normally doesn’t even look at, BUT maybe he will try it and not act like it is a bowl of poison.
That is what happened with Isaac last week, he tried a few bites without a word from me after helping us prepare all the veggies and witnessing the complete assembly of the soup. That is total success and a great way to get kids comfortable trying new things!!!
If your child won’t participate in cooking with you yet, try getting their input in the grocery store first. I can’t tell you how many times a simple recommendation from a picky kid at the store can help try something new at the dinner table.
Making chicken pot pie together.
Step #3: Sensory Strategies for Picky Eaters
Most of these strategies I have used in the past and use regularly with the families of fussy eaters I work with, but they require a bit more effort and planning. However, with a little organization, all of these strategies are very do-able!
- Daily Sensory Bins – I make this recommendation often and know that it is important. I kind of think of this as a good foundation to prepping their sensory system and helping it develop along. After all, these bins are great for any child, picky eater or not.
But, I think I may have underestimated it’s usefulness, as it relates to the tactile sense. Recently, one of the families I work with prepared a variety of sensory bins to play in daily and they really followed through.
Their son, who had some serious sensitivities to a variety of textures, almost suddenly started to eat a wide variety of foods after months of weekly therapy. It was one of the biggest jumps I’ve ever seen a child make so quickly and sustain.
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- So yes, I will be aiming for sensory bin play at least 4-5 times a week. For Isaac, the messier the better (think shaving cream and cloud dough).
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If your child is still young and putting everything in their mouth, see this baby safe list.
Large bins, like this one filled with birdseed, that kids can actually sit in will intensify the experience.
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- Playing with Food – That’s right, playing with food! When mealtimes stall, the best way to get kids reengaged is to model some interaction with food in a way that is comfortable for them and encourages them to imitate you.
You have to make time for this at the end of the meal and put your creativity hat on to hook into your kid’s interest. My goal is to work on this 5-6 nights a week at least, because the more I do it, the more improvement I will see. This is commonly used in feeding therapy, which is therapy for picky eaters!
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- Use Fun Tools – Cookie cutters, bento pics, and the FunBites cutter makes small uniform shapes a breeze and kids with sensory and chewing difficulties love the clear, consistent, small pieces of food. Kids love fun tools, even older kids and teens.
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- Food Chaining – We will be making a new list of all Isaac’s foods that he eats and how to make our way towards some groups of foods he doesn’t do so good with like chicken and vegetables. The idea is to start with something they like and start making small changes, slowly changing one food after the next until you build a bridge to a new food.
My goal is to try and think of tastes and textures that he is already moving towards or at least has some familiarity with. For instance, he eats sugar snap crisps (dehydrated) so I will work towards fresh ones and maybe green beans because they are similar in shape and color.
I will serve them together and talk about their similarities and differences. It can take some time to reach your end game and obviously some planning, but it is a very effective tool.
Remember, healthy eating habits start slowly, so building off of preferred foods really help some kids bridge the gap from one food to another.
I will say there are some tried and true foods that many picky eaters will try or have an easier time learning to eat. Head to 27 Clever Foods for Picky Eaters for some ideas!
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- Present Food in a Fun Way – Personally this is probably my least favorite suggestion. It just isn’t my thing and I get overwhelmed by it quickly. Too bad, I know that green beans made into a sailboat are pretty motivating for kids, including Isaac.
With tons of inspiration on Pinterest (See my Kids and Food board), it isn’t too hard to think up some ideas. I will be trying this 1-2 times a week because while it can be helpful in increasing the interaction (and hopefully consumption of) new foods, I also don’t want to turn meals into a constant art exhibit. Kids need to see food in a variety of ways, not just in cool pictures.
My goal is to have something fun 1-2 times a week.
If making food look fun feels overwhelming to you too, start small. Maybe you find a cute child’s plate in your kid’s favorite cartoon character? Or you slice bananas and make a face on top of your kids toast. It really can be that simple!
Whew, that’s my plan. I hope that it wasn’t overwhelming and if it was, break it down into small manageable pieces, and you can follow the outline in a step by step manner if that is helpful… slowly incorporating it all together.
UPDATE on Isaac’s Picky Eating at 12 Years Old
It’s been the better part of a decade since I first wrote this post. Isaac is no longer a picky eater and hasn’t been for some time. But, he didn’t “outgrow it,” as doctors would often have us believe.
