Do you have picky eaters at home?

Picky eating behavior is common for many children from the age of 2 to 5 years old. Here are a few tips to help with this in a positive way.

Make Food Fun!

• Let your kids be the produce pickers. Let them help pick out their fruits and veggies at the store.
• Let them help you prepare meals. Children learn about food and can get excited about tasting when they help make meals. Let them add ingredients or help stir food.
• Name a food your child helps create. Make a big deal of serving “Maria’s Green Beans” or “Joe’s Spaghetti”.
• Cut food into fun shapes with cookie cutters.
• Offer choices. Rather than asking, “Do you want broccoli for dinner?” ask “Which would you like for dinner, broccoli or carrots?”

Trying New Foods

• Offer new foods first. Your child will be most hungry at the beginning of a meal.
• Start with small portions. Let your child try small portions of new foods that you enjoy. Be patient with them, it is normal for children to reject foods they have never tried before.
• Offer one new food at a time. Serve something that you know your child likes along with the new food. Offering more new foods all at once could be too much for your child.
• Offer new foods many times. It may take up to a dozen tries for a child to accept a new food. Sometimes, new foods take time.
• Be a role model. Try new foods yourself. Describe their taste, texture and smell to your child.

Other Advice

• Follow your instincts and ask for help if something doesn’t seem right.
• Contact your child’s doctor if you think they are having more extreme picky eating habits, especially if they are losing weight or not gaining weight appropriately.
• Talk to your WIC staff about what kind of help is best for your child. We can help you find a local doctor, if needed.