How to Help Your Picky Eater

For many children picky eating is a habit. But for young children, especially toddlers, picky eating is a sensory issue. Picky eating can make meal times a nightmare! Between fighting over what to make then, fighting to get your child to eat it and in the midst of all that to hope that they get something healthy in their little bodies, it is just stressful!

Luckily there are some things you can do to help your child, if in fact part of the problem is a sensory problem. (Your child can be perfectly healthy and have no other problems if they have sensory difficulties so this is no reason to panic.)

Some signs of difficulty with sensory input are:

-Dislike of getting dirty

-Dislike of anything on hands or feet such as paint or food

-Picky eating, particularly tending towards crunchy food

-Unusual reactions to loud noises

-Desire to not be touched often

-Easily over stimulated

-Bangs head or does things with the body to create stimulation such as standing on head or jumping off things

-Fear of heights

-Lining things up such as toys in a row

Again, your child may have some of these and be perfectly normal!

But there are some thing that can help your child learn to process these things more easily. Most of these include sensory play for your child.

#1 - Sensory play can include anything from playing the dried beans to play doh to sensory bottles. Anything and everything you can think of to expose your child to different sensory experiences will help greatly. Having sensory time 3-5 times a week will greatly improve your child's comfort with new textures.

Take the object (ex- dried beans) and rub it on your child's hands as they play, also allow them to be barefoot and walk on it if they are able and if it is safe/comfortable. Rub the beans on the bottoms of their feet. If possible, have enough to allow your child to sit in a bin with the beans all around them for an even more immersing experience.

#2 - Helping you cook can also greatly increase their likelihood to eat whatever it is that you want them to eat. To be involved in the process helps children to become emotionally invested in the food and thus be more willing to eat it. It will also help them to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride that they helped make it which will encourage them to eat it as well.

My son helps me crack eggs in the morning for our breakfast and, he tends to eat more of them on the days that he helps verses the days that he doesn't.

#3 - Allow your child to play with their food. I know this is completely different from what we might think but by playing wit hit your child is becoming acquainted with the texture and becoming more comfortable with the sensation.

This is extremely important because your child will not eat something that he or she is freaked out by just touching. Playing with food is a great start towards learning to put it in their mouths.

#4 - Expose children to new foods and foods they have refused, often. Even if they can just tolerate them on their plate that is a good step towards eating it.

#5 - Keep it fun and have at least one food that you know your child likes/will eat. If your child is too hungry and overwhelmed by not seeing anything familiar, then this is a recipe for a meltdown.

#6 - Lastly, build off foods that your child already likes. Try adding a new sauce to the chicken nuggets or switching the sauce. Try going from a dried fruit to an undried fruit. Try adding a little pureed broccoli to the mac and cheese, etc. The ideas is to make bridges to new foods by slowing changing some foods that your child is already entirely comfortable with.

This gives them a less frightening jumping off point and can help ease them into new foods by connecting them to things they have already accepted as good.

Again, some children just need some help with sensory processing and are perfectly okay otherwise. This is to help you help your child explore new foods and sensory experiences in a fun and safe way for them. I hope these help!

Let me know if you implement any of these and how it goes for you and your kiddos!

Blessings!

Kelsie

(The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.)