It was day after day and month after month, as a 3 year old, 4 year old, and 5 year old. Year after year of being consistent with the step 1 strategies above, and for certain seasons digging in using the other strategies.
After implementing this plan to reverse his picky eating, he began to eat a wider variety of foods once again.
Mostly, progress was slower. He wasn’t eating new foods everyday. But, by age 5 I looked across the dinner table and he was eating a whole piece of grilled chicken. Taking bites off his fork.
He’d never eaten non breaded chicken before that.
That was the gateway to all sorts of other meats. In fact now I can’t think of a meat that he doesn’t eat.
At 6 years old he started to drink smoothies packed with everything you can imagine. He particularly loves to add avocado and spinach in.
At 8 years old he started to eat mixed green salads, and now eats them on the regular.
By 10 years old I realized he may be my most adventurous eater of the three I have. He’s turned into quite a foodie, asking to try unique recipes and often the first to try something unusual at a restaurant when given the chance.
Of course he still has a few foods he doesn’t care for, like seafood, and some plain veggies.
Sometimes it’s hard to believe this is the same kid that gagged when anything other than a cracker or a piece of watermelon was on his plate.
Yet it is, having a plan makes every difference in the world.
This is possible for your kid too!
If you need more help, getting our 9 Steps to Improve Eating freebie that you can save or print out is a great step.
Get More Tips for Picky Eating
When has picky eating gone too far?
Picky Eater Tips for Older Kids
What is PFD? A diagnosis for extreme picky eaters
The Most Amazing Healthy Snacks for Picky Eaters
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Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 19 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.
Thank you so much for this post! It is so heartening to know others are going through exactly what I am. My child is not crazy! I am not alone! 🙂
Hang in there Yvette! I’m so glad you found your way because you are definitely not alone!
Great post!! I have a daughter who will be 4 the end of September. She started having a difficult time with food about a month after I started giving her solids (11 months). She has a very sensitive sense to tastes. She was also speech delayed and had some sensory issues. I was a Special Ed teacher so I had her assessed for her speech delays at 20 months. She started receiving services in our home by a teacher and a speech therapist. After about 4 months of those services I requested a sensory evaluation because she seemed to be so sensitive to so many things. She qualified and started getting OT services as well. I also took her to a food clinic because I was concerned about her eating. They weren’t as helpful as I had hoped. They basically said she didn’t have a textural issue because she ate a variety of textures. So, here we are almost 2 years since she started getting services. I am proud to say her speech has improved so much and most of her sensory issues are no longer there, however, she still hates being dirty! LOL But, her eating has not improved, in fact I think it has gotten worse. Reading your blog tonight has come in the perfect time! I have been feeling at a lose of what to do with her. I tried to “force” her to eat and it didn’t work and to be honest I don’t want to have any more nights like that again….it was awful!! My thoughts are that she has a fear of food and she still has some sensory issues with food. She will ask about food and what we are eating and when she is ready she will ask to try food. But, it has to be when she is mentally ready. I am going to try these things that you listed. I know we need to try some new strategies. Thankfully, she is healthy and at a normal weight. Right now she is probably only eating 10 different types of food. She doesn’t like sweets, juice, ice cream, cupcakes, or most “normal” kid food. She still eats baby food oatmeal with the baby food fruit mixed in it every morning for breakfast!! I tried adding a small teaspoon of regular oatmeal to it so I could slowly change it out and she took one bite and said, “I don’t like it!”. I’m telling you, she can tell even the slightest changes! Anyways, sorry for the long post! You blog has been encouraging and I’m feeling a little more hopeful in getting her to add some new food to her diet! 🙂
I think you have a lot of good insights here. I think implementing a plan similar to the one I described here will be really helpful. Good luck and let me know if you need more help.
Oh well, I just typed out a huge reply and got an ERROR when posting. Anyhow thanks for the post. I bet it will help a lot of people 🙂
So sorry for the error Joanne- glad the post was helpful!
I had 2 children 18 months apart, both feed and weaned in exactly the same way, child one ate everything offered, infact everything in sight! Child 2, was much pickier from the start, but I persisted. By the time she was 3 every meal time would result in a huge drama ‘I’m not eating that’ I ignored her, eventually she would return to the table and pick away, but if I attempted to get her to eat meat she would rather go hungry and not eat again until breakfast.
