How can I help my child try new foods and stop being so picky?

It might be a texture thing try different experience with. Blended food my husband won’t eat any meat that hasn’t been ground though he will eat bacon so keep trying and the thing about making set until they eat everything hogwash will just make her hate the experience more just set her plate like normal take away when everybody is done and like several have said she will eventually get hungry but I would also talk to the doctor to especially if she is losing any weight

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Kidd do what we let them. My oldest is 15 at 5 he ate 5 things. At 7 I divorced his dad and was thrown into a very difficult financial situation. I suddenly coudnt give him what he wanted. I made family meals for me him and brother. There was no money for snacks. It didnt take long for him to eat what was placed in front of him. What would you do if what you cooked was it. There was no other option.

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Please don’t her not wanting to eat certain things or try new foods an issue. Feed her what she will eat without a fuss. It may be a texture issue. I have four grands that will NOT eat potatoes in any way, shape, form or fashion.

As long as she is healthy and at an appropriate weigh for her age I wouldn’t worry too much. If you’re worried about her not getting enough nutrients then see if she’ll drink one of the nutritional drinks.

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Let her be, I had picky too, Once she started school I made her take school lunch! She was hungry she at what they had! Then things got better at home! She won’t let herself starve!

My daughter did the same thing it wasn’t just til she turned about 6 that she started tasting new things. I just kept feeding her things she liked and gave her yogurt til she was comfortable with new foods

Could not get my daughter to est certain things so I had to tell her that brussel sprouts were acorns broccoli was trees and butter in a squeeze bottle was creamiest. And she wasn’t a baby about 5 years old just picky

We do “no thank you” bites. My 3.5 year old isn’t picky, but if there is something she doesn’t want to eat, she has to take 1-2 no thank you bites before she is excused from eating it. We saw it on an episode of T.O.T.S and it has worked great! T.o.t.s no thank you bite - YouTube

My daughter decided she didn’t really like meat of any kind around 5 years old, shes 12 now and she eats it again, but we did a lot of meatless pastas n fruits n things. Have you asked her what she WILL eat?

She is a self restricted eater. Find a speech therapist or occupational therapist who specializes in feeding. It will take some work but it is fixable.

One of my children has a texture issue. She won’t touch lunch meat of any kind, she doesn’t like any kind of noodles,
She really prefers pizza, pasta (can’t be canned) chicken, hamburger (any form). She will eat pork and other forms of beef but not as often. She won’t eat a baked potato but loves mashed and French fries.
She is 20 now but I always offered her what we ate, along with foods I knew she ate well. She would typically eat what she liked and leave the rest. She was never below 80% for height and weight in her age group. (My babies were all over 9 pounds when born. She is now the small one at 5’9 190)

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My daughter, who is now 28, wouldn’t and still doesnt eat white foods. Come to find out she is lactose intolerant so she got it in her head as a child if it was white she was going to get a tummy ache. And heaven forbid her food touch. But that is an OCD issue.

I have a picky grandson he wouldn’t even eat hamburgers hot dogs spaghetti most things kids love But I saw always started introducing food a little at a time I tell him to try it if he didn’t like it that was fine then I tried again a month or 2 later I just kept trying now he eats everything steak pork chops hot dogs hamburgers cheeseburgers now he refuses to eat chicken nuggets or chicken strips Please almost any vegetable now he just gotta keep pushin a little at a time every few months until they realize That it is good food don’t give up it won’t be forever

Division of responsibility. You decide what’s for dinner and when, she decides how much to eat of it. No alternative meals, if she chooses not to eat that’s fine, but she’s going to be hungry until the next meal. We also do no snacks between meals, period. If snacks are offered there is really no incentive to eat the meal, as the child is never allowed to get truly hungry and become familiar with their own body’s cues and sensations. Been doing this since my son’s first bite of solids at 4mo, and now have a phenomenal eater.

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My grandson who is 6 is very picky also. He stays with us while his parents are at work. So, every other day we ask him what sounds good to eat and give him the choices we have to make. He then helps make it by stirring the food, cutting vegetables, mixing the ingredients and helping pour it in the pan to cook, just small things. Then we praise him on it being the best food we have ever eaten and tell him how glad that he made it for dinner. He started at 4 being picky and would gag and throw up, it was horrible. But since we started letting him help it has improved gradually and gotten way better at meal times. Then every other day we pick the meal and this has lead to him trying new things. It didn’t happen overnight, some days were frustrating, and it really takes patience letting him help when it would go much faster just doing it myself. But by doing this he has come a long way, still picky about some things, how ever he is eating and thats a relief.

My daughter is 13 she has always been a weird eater…she eats lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains. I never force her to eat/ finish anything ( that causes eating disorders both extremes) …he father is the pickiest eater I have ever met so I feel blessed she chooses to eat healthy at least…I absolutely encourage her to try new things and she does…especially when her friends do. Texture is a huge issue for some people. Smoothies are a great way to make sure they are getting the proper nutrients they need. I was forced to eat foods I did not like growing up…and I literally got sick…I had an undiagnosed dairy allergy and always wondered why my tummy hurt and I got sick alot…so I will never force her to eat anything.

I had the one bite rule. They have to take one bite and if they like it good. If not thats ok. They learned they liked quite a bit.

