Raising children who aren’t picky eaters is a deep passion of mine. In fact, I place more importance on my children loving a wide variety of foods rather than making sure EVERYTHING they eat is wholesome or considered a “super food”. I have these “rules” or “mantras” that have shaped my oldest two into incredibly good eaters and I’m proud of that. But, my third is quite the challenge. She has a sensory disorder that we are slowly trying to figure out. She’s too young for a particular diagnosis, but her ability to sense certain things in life is greatly impacted. It’s a daily struggle and I feel as though I fail her in the patient-mom department each day.
Lucky, eating is one thing that she does enjoy - to a certain extent. She HATES - like possessed, screaming, tantrum - HATES being strapped down in a high chair. I think it reminds her of her car seat - a place I wish we could avoid for this reason. Sometimes we can trick her, but for the most part she eats at the counter with her older siblings. Sometimes (not dinner time, because I draw the line there) she walks around the house with food in a baggie. I have learned that you must pick your battles.She is also turned off by puréed foods (i.e. mashed potatoes, runny oats, butternut squash ravioli) - so hiding foods isn’t much of an option. Though, I’m not entirely a fan of that method anyway. Additionally, she is slightly neophobic (the fear to try new foods) especially green food.

Because eating seems to soothe her, she eats a lot. I have a snack bucket in the pantry that she is constantly trying to get into. These are foods meant for after school or on-the-go. When I tell her no, it’s ear-piercing, major meltdown mode.

For the first time in my life, I totally get what parents mean when they say, “my kid will only eat chicken nuggets.” Only for us, it’s string cheese and granola bars. These are perfectly good snacks and I know how to pick out better brands, but by no means should they make up my daughter’s meals or be consumed multiple times a day. We (I because sometimes, very rarely - like when I’m out of town my husband will undermine me) don’t rely on the drive-through, it’s just not something I do. However, I totally get the need to save your sanity, your money, and your energy just to get your kid to eat something you KNOW they will eat.

The bottom line, it’s tough. All of us have our own struggles and our kids have their own struggles. I’m deeply grateful for my education and passion in the field of nutrition because I know it has helped her. If your child struggles with healthy eating, or eating in general here are some tips that can help.

1. You are in charge. You are responsible for WHAT your child eats. They are responsible if they eat and how much.

2. Limit snacking. This is INCREDIBLY hard for us because, like I said eating soothes her. I just try to limit snacks 1-2 hours before dinner.

3. Keep trying. Offer the same food over and over again. Offer it in different ways. Often, I will give the same food at different meals throughout the week. They will spit, they will throw, it will be messy.

4. Let them get messy. Learning to eat means letting them do it. My daughter does so much better with her own spoon and fork. I’m on my hands and knees after every meal cleaning the floor, but it works.

5. Offer a variety. We love divided trays at our house. She feels “in-charge” when she has choices in front of her. She doesn’t always eat it all, but there is more of a chance that she will try it if it’s in front of her. Also, sometimes she doesn’t realize what she just put in her mouth and goes back for seconds.

6. Work out bad habits. This is HARD. When she wants another string cheese or bar, especially after she just ate I tell her “no”. After three times of “no” she gets really upset and I want to give in. I do my best to distract her, but it’s hard. I remember I am in charge and she’ll eat again in a little while.

7. Focus on three square meals. Most of the time, just ONE of those meals will be a good meal for them - meaning, that they ate it and received the nutrition they need.

8. Don’t become overly obsessive. They will be Ok and so will you. Things just have a way of working themselves out. If you are always worried about what they are getting, they will sense stress from you and it will impact their feeding relationship.

9. Be an example. Eat healthy with your family. They WILL follow your example. I see it everyday.

10. Go out for treats. Let your kids have treats. Teach them the difference between treats and snacks. It is also important to let them see you eat and enjoy treats.

Good Resources:

Ellyn Satter
Toast with Cheese