Don’t believe the ‘they won’t starve themselves’ or ‘they’ll eat when they are hungry hype’ she could easily go from breakfast one day to breakfast the next with nothing inbetween, which was not acceptable.
When she was 5 I decided to try a week without giving her meat with her meals, it was like a miracle, no complaining, no fuss, cleared her plate every night, she has been vegetarian ever since, she is now 10.
I have had all sorts of reactions most common is ‘I should have made her eat meat’, ‘to let her become vegetarian at such as young age was wrong’ or she is labelled as an extremely fussy eater, but she just doesn’t like meat and her diet is far more varied than many of her friends, who are not considered so fussy because they do eat meat.
She eats pretty much any fruit or veg I serve and is always willing to try new ones, eats rice, pasta, potatoes, dairy, all sorts of nuts etc. It was the best decision I ever made.
Child no, 1 still eats absolutely everything in sight!
Thanks so much for your helpful comment. As I mentioned earlier I think it is important to trust your instincts. I wish as mothers we could all respect each other more often than we do.
Thank you for this post. I have a 6 year old daughter with a lot of sensory issues. She is an extremely picky eater still and gags very easily. I have struggled with this since she was very little. I will try some of these suggestions on her and hope it will improve her eating. Her pediatrician told me to make her eat atleast 2 bites of everything we offer… but that just does not happen because of the gagging and vomiting at times. I thought about getting an OT evaluation.. maybe that would really help.
I have to say that I would disagree with that advice. I think it is more helpful to expose and encourage the interaction as I described in the post. I would highly recommend getting a feeding evaluation.
Thanks so much for this post. My 2 1/2 yr old has always been a pretty good eater but has regressed a bit lately after we had a new baby. These suggestions are great and I will definitely be implementing them… Especially the sensory bins!
You are so welcome! Thanks for the kind comment!
I get upset when people suggest I ‘make’ my son eat. Do they really think we are just lazy? If I put a new food in his mouth he either gags, shudders or vomits it up. Or he will keep it in his mouth for HOURS. If force worked no one would have this issue. Having a child who is a fussy eater is very stressful as a parent trying to juggle thehealth and wellness of 6 kids. Please don’t suggest we are just not being tough enough… its like telling a parent of a disabled child they have just been too soft and the kid is just bunging it on!
I agree 100% with you. The previous comment was obviously from someone who has no experience with a child with sensory issues and was insulting…
I agree, my little one is disabled. He used to eat everything for the past year every mealtime is s struggle he has no speech and will literally throw the food, gag, vomit and become inconsolable. Some is the lovely independence struggle wanting to self feed without the co-ordination and upper limb stability to be able to do so. The rest is sensory, i have tried similar plans some days we have success others we don’t the biggest help from the blog is knowing others are experiencing similar issues and that its not down to my personal failures as a mother, which is how it feels most days. Thank you for your blog.
My son is 2 and he used to like everything now hes going off so much he will only eat chicken or chicken curry and beans. I put different foods but he just wont touch it and pushes it away. Its so frustrating as he used to love everything
Thank you for the post. This is so my son and it has been the hardest thing about parenting. I think as a mom it is your basic instinct to feed your child. I have watched my son gagging and throwing up from eating and it is sad. I will fly food airplanes, and cut it into dinosaurs and stand on my head if need to, so that he will not get a feeding tube… as for the comment above, clearly never has been in this situation and lucky you, how about just don’t read it, instead of leaving rude comments.
How about if you don’t ALLOW them to be picky?????????????? You introduce, and if rejected, try again later. It’s amazing to me how younger moms seem to think this is acceptable and the norm!! They are playing you and you write a blog about it………really??? I’m not trying to hate, but just because your child doesn’t do what you want, when you think he/she should or YOU would like, doesn’t mean that you need to blog, facebook, act like it’s the worst thing in the world happening to you!!! I have 2 kids, 4 step kids, and 4 grand kids. There has never been a reason for me to post the fact that my kids won’t eat stuff……….ever!! Woman UP ladies……..be a MOM and stop letting your baby/child rule your life!!! You can bet your ass that your Grand Mom did!!!
