Helping Kids to overcome “picky eating”
In the picture book Randall the Blue Spider Tries Honey Cakes, readers meet Camilla the Bee. She loves making honey cakes with her dads and sharing them with friends at school.
Initially, Randall thinks he doesn't like honey cakes, even though he has never tried one. He is nervous to try new foods.
Every parent of a picky eater understands the challenge of convincing kids to step outside of their tried-and-true favorites. Even though Randall’s friend wants to share her treats with him, he is hesitant, calling her honey cakes “yucky.” But after he is allowed some time to sit with the food, he starts to play with it and decides to try a small bite on his own—and he discovers that he loves the taste!
Why “picky eating” is in quotes…
I hate the term picky eater because there is a perception that picky eating is a phase that kids go through. But it can be really tough for parents when their child is picky about what they eat. It can be stressful and frustrating, especially when you're trying to make sure your kid is getting the nutrition they need.
One of the challenges with picky eating is that it's hard to tell if it's just a phase or something more serious. If your child is a picky eater, it's important to talk to your pediatrician to rule out any underlying medical conditions (like Ryeson has with cystic fibrosis). Once you know there isn't a medical reason for the pickiness, then you can start working on strategies to help your child expand their palate.
Also, try not to label your child as a picky eater. This can make them feel like they're not in control of their own eating habits and may cause them to dig their heels in even more.
Picky eating can be an issue because trying new things is an important part of growing up.
Research shows that parents and educators who encourage kids to try new things, from foods to friendships to visiting new places, help children become curious, independent individuals who are better prepared to learn more about themselves and the world around them.
This is especially important as we start getting back out into the world after Zoom school and social distancing over the past two years. According to the CDC, anxiety has increased in children in the United States, and it's necessary that we aid kids in feeling comfortable trying new things, which teaches valuable lessons along the way.
Here are suggestions for Helping Kids overcome “picky eating”:
Introduce new foods with old favorites. Let’s say your kid loves mac and cheese—but refuses to touch a side of broccoli at any meal, citing that they’re nothing but mini sulfur-reeking trees. But…what if you threw it all into one pot for dinner? This recipe for broccoli mac and cheese (https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/broccoli-mac-and-cheese/#recipe) is rated five stars and sneaks two cups of broccoli into a famously kid-friendly food. Plus, who doesn’t love having only one pot to wash after dinner? There are plenty of ways to get creative with your picky eater’s mealtime outcasts, and folding the supposedly yucky new foods into the old-timers is a great place to start.
Offer without pressure. Give your child a chance to adventure into the unknown without any expectations. Encouraging independence with food can indirectly encourage independence with other parts of their life; they can learn that it’s okay to take time, to figure out what they like, and to determine without any help whether or not the new thing is for them. Sub out the dinnertime tug-of-war over a bowl of mixed fruit for a relaxed environment where taking chances is praised but not forced.
Offer a small portion. Going on a neighborhood stroll is easier than climbing a mountain. Tackling three things on a day’s to-do list is easier than trying to squeeze in seventeen things. And eating a spoonful of peas is easier than shoveling your way through a plateful. Offer a portion of the fuss-worthy food that is easy on the eyes, and it’ll also be easier to get into the stomach.
Let them play. Maybe the people who told us never to play with our food while growing up had it backwards. Allowing your kid to play with their food gives them the opportunity to explore its colors, textures, and smells. Randall does this to acclimate himself to the honey cakes, and he creates art in the process!
Lead by example. How is your child going to learn to enjoy new foods if you won’t explore outside-the-box items yourself? Order offbeat things from a menu, dig up kooky recipes online. Have a parent-child date night of feared foods and oddities. Try new things together, scrunch your noses at the stuff you don’t like, and comment on the things that pleasantly surprise you. And congratulate your child for being brave alongside you!
Try, try again. Impatience is likely to breed tension, and that tension will become associated with the food. Instead of fish just being fish, it becomes the entree to end all dinnertime peace. Take a breath and remember that some things won’t click right away. According to Time (https://time.com/4187760/andrew-zimmern-acquiring-taste/), kids who dislike a food on the first try are more likely to enjoy it with increased exposure. Eighth or ninth time’s the charm, as they say. So keep trying; this takes the pressure off of any one meal for both parent and child.
Being a picky eater can be hard, and feeding one can be harder. But working as a team to tackle new or “gross” foods can be a rewarding experience and lend your child a sense of independence and adventurousness that will follow them into other aspects of their life.
And your fussy eater doesn’t have to be in this alone!
Randall gets it, and by reading Randall the Blue Spider Tries Honey Cakes, he shows how bravery with foods—like a friend’s honey cakes—can pay off and leave you with a sweet treat and a smile in the end.
Article written by Elizabeth Wolfinger.