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How to raise a non-picky eater
[We're all about eating healthy this July because it's...#NutritionMonth!]
Even before a mom’s six-month old baby has taken their first bite of solid food, that mom has probably read and learned all the tips about how to feed their child.
From food prep to combinations to try, she'll feel like a pro — until her child refuses to eat and becomes a picky eater out of nowhere. What happened?
Should you resign to feeding them fried chicken or cereal all day, every day? Definitely not — especially if you want them to stay healthy. Here are the tips that both moms and pediatricians agree that work.
Start them young—and keep on going
It’s a standard rule that babies can start with solid food by 6 months of age, and pedias and moms agree in starting things right.
Dr. Carmelette Salvador, a pediatrician and a mom of a 10-year old son, recommends starting with one vegetable and feeding the same vegetable consecutively for three to five days.
“Feed the same vegetable for three to five days before introducing a new one, so as not to confuse the infant’s taste. I allow them to give cereals if they lack time to prepare the food, but again, one flavor a week or in three to five days. I do not allow a mixture of vegetables, fruits, and cereals early on, so that parents will know which food the baby can tolerate or may be allergic to.”
Meanwhile, mixing breast mix and formula is perfectly alright, as Dr. Jennifer Elizabeth Chua, a pediatrician, reminds mothers.
Be your child’s role model
Parents are the biggest influence in a child’s life, especially at a young age. They look up to you and notice your habits, attitude, and behavior — including your relationship with food. So you simply can’t spout, “Eat your veggies!” while eating a bag of junk food in front of them.
Dr. Merlyn Monterozo-Bucsit, General Pediatrician and Developmental and Feeding Screening Clinician says that modeling has a big impact on the child’s behavior towards feeding. “Eating at home also shows your child what is safe, what is worth trying, and what is delicious and nutritious as well,” she adds.
Children love it when they eat with their entire family. Dr. Dominic Barroso, a pediatrician, says, “It is important to eat with the child and not just feed them at mealtimes, as this will be a strong model for them as they grow up.” True to Dr. Barroso’s statement, Mom Trish says, “My son likes copying what everyone else is doing or eating.”
Kat Castaneda, a mother of a 4-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son, agrees, saying that eating the same food as her daughter helped her try new things. “We ate at a Thai restaurant, and luckily she liked all the meals we chose from the menu.” Speaking of eating adventurously, Mom Jorina meanwhile adds that her 3-year old son tried kimchi because he saw her eating it.
Dr. Chua adds that without the distraction of gadgets and toys, eating together as a family creates a positive impact in the child’s food journey.
Put in the effort
Making it more flavorful and presentable will take some know-how and patience, but it’s well worth the effort. Trish Trisha, a mother of a 21-month old boy says, “I think as they get to taste more things, you can’t really feed them veggies as is. My kid eats veggies if you mix it into another meal, but his taste range is definitely wide!”
Jorina Atmady, a mother of a 3-year old son and a 5-year old daughter, says that for her once-picky eater daughter, she executed a plan. “I briefed her and told her that she needed to eat vegetables, so I cooked cream sauce pasta with vegetables, and she ate it. Then after a few days, I removed the pasta. By the time I fed her just sautéed vegetables, she already got used to the taste.”
Get them involved
Dr. Bucsit says that kids become excited over their ‘experiment’. “They get excited about the outcome, and would be more open to trying the food, because they know what the ingredients are—its smell, texture, consistency.”
Mom Kat sometimes cooks with her children as her handy kitchen helpers. “When they are part of the process, they think it’s going to be awesome right away. They might not like the taste, but they will surely give it a try. For my daughter, we made buko pandan and pasta with white sauce. She didn’t like the buko pandan at first but it’s green, but she liked the pasta even if she was used to pasta in red sauce before.”
Mom Trish’s son enjoys helping his mom make her healthy smoothies, so he loves his smoothies, too. “It’s got kale and beets and greens in there!” Dr. Salvador agrees, saying that from personal experience, when she cooks food with her son involved, he was a lot more willing to taste and eventually enjoys it.
Get some backup
Dr. Salvador recommends that whether your child is a picky eater or not, continuing with supplement such as milk and multivitamins are still necessary.
Dr. Barroso says that children have a natural tendency to eat sweet foods, so he gives this as a tip. “Serve their favorite food along with the new ones, and keep serving them the new food until it becomes preferable to them.”
Be firm, but don’t force
Dr. Bucsit says that there shouldn’t be any form of force-feeding when it comes to your child, and Dr. Barroso agrees that a child’s appetite must be respected. “Introduction to the food is okay, but do not force feed the child. It is important to make this a good experience for them.”
Anna Centeno, mom of two kids ages 3 and 5, says her eldest outgrew the picky eater stage. “When he was a toddler, he was super picky. Now we make him eat everything, because we could talk to him about it. Like we would tell him, ‘Do you want to be a good swimmer? You have to eat vegetables!”
Mom Jorina is firm with her kids, saying that they don’t have any choice but to eat whatever is on their plate. “My kids eat vegetables and drink their fruit and vegetable juice not because they like it, but because they know they have to eat it so they won’t get sick, and they’ll be able to eat ‘unhealthy’ food.”
Dr. Chua says to avoid making mealtime sound like a punishment. “Allow them to choose what they like, but at the same time, offer the healthy options as much as possible, and avoid giving junk food so that they won’t be accustomed to it.”
Try and try until they bite
When presented with boiled vegetables, very few grown-ups will choose to willingly eat it—what more children! Dr. Salvador says that studies have showed that it takes eight to 15 tries of the same food before a child would accept it. She adds, “My son used to dislike meat, but with constant exposure and giving praise even if he ate a small piece of it, he finally realized it was not that bad at all.”
Mom Trish says that while it’s true that you should keep offering a food until they try it, it depends on the taste.” I think it still boils down to if they like the resulting taste or not. The older they get, the more preferences they have. I tried it with broccoli and carrots, but he only eats it when mixed with rice. I was successful with potatoes though.”
Mom Kat says, “Kids are really smart! My boy eats whatever, but my daughter now, whatever greens I give her, she would automatically say no—even if I present it in different ways!” However tiring though, Kat hasn’t given up the fight in giving her kiddo her greens!
Stay positive
Most pedias would agree to not worry too much if you have a picky eater. Kids oftentimes outgrow it, especially when they start going to school and get curious about the food that their friends are eating. Dr. Salvador adds, “It is a temporary behavior. Extend your patience, and don’t forget to praise your kids for choosing healthy food. Give them a big hug and smile.”
And most importantly, don’t beat yourself up and get your mommy guilt on if you’ve been keeping the TV on during meal time, or you were too tired to fight against your child wanting to eat the same food for the third day in a row. Tomorrow is another day to do well, and set things right. — LA, GMA News
