If you have a picky eater at home, we know how troublesome your mealtimes would be. The assuring news is that you aren’t alone. According to a source, almost 50% of preschoolers fall under this category. The problem with picky eaters is that they could make every meantime hectic. If you want to know how to get picky eaters to try new foods you are on the right page.
As parents, you have a lot of concern when the child doesn’t eat properly. You don’t know what to cook to make your child eat. You may be worried about your child choosing junk foods instead of your healthy meal. Planning your child’s meals according to their preference may seem almost impossible.
If you are finding creative ways to get picky eaters to eat or you want new foods to try for picky eaters, we got you covered.
9 Science-Backed Tips To Get Picky Eaters To Try New Foods
When you feel “my son only eats a few foods” or if your child is rejecting new foods, it could probably mean your child has a fear of new foods. Neophobia: the fear of new foods is common among children aged 2 to 6 years. There are often a few symptoms shown by picky eaters such as refusing new foods and going through food jags. Food jags are when your child is adamant and only wants to eat their favorite food. Remember, these are normal.
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Do not get upset if you get your 3-year-old to try new foods and he rejects them eventually. According to research, it is believed that the child will start accepting new food with regular exposure and without much pressure. So, if you have been worrying that your child will never escape from this picky eating habit, let us start by understanding the science behind it.
1. Change your perception
As parents, it is easy to get exhausted when your child doesn’t eat. The simple thing you can do is to change your perception of your child. Instead of thinking of your child as a baby still, accept the fact that your preschooler will have a slow growth as compared with infancy and toddler. Also, this is a stage where they develop their sense of independence. This will make them create their preference which is also a cause for change in food preferences.
More often, as parents, we easily label our children as picky eaters rather than promoting a healthy relationship between the child and the food. A disagreement between you and your child could make situations worse. It is important to enjoy mealtime with your child and focus on their eating without adding much force1.
2. Allow them to play with their food
Allowing your child to explore their food plate is the answer to how to get picky eaters to try new foods. Your mealtime becomes a war zone every time you force your child to have something you have prepared or foods they don’t like. The children need to get familiar with the food texture and know its feel. If you see your child fidgeting with the food instead of eating, allow him to do so.
According to a study, kids who were allowed to spend hands-on time with fruits and veggies in their classroom through multiple activities and were exposed to them regularly were more likely to choose these food groups from a snack buffet than kids who didn’t have these classroom activities. Next time your child pushes the plate back to you while you force him to eat, remember that too much nagging might backfire on you.
3. Keep offering new foods
Offering the same food back-to-back in a row may not drive the child toward eating new food. It is hence important that you follow the rotation rule where the same food isn’t served continuously for two days in a row. If your child eats pancakes today morning for breakfast, try to offer a different breakfast for the next day. In this way, you don’t allow your child to get into a comfort zone of eating the same food and also teach them to try new varieties of foods every day2.
You can also incorporate new foods with the child’s existing favorite food. For example, you can add one or two peas with your child’s favorite potato.
Related Reading: 15 Most Common Unhealthy Foods For Toddlers
4. Start with small portions
According to experts, kids may get overwhelmed when they find their plates with foods that they are unfamiliar with or not comfortable trying. The best option is to serve them in small quantities. In this way, the kid will also not be pressurized to eat a full cup of broccoli against one floret and also there will be minimal waste. On the other hand, it will allow the child to decide and make their food choices. In case the child wants more, they can always ask. Also, you can slowly increase the amount of the new food at subsequent meals to make it a proper serving size.
5. Be a food role model
While we might not notice much, children indeed are impacted by our food choices. They learn about food and food choices based on what they see from others. According to a source, young children accepted new foods when the others around them were eating them too.
Also, another study confirmed that children whose parents consumed vegetables as snacks and had salads for dinner were more likely to meet the intake of fruit and vegetables recommended than the ones who do not.
Make healthy eating a part of the norm of your family so that the children observe you eating nutritious food and do not hesitate to try them.
6. Involve your kids in meal planning and cooking
If you want your child to get more involved and gain interest in new foods, the best thing you can do is to involve them in all your preparation process — right from choosing meals, shopping, and cooking. You can make the meal time easier by taking your child shopping and allowing them to pick their own choice of healthy foods. This will make the process exciting as well as give them confidence. You can also use them for tasks age-appropriate.
According to research, children who were involved in meal preparation were more likely to consume vegetables than the ones who weren’t involved. On the other hand, you also train them on a skill which they might need for a lifetime.
7. Don’t pressure kids to eat
Pressuring kids to eat and try new foods could make mealtime more stressful. While you may be too bothered about how to get picky eaters to try new foods, outcomes are generally worse when you pressurize them. It is believed that picky eating can become more extreme if kids are worried about making their parents disappointed during meal times. A negative food experience can make the child even more resistant to new foods.
According to a source, kids consumed more food when they were NOT forced or pressured to eat. Remember, negative experiences such as arguments about the food, forcing the children to finish the plate, or beating the child will create a negative food experience and are among the most common parenting mistakes.
8. Don’t put up clean your plate rule
While many parents want to enforce a clean rule plate, forcing the child to do this will only be damaging to your child. According to a study, telling your child to finish their plate could make them lose their instincts of hunger and fullness cues. While this might work out for you at times, it is sure to create a negative food experience for your child.
9. Be patient and keep offering again
As discussed, neophobia is a fear of newness. When you are worried about how to get picky eaters to try new foods, accept the fact the little one doesn’t get over the fear with one or two exposures. Offer gentle trials and do not give up if your little one is rejecting it. According to many experts, it takes at least 10-20 attempts to get the child accustomed to a new food. Regular exposure makes the child familiar with the food, reducing their anxiety over it.
Various studies have shown that regular exposure to new/disliked food for at least 14 days significantly increases their interest in it and they start to try it more.
Conclusion
If you are a parent of a picky eater, you are likely to have a major role to play. What you eat plays an important role in your child making their food choices. Instead of forcing the child with your food choice, offer them healthy options and let them make their selection. This will also help the child to make healthy food choices which is a much-needed skill.
During snack time, surround your picky eater plate with healthy options. Make sure the pantry is also filled with healthy snack options. While your child may not be inclined towards this, over a point in time, your child may start trying it! Also, hunger is a powerful tool. When your kids know what to eat, mealtimes could turn out to be fun and easy.