My first 2 children ate or at least tried everything. And i would see people talking about making separate meals for their kids. I thought it was nuts. But with the same parenting my 2 youngest have stuggled. They have ssensory issues. My 3yo will not eat any sort of meat except hot dogs (is it classified as meat lol). But i now understand how difficult it can be. All children are different. And all situations are different
I’m not sure how much you’ve read through the post, but many of these kids have serious underlying issues. As an occupational therapist, I see kids that have been put on feeding tubes because they have so much difficulty eating. Of course, in “typical” kids there are ups and downs to eating and staying consistent and re-offering is very important. Picky eating is a source of major stress for most parents that find there way here and although I write about other topics as well, I feel blessed that I’m able to offer some support and strategies.
To the comment immediately above, thank you for sharing. It is all too easy to over-generalize and you couldn’t be more right, every child is different. Thanks for sharing!
As childcare provider for 25 years, grandma of seven, and mother of five I’ve seen a lot. There are more children these days with sensory issues when it comes to eating. It is normally not the parenting, believe me I’ve seen it all. These are real issues and it is unfortunate there are people out there that would make ignorant and unhelpful comments like that. If like to encourage parents and other caregivers to seek help early if they believe a child is struggling with eating for whatever reasons.
I thought this way back when I was an expert on parenting (you know, before I actually had kids). Now I have a two year old who used to eat everything but has stopped eating all vegetables for at least 6 months now. I don’t coddle him and offer a bunch of other foods instead, and I don’t feed him junk food. I still put veggies on his plate every single day and encourage him to try them. I would love to know exactly what I should do to “woman up.”
I understand what you mean by not letting them be picky, but there is a distinct difference in ones who are just being picky for an independence issue or those with a texture issue. My son is a picky eater, but when we have tried to force him to try certain foods, he literally would gag. Foods that my husband and I eat with no problem would cause him to gag. A friend of ours actually said it looked painful for my son. We have worked with him a great deal and do not feel as though I am less of a mom for not shoving it down his throat.
You are not less of a mom, sounds like you are doing great! Many people don’t understand some of the underlying difficulties that can affect picky eating. You are so right, it is almost painful for some of the these kids. Hope this post helped you.
Yeah my parents tried that. Ha ha. I’m 40 and still one of the pickiest eaters I’ve ever met. I got really good at sneaking food off my plate that I didn’t like. From putting it in napkins, putting it back in the dish when no one was looking, sitting at the table for hours, missing deserts, having the same food for the next meal… etc. I think if someone is a picky eater, not much is going to change that. Luckily for me I only have one child that is a picky eater.
Hi, sorry, I was led here by Facebook as something informative to read before bed, and my son is also named Isaac 🙂 …but I was puzzled by this section: “…at 8 months he was still barely eating…I worked with him intensely for 3-4 months to get him eating. I was pleased by 12 months…” I struggle to see what was wrong here; children do not need food surely at this age and are just experimenting? “Under one, food for fun” etc. Interested in your views on this matter and why you were concerned as such a young age. My Isaac is approaching 13 months and hardly eats much and still has a lot of milk, but enjoys most foods he does and is growing like a bean stalk xo
I agree with this. 8 months is way too young to be worrying about a child eating a variety of foods. Most children have few teeth at that age. That’s natures hint.
Thanks for your comments ladies and although I understand where you are coming from and there is some truth to what you are mentioning it is a huge red flag if you have an 8-9 month old that isn’t interested in eating at all. There is a window of time between then and 11 months where children naturally and instinctively learn to chew, if they miss that window it can lead to many feeding difficulties. In some of the most extreme cases, I’ve seen kids end up on feeding tubes by two if there mother’s milk dries up. Many of the consults I have are with parents that missed this window and now have a two year old that doesn’t eat. Now, if your child is seeming to enjoy eating little bits and just isn’t eating a lot, it is a different thing and I do believe every mom should trust their instincts. In my case, it was very clear to me as a mother and OT that there was an underlying sensory issue, and I have seen (as I talked about here) the sensory issues throughout. Gagging and shuttering at the sight and touch of foods is an indicator of this. Also, babies don’t need teeth to eat, their gums are completely sufficient, although many people understandably think this. The first teeth they get and have for a while are the front teeth, which aren’t used for chewing anyways. They should be chewing in the back and they may not get those teeth until 18months or later, you wouldn’t want to wait that long. I hope I answered your question, SJ, if not please let me know.