Making kids eat makes teens and adults with food issues. Teaches them they don’t have authority over their body. Some children have issues they can’t explain… Taste(too bitter, sweet, salty), texture (slimy, brittle, crunchy) sound, or color. (hypersensitivity).
Does the family eat together? Is it a pleasant time? Does she see other children eating these foods?
Supplements as needed. Don’t stress. Don’t make big deal. She may grow out of it. She may always be “picky”.

Could have been complete luck, but we never withheld any type of food from our son and he ate everything. We never used the phrase “you won’t like that” or told people “he won’t eat that” if they asked if they could give him something. We never made him special meals, and we frequently made him his plate from our plates when we went out. If he asked for something I knew he liked and didn’t eat it, it would be given to him at the next meal until he ate it (even if it meant I secretly had to make a fresh one). This drove home the point that you eat what you ask for. If he took his portion, he has to eat it. If it was given to him, he wasn’t required to finish it. If he refused, no dessert or snacks later. That taught him that you don’t take more than you can eat. Don’t make a big deal out of eating. It’s likely that it’s an attention getter right now. Don’t give them the satisfaction- be matter of fact about food and tell her everything is yummy, even if you don’t like it yourself. I know kids who think sardines and beet juice popsicles are the equivalent to chocolate and candy. Food preferences are mostly learned behaviors with a few exceptions like allergies and if you have a kids with diagnosed sensory issues.

put small bites of new foods on her plate. She must at least try one bite. Do not give her any foods she will eat until she tries one bite of the new food. Don’t worry if she refuses. Excuse her from the table. She won’t starve herself to death.

I used to work at a daycare and we would sneak vegetables in the food. Like sloppy joes with spinach mixed into the meat, it was yummy or English muffin pizzas with a slice of tomato and bacon on top. The kids loved it!

If doctor says there is no allergy / intolerance issue then let her help make food. Sometimes they will eat it if it is her idea. My three got it into their heads one day to make a list of things they wanted to try based on a cartoon with fruit and veggie characters. My oldest is a bit picky and we even changed the names and found silliness like if it is called roast beef but not steak she would eat. We also don’t cater to the tantrums and require to at least try new things. Each is different and you may have to experiment a bit.

My pediatrician told me not to worry if she likes bananas give her banana as if she likes cheese let her eat cheese don’t make it an issue

Dont give her too much attention about eating. Pass it .Hopefully she will decide she better start eating or it will all be gone. Been there done that.

  1. Stop giving her so much liquid she fills up on them.
    Fix and eat meals with the whole family. She’ll eat if she gets hungry.

I have a great grand girl that eats very little. I cook and offer her whatever I make, she just says no. Or waves her hand , I’ve had her in my home over 9 hours and this child won’t eat anything I offer her. I buy protein drinks, or she has peanut butter and crackers. Only real food I’ve seen her eat is chicken nuggets, and maybe a fry or two. I’ve bought so.many different things. It’s just a waste if money. She’s very active and is so happy. She just doesn’t eat. I cried on day because I fixed a plate of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas, put it in front of her. Only thing she ate was peas. I cried. Peas, who knew???

Try putting it on a character plate on their favorite cartoon and then they have to eat their food to get to see the pictures

I’m not like everyone else. For the most part my kids Eat what I make but if they don’t Eat it, I make them something else.
It’s not a big deal to me and I just make them something else. If she eats chicken nuggets for a week, at least she’s not hungry.

My son is weird lol he won’t eat mashed potatoes but he will eat French fries or he will not eat cheese (mac n cheese) but he will eat pizza lol kids are weird

You could try an SOD program with her. She may have sensory issues with the way solid food feels in her mouth

My granddaughter is 5 and she will not eat anything. She eats speggetti os, top Raman, chicken nuggets and fries from McDonald’s only, cheese pizza and pizza rolls and that’s it. We have tried everything and can’t get her to try anything.

Treat her like when I was young, take it or leave it.

Tell her its grown up food and she cant have any, she’ll want it so bad

That’s true, she will eat whatever you give her. It works to

You need the help of a dietician.

Peanut butter and jelly!

Good luck with that, mine are grown and still won’t eat their veggies! lol

Have her help plan a meal with you. Give two choices for the meats, starches, and veggies. She can help plan the meal and she can even choose how much to put on her plate.
Make only one meal, no special orders because she does not Like what’s put in front of her.
Limit snacks, but also have some fruits and/or veggies cut and in easy reach.
Also, praise for good choices and also, suggest she at least try 1 bite of each item on her plate. Even if she does not like it, 1 bite is all she must eat. Maybe even cook a little of foods you and your spouse don’t like and show her “mom & dad still have to try foods we don’t like”. This last works with my kids…
I don’t eat Brussels Sprouts yet I cook them for my husband when I cook Asparagus, and I still place 1 medium sprout on my plate, and eat it. He also does not like Sweet potatoes (I love them), but will take a small amount and try it.

Don’t force anything on her it will make her even more stubborn about trying and eating them. My youngest son, who is now,33 was just like that but as he grew. I was going crazy when he was young but he is grown and no adverse effects. Now I have a 6 yr old grandson who is the same way. He eats a few junk foods. Just this week he decided he liked grapes, cherries, watermelon and chicken. We always encourage him to try different things but never force him to eat any. Good luck and be patient. She willeventually eat different foods. As long as she is not sick.