HomeI'm green with envy when I see young kids devouring salads and opting for grilled lean meats over fried foods. If you examine a kids' menu in virtually any restaurant, what are the choices? Hot dog, grilled cheese, chicken tenders. What kind of a message are we sending our kids when we constantly offer them fat from the fryer?
In reality, many kids just wouldn't eat if they didn't have these kid-friendly options. Picky eaters are commonplace in families, yet they're a source of great frustration for Mom, who usually wants her kids to be less picky.
Some tips that have helped at home include the following:
1. Keep it simple. Mom decides the menu and timing of when kids eat. The kids can choose "if" they want to eat. As harsh as it sounds, too many choices can be miserable, and can reinforce over time that choices are always available.
2. If you offer a choice, keep it simple. For a long time, we offered the main course or cold cereal. It kept things simple; assured a relatively fulfilling meal; and didn't make me feel like a short order cook!
3. Develop a sticker chart for trying new foods. Reward your children with verbal praise when they try new things to reinforce more of the same. Kids will work hard for praise.
4. Try to avoid nagging. I think that if food becomes too big of a deal by our constantly discussing & negotiating, that we can create problems for kids later on. Also, by focusing on the picky eater, you're inadvertently reinforcing the behavior Â- any attention (good or bad) can be encouragement!
5. Model healthy eating habits. And talk about it! Kids may not get it from observation alone. Tell them, "I love a great hot fudge sundae, but I try to limit it to once a week. I like to fill up on a yummy salad."
6. Liken food to fuel. Kids get it that cars need gas to run. Explain to young children that food is fuel to a body, but that a body is picky like them, and runs much smoother on good fuel!
I spoke with expert Karen Schachter, a clinical social worker and Mom Since 2001 (MS'01), to make some sense out of the picky eater problem. As a social worker and certified nutrition counselor, she is a psychology of eating expert. She helps people develop positive relationships to food, eating and their bodies. Her Web site, www.healthybodieshappyminds.com, has lots of great nutrition resources for parents.
She reports that picky eaters are a common complaint and had a theory as to why that is. "Unfortunately, in today's world of processed food and intense marketing of 'kid' foods, more and more children are considered 'picky,' as the more subtle flavors of natural foods are much less stimulating - and often less desirable - than the intense flavors of processed foods," she explained.
Schachter added that it isn't unusual for kids to be picky, since "it is very normal for young children to prefer a narrow range of food choices, and to have their own sense of what textures, tastes and smells they prefer."
She had some mealtime magic to share for young picky eaters to ensure that children are getting a rich diet full of nutrients, while slowly expanding their repertoire of healthy options.
Here are Schachter's top tips:
1. Instead of getting rid of all their favorites at once, "crowd out" unhealthy choices with newer, healthier versions.
2. Have the foods that you want your children to eat ready and available and slowly purge yourself of the worst offenders. Children will eventually eat what's available.
3. Encourage the one-bite rule. For children who refuse (perhaps because of a sensitivity to the smell or texture), start with leaving the food on their plate; next time, encourage them to smell it; next time to lick it, and so on. Give lots of kudos for trying new things (they don't have to like it, just trying it is great).
4. Eat together when possible Â- studies show that children who have family dinners are more likely to eat healthier.
5. Don't tell a child he/she is "so picky" and don't talk about their eating habits in a negative light in front of them. Instead, if they try something and don't like it, say something like, "I'm sure you will when you're a little older."
Most importantly, she said, "Go slowly, stay positive and don't give up!"
I love Schachter's approach, and I admire her positive attitude -- it's got to be contagious in the kitchen in a very good way!
One more tip: When I heard Schachter's tips, I wondered, how can I make a chart out of this? For younger kids, consider a picture chart titled, "I like to try new foods." Put 10 boxes on the page, and let them fill in either words, hand drawn pictures, or cut outs from magazines. It lets them visualize each time they try a new food.
Another approach is to cut out pictures of foods you want them to try, and let them circle each time they do! Use a reward at the end Â- maybe they pick the restaurant for a special family outing or earn some extra bedtime?
For more tips and resources, check out "Turning the Dinner Dilemma into a Delight" (http://www.businessofmother...).
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Amy Kossoff Smith, Founder of The Business of Motherhood, is a nationally recognized Mompreneur who owns a Web site, www.BusinessofMotherhood.com, and blog, www.MomTiniLounge.com. Available 24/7, just like Moms, the Web sites offer parenting tips, resources, and a host of ways to manage the job of motherhood.
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(c) 2008, The Business of Motherhood.
Online at www.BusinessofMotherhood.com and www.MomTiniLounge.com.
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