Thank you for your reply and clearing the matter in my mind… I think my Isaac is just a small eater for now 🙂
Sorry but I disagree. We did BLW and my son had no interest until he was about 14 15 months hes 2.5 now and a great eater. Quite happy to try new textures flavours. So this missed opportunity I personally don’t believe in. Even the health visitor and the GP both agreed thatas long as I was offering a varied diet they had no concerns. He wwasn’t dropping 8n weight and he was reaching his milestones early.
Again, as I said in the post, I know baby led weaning for some kids, but I have worked with numerous kids that it has not and they are in feeding therapy as a result. I’m glad it worked for your child.
Thank you for these tips! I am going to start right away implementing them. A brief history: my son had some feeding delays. He was sucking his food instead of chewing and swallowing and therefore gagged on most everything. He never picked up food off his highchair tray (still doesn’t want to be messy) and it was not until 14 months that he started eating something chunkier than puree. He’s moved past that with a little help from food therapy, but I fear we’ve skipped some steps in eating as a result he’s somewhat limited in what he eats.
Can you tell some language and strategies to use to encourage actually trying the food. I always offer a new food and my son, (now 3), will say, “No thank you,” and I have always respected and want to continue respecting his “No.” So, should I just wait for him to try these foods? Do I offer something in return for trying a bite?
I get my son to SMELL the food. And after that he can try a tiny bit if he feels like it. sometimes he does, often he doesn’t.
Also, anytime we have soup or pureed anything, I might include a tiny bit of something new – blended in. So little that I can’t taste it consciously. And over several weeks/months, I add a tiny bit more everytime until I can taste it. It seems that this way his tastebuds get used to the new thing slowly, subconsciously. And then when I ‘officially’ introduce the new food some weeks/months later (and let him smell it again and again if needed) he is more likely to try it/like it. Sometimes to his own surprise 🙂
And during a meal, apart from the odd compliment on the cooking (or similar), we do NOT talk about food, but on purpose talk about anything else, the more lighthearted and fun, the better. To get him away from the constant topic of food.
Hi Apryllee! I understand, but turn it around on him and say.. Okay, but what color is it, or what do you think it sounds like when you bite it? You could hide it in your mouth? Look, I can make mine fly like an airplane… You just want to get him engaged, start with easier tasks and don’t spend too much time on this unless he is really getting into it. I totally agree with Yasmin’s comment that it is good to talk about other things too.
Yasmin- thank you so much for that very helpful comment, I love what you are doing!!!
Thanks! These are great suggestions I will try! Last night, we had good success with serving family style. He loved helping himself! We’ll see if the novelty wears off tonight!
I just discovered your blog a few days ago and I am SO excited! My sister is an OT and we talk about things like this all the time, but to have all of your knowledge documented and easy for me to reference is amazing!
Thanks so much for stopping by, and leaving such a kind comment! I really appreciate it! I put so much time into sharing this information for others.
Thank you for this post! I have been going crazy trying to get my son to eat. He used to be the best eater until he learned the word no. I am going to implement the sensory bins a lot more and try to be more patient with him. And the presentation idea looks great!
Thank you for the comment Nancy! By the way, kids eating will go up and down, it is good that he was a good eater. Stay consistent and keep offering those foods! Good luck!
Thank you for this post! My 3 year old is so picky and I honestly didn’t know what to do. All of my kids were like this but my middle out grew it and eats well. However my oldest still has a minimal list of 3 foods and several fruits. If you have any tips for a 13 year old with the same issues please let me know!
There is a ton info on picky eating here, beyond this post. See the article index for even more ideas. A lot of these basics can be applied to a 13 year old as well. Instead of asking him to play with his food, talk about the properties from a science point of view (i.e.: how hard is it, how many times do you need to chew it, does it dissolve, etc.) Good luck!
My daughter in law and I both bought the Funbites cutters and were very disappointed. They don’t cut well and the food sticks in them. We have found small cookie cutters work much better.
Thanks for the comment Loraine, I’m sorry you didn’t have a good experience. I think cookie cutters work great too, especially if they are small. I have several of the funbites myself and if you use the insert it came with it allows you to easily push the stuck food out. Also, for stringy meats you do need to rock them back and forth with a lot of pressure. What I really like about the funbites is that the shapes are really small, which some kids really need.